Set over the course of 2008, we see how several families live in Annawadi, a slum on the edge of the Mumbai airport - a symbol of great wealth and proSet over the course of 2008, we see how several families live in Annawadi, a slum on the edge of the Mumbai airport - a symbol of great wealth and progress.
I read this for Friendathon, my readathon based on reading your friends' tastes, for the prompt to read a book that relates to their job - my friend Katie is a journalist, so I read a journalism book. I vlogged the readathon, and you can watch that here!
I don't read a lot of nonfiction to begin with, and very little in this area of expertise, so my review is coming from someone new to the subject. Katherine Boo is an American journalist who has specialized in covering the systems that perpetuate poverty and how, if at all, people can get out of it. She lived in India for several years after marrying an Indian man, and this book came out of her time there. I was initially skeptical of this point of view, but I think that Boo did her due diligence and then some to give a voice to those in Annawadi - a place where homes aren't big enough for families to all sleep on the floor, where toxic waste poisons every water source, where the education, justice, and government systems all use and abuse its people to keep them without resources. We follow several people living there, all using different strategies to try to get out of there. Lots of the young people dig through trash for any small pieces they could sell to the recycling plant. Another is trying to become the first female college graduate from Annawadi, a place where it's common for classrooms to not even have teachers half the time. Her mother is then trying to gain power politically by becoming the new slumlord. We see a family get torn apart and captured by the police because their neighbor set herself on fire and blamed them to get some sort of sympathy or money. This family has to play into the corruption of the police at every turn so that they have the slightest possible chance of being set free, which means that they're paying money they don't have. And all around them, people are dying from not having enough to survive, but from rampant su1c1de, and from violence that the police would never investigate because who could care about these people? It's frankly horrifying the pure volume of deaths this book tallies. This book succinctly covers how all-encompassing poverty is for those in it, and how the systems of power work diligently to keep resources from those who never had them to begin with. Their most successful trick? Dividing the impoverished against each other so no collective opposing the systems in power will ever come to fruition. This book's subtitle is "Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity". Do we get hope? To the reader, there does seem to be very little hope, as many of the people we follow are left worse than we found them - but these people also never stop clinging to the scraps of what hope they can find for a better life.
Overall, I thought this covered a lot of ground about systemic poverty in a short page count, and in a way that was digestible (but horrifying) to those new to the subject. I won't be leaving a rating because I'm so new, but I definitely think it did its job well....more
4.5 stars Elizabeth Zott is a female chemist in the 1960's. Despite being a genius, she is constantly belittled, overlooked, and harassed. Now that she4.5 stars Elizabeth Zott is a female chemist in the 1960's. Despite being a genius, she is constantly belittled, overlooked, and harassed. Now that she's a single mom, she's fired from her lab - and ends up as the reluctant host of a cooking show that's about to become a hit. I read this for Friendathon, my readathon based on reading your friends' tastes, for the prompt to read a book by an author they've given 5 stars to in the last year. I vlogged the readathon, and you can watch that here!
There's a reason this book has become such a hit. There's so much to love and in a crowd pleasing package. Elizabeth is such a great character, with tenacity and an unshakable trust in herself even when the world doesn't like that. Because she doesn't care about the societal expectations that are meant to suffocate her, she finds some success while other women can't. As a woman in STEM myself, I loved reading her everyday adoration for chemistry. I loved seeing her relationships with those around her, from her romance with Calvin that defies societal norms, to her relationship with the daughter she never expected to have, to the new friendships she falls into as she finally finds her village. I most enjoyed the excerpts from the tv show as she's encouraging other women; but then it's also so sad to see her taken away from her passion. I really liked the comedy; it felt reminiscent of the time and reminded me of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's pacing. But alongside the comedy, there's a lot of serious commentary, like women's contribution to science being stolen. What stood out to me was the description of the literal danger women put themselves in by being in the workplace at the time.
I had one thing I wasn't a huge fan of. The further we went into the book, the less time we spent from Elizabeth's perspective and the more we were seeing from the side characters. I get that it could be showing how she looks from the outside while she's gaining fame or some similar literary purpose, but ultimately it made me less invested in the latter parts. Elizabeth is the heart of this, make it about her. Also, the ending was a bit soap opera-like, but oh well.
I was surprised to learn that the author hasn't confirmed that she wrote Elizabeth to be autistic. I thought it was a deliberate choice, and that it wasn't discussed in the book because a) it was the 60's and b) Elizabeth doesn't see her differences as a hindrance to her life. There are several autistic traits that we see her exhibit on several occasions each - auditory processing issues, not understanding idioms or euphemisms or subtext, a general resistance to anything illogical, etc. If it hasn't been confirmed, I won't be listing this as representation, but, wow, I thought it was on purpose.
Overall, I enjoyed this book so much. I thought it had so much great stuff to say in fun packaging. I did think we should've focused more on Elizabeth's POV, though....more
Eve has been fairly content with her life. She's been happily single for a while after dating two different Dereks, has a job that's at least adjacentEve has been fairly content with her life. She's been happily single for a while after dating two different Dereks, has a job that's at least adjacent to her dream job, and lives nearby her best friend Willa and recently Willa's brother Shep. But now, Eve has become pregnant after a one-night stand and she's forced to take charge of her life. It's harder when her relationship with Willa is strained, but then Shep starts to step up to help Eve.
I read this for Friendathon, my readathon based on reading your friends' tastes, for the prompt to read a book they think is underread. I vlogged the readathon, and you can watch that here!
I've had nearly zero luck with romance books in 2024, but I have one person I can trust to recommend good romance books and that's Kate - this is her favorite book of the year so far and I'm so glad I read this! This has the exact balance I'm looking for in a romance book between the journey of the main character and the relationship. I love Eve as our main character. She's naturally funny in the way that she talks and thinks, and the narrator of the audiobook really brought that to life. She's relatable without feeling like the author is trying to make her relatable. I love her plot of trying to figure out what she really wants and finally reaching for it. I love her relationships with everyone around her - how she's just a good friend and a person you'd want to be around. I thought that this did a great job with the pregnancy/motherhood plot as well, covering a lot of ground and putting us firmly in her shoes as her life and body are completely changed. As for the relationship, I adored it. Shep is the sweetest guy and he does nothing but be the rock that Eve needs. He's there for her at every turn, helping her when she needs it, and anticipating the things that she forgets. I loved seeing her fall in love with him, or realize that she was in love with him. This is the perfect slow burn - their relationship slowly evolves from friendship to more and things are tense before getting physical. It also does friends to lovers without having something in the way, whether that's something external or (what I often see) some imaginary barrier that the characters put up.
Overall, this is a perfect romance for me. It balances coming of age and romance with characters to root for and relationships that feel realistic. Could this make my best of the year list?? Maybe! I am SO GRATEFUl for this recommendation from Katie!!...more
The conclusion to A Memory Called Empire, Mahit has returned home and is still in danger. But when she and Three Seagrass are reunited, her prioritiesThe conclusion to A Memory Called Empire, Mahit has returned home and is still in danger. But when she and Three Seagrass are reunited, her priorities have to shift because they've been assigned with the impossible task of communicating with an alien race to stop a war. Meanwhile, fleet captain Nine Hibiscus is trying to keep her subordinates from starting a genocide, and Eight Antidote is doing spying of his own.
This was a good follow up, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't like the first one more. I really enjoyed the alien communication plot as Mahit and several others are actively trying to make progress with understanding these creatures who are monumentally different from humans in biology and culture. I also liked the discussion about how colonizer propaganda deeply infects the minds of the colonizer and colonized, even when the person is aware of it. Generally the anti-colonial themes were great and built upon book one. However, there were a couple things that made me like this one a little less. This one does feel a little bit slower in pace because Mahit isn't constantly running away from being attacked. Instead, we have a war on that could turn for the worst at any time. Also, I didn't love how much time we spent away from Mahit - we spend so much time in other perspectives, which, I get why in terms of the plot that was done, but it made me less connected that we were away from the characters I cared most about. Also, I thought there were like 30 more pages of plot and it turns out it was just bonus content! I wouldn't have hated more resolution/epilogue stuff.
Overall, this was a solid conclusion to this duology. It really built on the themes of the first, but I wasn't as invested as I was in that one....more
Wren and Louis have only been married for less than a year when Louis gets a terrible diagnosis: he's mutating into a great white shark. Told4.5 stars
Wren and Louis have only been married for less than a year when Louis gets a terrible diagnosis: he's mutating into a great white shark. Told poetically through the eyes of Wren, Louis, and Wren's mother in the past, we see the process of slowly losing someone to something they can't control.
I read this for a vlog in which I read the best books of 2023 according to the booktubers that have the most similar taste in books as me. Watch it here!
This is a great book and I definitely get why this was in a favorites of the year list. This book tackles its subject matter in a unique way that affects the reader deeply. The writing style feels like poetry in the way it chooses what to focus on, and sometimes is even told in the form of a play script. This may not be for everyone, but I really got along with it. These mutations are common enough that people know about it but may not have been affected by it, very similar to cancer in that and its severity. I really liked that the mutations don't all mean one thing. The different mutations that someone can get are representative of different ways that you can lose someone - terminal illness, degenerative conditions, etc. Seeing these things through metaphor felt like seeing these type of stories through new eyes. It shows how difficult loving someone in this situation is, but that you never lose the love, and how upsetting it is to see people lose themselves and the life they knew to things out of their control. I also thought it was good that it was underlined that abuse is not considered one of these things.
I was obsessed with the first section of this, following Wren and Louis as his mutation progresses. The way that it flips between parts of their lives and illustrates how Louis is changing is so heartbreaking that it felt like there was a weight on my chest. That one part was easily a 5 star. The other sections, I was less attached to. The second section skipping back to the mother's POV felt like I've read it several times before. It felt like a different book, until it got to the very end and I understood why it was included. I thought if this story was integrated throughout, I might have had a better time with it. Regardless, the last 250 pages I thought were good but not brilliant like the first 150. Also, some of the chapters are like two sentences long. Genuine question: why not just have section breaks?
Overall, I think this is going to go over really well with many people because it's so universally heartbreaking but with love and hope at the center. I'll definitely be recommending this, even if I liked the first section much more than the rest....more
Thank you to Tor Forge for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lightly inspired by the myth of Persephone, Ododo is a blacksmith in 15tThank you to Tor Forge for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lightly inspired by the myth of Persephone, Ododo is a blacksmith in 15th century Timbuktu, when blacksmiths were women cast out by society. After a strange man approaches her while she makes her signature metal flowers, she's kidnapped - it turns out that man is the recent conqueror of her city and the king of Yorubaland, who has taken her to be his wife.
Let's start out with something important: this isn't a fantasy book. The author herself calls it a historical fiction. Its contents are entirely realistic fiction, if not entirely true to history. There's so little we know about this time period in Africa compared to the rest of the world, so the Yorubaland we see in this was inspired by three real life kingdoms/empires of this setting. There are mentions of the Orisa in terms of belief, and there's a singular dream scene that could be seen as fantastical, but no magic happens and it's set in the real world. It's alternate history, sure, so I would put this in the speculative fiction category rather than fantasy! Semantics. However, I do think this, with its court politics galore, will appeal plenty to fantasy fans - as long as they have the right expectations going in.
This book is a lot of court politic-ing from a character that came from nothing shoved into a place where no one can be trusted and everyone's looking out for themselves. Her freedom has been taken away, but now that her life isn't so precarious, she's going to take whatever power she can grab at. Nobody around her is all good, and it surprised me how much she fit into them. It doesn't take long for Ododo to start acting against what the audience would perceive is good, which made for a more interesting character study and made me feel very complicated about her. There was a portion of this book that I wasn't sure where it seemed like it was going in a way I didn't like, but ended up turning to something that made more sense. I didn't see any reason for Ododo to love the king, which she herself claims she does. Other than she's not impoverished anymore, and he one time protected her (in a really scary and violent way), he's been nothing but awful the whole time. I wish we knew a bit more about the stakes and more details about the court (and more about the greater world, she's extremely sheltered so that's fine). This was a really interesting story about a woman trying to gather what power she can by whatever means possible, and I think that'll appeal to a lot of people.
Overall, this is a solid speculative historical fantasy about antihero characters politicking that I'll definitely be recommending to others. I wasn't sure of everything along the way, but Sangoyomi sticks the landing. Let's market this appropriately, though!...more
The Thursday Murder Club is back to solving cold cases. Ten years ago, a news reporter's car was thrown off a cliff and her body was never found. BetwThe Thursday Murder Club is back to solving cold cases. Ten years ago, a news reporter's car was thrown off a cliff and her body was never found. Between a drug dealer the club put behind bars, a new foe self-proclaimed as "Viking", and a former KGB agent friend of Elizabeth's, the club will have to unravel what happened all those years ago.
I'm not too much of a mystery/cozy mystery reader, but this series and my return to Christie is making me want to change that. I enjoy the comedy of this series a lot - these absurd characters are always playing straight men to the modern world in a way that always gets me. Truly, this should be adapted. I really like the balance of the characters as always in this series - flippin between POVs and how they each have their own strengths - but I thought this installment particularly let them each have their own time to shine. I enjoyed the new characters for this mystery and had a good time pointing fingers. This plot felt most like those I'd watched on British crime TV, in a good way. I have had a streak of guessing who secret bad guys are (mostly in fantasy novels), so I was pleasantly surprised when I missed who did it. The plot twists didn't entirely blow me away, but I didn't guess a good bit of it and it still felt logical. I liked this more than I did book 2. It's been long enough that I have a hard time remembering my time with book 1, but it's definitely on par with it.
Overall, this series is a delight. It's got a good combination between everyday silliness and over the top silliness alongside solid mysteries. I need to get the next book!...more
Chandler feels unrewarded in her career as a ghost writer despite her success. After getting rejected by her crush of many years and shunted by the2.5
Chandler feels unrewarded in her career as a ghost writer despite her success. After getting rejected by her crush of many years and shunted by the influencer she just wrote a NYT bestseller for, she has an amazing date with a stranger... only to have the world's most awkward one night stand. Then when she's given a sudden offer for a new ghost writing project of a former star of a teen werewolf show, it turns out the former star in question is her one night stand. When it's revealed that Chandler was less than thrilled by his talents in the bedroom, she winds up not only writing his memoir but giving him intimacy lessons.
So this book didn't do anything criminal... but that doesn't mean it went well. This was a string of mid things with the occasional annoying thing - which sucks from a 5 star prediction. Somehow this is her highest rated adult book, which I can only imagine is because those who didn't like her first two (which I gave 5 and 4 respectively) didn't pick this one up. Because I don't see how this book is somehow better than her others.
First, the main characters and the relationship. I don't get it. I thought Chandler and Finn were both individually fairly boring, and together I didn't see the chemistry at all. In order for me to be sold on you to cross the line of sleeping with someone who's hired you, I need to feel literally anything! I was fairly frustrated with Chandler because her reasons for not being able to go out with Finn seemed to be prioritized way out of order. Then her being in denial of what he verbally confirmed to feel for her bugged me as well. The bedroom lessons didn't work for me - which is pretty important given it's the impetus of the book. I'd say one out of at least five of such scenes was actually good/desirable. Part of this is because, again, I wasn't invested in the relationship emotionally, but also I just didn't love how they were written. I was more often than not just waiting for them to be over. I did, however, like how the relationship is left at the end of the book.
Then, plot stuff and style. Here's a good thing: I thought the portrayal of both their careers were realistic. I wasn't really interested in the whole con circuit plot, but it felt really true to what a Finn-like celebrity has to do. Chandler's writing dilemmas I liked, where we see that writing fiction is more often than not unfeasible as a full time job. I also liked that both of these characters have solid relationships with family and friends. I think the worst thing this book does is in the third act: (view spoiler)[ Chandler is never revealed as Finn's ghost writer. What's more toxic - having it hanging over your head for your whole relationship that the world doesn't know I wrote your story, or it getting revealed and bringing all that unwanted attention to the relationship, that's probably going to happen anyway? (hide spoiler)] I was expecting the opposite to happen from the very beginning of the book and it feels pretty toxic that it doesn't happen. Also, Solomon tries to have way too many serious conversations in this book - ab*rtion, aging parents, OCD, anxiety, etc. - but doesn't dedicate much time to any of them. I would've preferred if she would've picked fewer and gone deeper. Obviously real people contain multitudes and characters should too, but this felt like she was just checking boxes. Lastly, the humor. Solomon absolutely nails how cringey their one night stand should be... but then it continues to stay cringey with lots of millennial humor. Her other books have some, but not this bad IMO.
Overall, this was a huge let down for me and the things I didn't like are going to stay with me longer than the things I thought were just okay....more
In a fantasy world not unlike our own during WWI, two gods are at war, calling humans to their armies. Iris' brother is one such soldier. Iris, a jourIn a fantasy world not unlike our own during WWI, two gods are at war, calling humans to their armies. Iris' brother is one such soldier. Iris, a journalist vying for a columnist position against the brilliant but ultra-privileged Roman, writes letters to her brother in her grief. The letters magically disappear, and then someone other than her brother starts responding. Roman starts getting letters from Iris and begins to fall for her words, but won't tell her who he is - then they're both thrown into the war.
I read this with my book club, Three of Clubs, for our theme of Historical Fantasy books. Join us with the link in my bio as we read The Wolf and the Woodsman in March!
I'm so glad I picked this for the club because it showed a side to historical fantasy that's not as common - a fantasy world setting that is inspired by history, rather than a historical setting with fantasy elements. I've read it before, but definitely not from a book inspired by any modern time. This makes it into a sort of urban fantasy that I thought was pretty interesting. I really enjoyed the writing style, which was beautiful without being pretentious. Even though it could have been developed more, I got sold on this romance. I wanted them to be together so badly, and I think the dramatic irony of knowing who Roman was while Iris didn't know worked to aid this. If I was Iris I would've been a bit more mad at Roman's pre-reveal behavior, but post-reveal everything was great. They might move a bit fast, but it made a lot of sense in wartime. I thought that the portrayal of the front was good from what we saw. I thought the magical typewriters were such a cute idea. However, I wanted more grounding in the fantasy of this world. The typewriters are a one-off magic that we don't see any counterparts to. We see some creatures (and what we saw of them was good) but I didn't feel like I had enough grounding in the gods and what the magical elements of this world could entail. I do expect that to be resolved in book 2, though. I'm not sure if the ending was meant to be a plot twist but it felt very predictable. Also, as a side note, I think this is meant to be adapted. This is going to get a movie for sure - or I even think this would appeal to the musical theatre crowd. Fans of Hadestown or Anastasia or Newsies?
Overall, I had a really good time with this and while I think it could've been a little bit more developed, I do think this lived up to the hype with how invested I was in the characters. ...more
The Marte family is special. Hailing from the Dominican Republic and now living in New York, many of the women in the family have their own special poThe Marte family is special. Hailing from the Dominican Republic and now living in New York, many of the women in the family have their own special powers. When Flor, whose power is being able to see when someone is going to die, decides that she's going to hold a living wake, the whole family is forced to confront their lives.
I have been a huge fan of Acevedo since The Poet X, and have rated all her YA titles 5 stars. I was so excited for an adult title from her, especially a magical realism one. Unfortunately, I didn't feel as strongly about this one. I do encourage you to read Own Voices reviews of this book since I am not Latina, and the cultural aspects are so important to it!
What did I like about this book? Acevedo's prose is stunning as always. It's very clear she's a poet even if you weren't aware of that before reading her work. I thought the depiction of family relationships was very realistic and I liked seeing both sides of either relationship, how the characters perceived each other. I also liked how Spanish was incorporated throughout the dialogue and narrations without explanations, even as a person who doesn't speak a word of it. It's more true to what these characters would actually be saying and thinking. What did I not like as much? The cast of characters that we follow was just one the side of too many. Possibly because there was so many, I didn't feel that these characters felt as pop-off-the-page-real as her YA protagonists. The way that s*xual and bodily subjects were talked about was not to my personal taste. I also didn't understand the offset paragraphs - they're supposed to be part of the anthropologic report that is being put together but they didn't feel consistent. It would happen when there's a flashback or aside to something else, but then sometimes the flashback would continue on into the non-offset paragraphs below. Even though I normally like an ensemble piece, I was left wanting more from this one. I can understand that it accomplished certain themes, but I just left wanting more, and not in the good way.
Overall, this book wasn't for me. I could understand how others, especially those who share identities with the characters, could really appreciate this one, but I was left a little lost. ...more
A memoir of Savannah, Georgia in the 90's, our author encounters a wide diaspora of characters that encapsulate the uniqueness of the city - from a coA memoir of Savannah, Georgia in the 90's, our author encounters a wide diaspora of characters that encapsulate the uniqueness of the city - from a con man/perpetual partier, to a trans drag queen, to a new-money real estate developer turned potential murderer.
My dad recommended I read this as I was going to Savannah, and then I didn't end up reading it until I had already been to Savannah a second time. Sorry Dad!
This book's hard to pin down. It's nonfiction, but it's not a memoir, it's not a history, it's not *really* true crime because that isn't introduced for a while. It's just vibes about Savannah and the people who inhabit it. The narrative style is really impressive, as it feels like it's fiction. Each chapter will have a different focus, on a person or an event. Together, it makes this tapestry of Savannah of the time. I thought that this could have been pared down a little bit, but regardless it definitely succeeds in what it sets out to do.
Overall, this was a solid narrative nonfiction that I think anyone who's been to Savannah would appreciate....more
4.5 stars In this 60's set retelling of Carmilla, Laura is dedicated to her poetry. For the first time in her life, she leaves her sleepy town to go t4.5 stars In this 60's set retelling of Carmilla, Laura is dedicated to her poetry. For the first time in her life, she leaves her sleepy town to go to a prestigious women's college to grow her craft. Despite her being a freshman, her work impresses the distinguished Professor de Lafontaine enough to let her into the class. de Lafontaine's star student, the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla, feels her spot is threatened, despite all the secret time she spends with the professor. As the two students are pitted against each other, they find themselves on the line between obsession and hatred - but the professor's dark secret may tear them asunder.
The biggest question about this book is going to be: Does it live up to A Dowry of Blood? I think it does. I don't think it's quite as strong, but I do think it lives up to that legacy. The atmosphere and the metaphoric writing style made it very clear that this was a companion. The vibes were the same, and I got the feelings that I was looking for! There were so many quotes that I read and reread because they gave such a complete image of these characters. I absolutely love the rivals to lovers arc of Carmilla and Laura; I was so obsessed with them getting together despite the circumstances. Gibson is unmatched in how she writes desire and desperation; you can feel their want oozing through the page. I thought it was an interesting twist on the original text to have Carmilla originally be a vampire's blood supply and be a victim of grooming rather than Carmilla being the ultimate villain of the story. This showed how strongly a young person can be manipulated by someone older because they believe they're in love. There is a side plot of the professor vampire dealing with her sire which took up a good amount of the back half of the book, but I didn't think that portion was developed enough to really feel successful. This made the book split focus despite it being pretty short. Dowry is so short and still works flawlessly because it is singularly focused in a way that Education is not. Because of that, I think that this book could've been longer to flesh out the arcs to their fullest.
Overall, this is definitely a spiritual sister to ADOB and while I adored so much of it, I think it could have delved even deeper to flesh out its multiple plotlines....more
Malachi Constant is the richest man in the world. Winston Niles Rumfoord is another rich man who funded his own space travel, which accidentally endedMalachi Constant is the richest man in the world. Winston Niles Rumfoord is another rich man who funded his own space travel, which accidentally ended in his (and his dog's) conciousness being spread out from the Sun to Betelgeuse, appearing and disappearing at random intervals to any place in between. When Rumfoord summons Malachi to his mansion, he informs him of his future: Malachi will marry Rumfoord's wife and he will live on Titan - but he's got a few planets to visit first.
This is my third Vonnegut, the first two being his most popular books (Slaughterhouse-five and Cat's Cradle) and are favorites of mine. As expected with Vonnegut, this is very strange, sarcastic, satirical science fiction with lots of weird happenings mixed with actual philosophy. I was curious enough of what was to happen next that I got through this very quickly. There were several funny moments that got a laugh out of me. This book is mostly about free will (or the lack thereof) and people finding their purpose. I quite liked the themes, and there were a few explorations into them that made me think, but I wasn't in love with the plot of the book. There were some sections that were duller or could have been shorter. Also, I wanted more connection to these characters and their relationships, no matter how ridiculous they are.
Overall, this didn't have the most amazing plot, but I liked the themes, that "A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved."...more
Yumi lives in a land of floating tress and scorching ground, where she is a religious figure who stacks rocks to summon spirits and is held to impossiYumi lives in a land of floating tress and scorching ground, where she is a religious figure who stacks rocks to summon spirits and is held to impossible standards. Painter lives in a modern-feeling city left in perpetual night where he is a painter that scares off the nightmare demons that plague the city. These two couldn't be more different, or live in more different places, but when they're forced to live in each other's shoes, they'll have to work together to save everything they know.
The secret projects have been such a treat. I'm so glad that Brandon got to have time to really stretch his creative muscles because this is possibly his most unique creation yet - so many inspirations came together to create one whole that shouldn't be cohesive, yet it is (I highly recommend reading his author's notes that describe where he got his ideas for this from; it's really insightful). I really loved the introduction of magical jobs, which is such a cool way to show worldbuilding to the characters and the reader. I really enjoyed puzzling over how this situation could be possible, and was blown away by the full answer. I really liked how these two played against each other to teach them lessons about valuing themselves. I think their relationship was cute, but I was ultimately more invested in the fantasy portion of this than them. At the beginning, the misunderstandings between them got a little irritating but I get it. I also felt like when I was reading this that I was paying attention to the construction of the actual novel rather than being in the story, not totally sure why.
Is this my favorite secret project? Unsure, this and Tress are pretty much tied for me in that 4.5+ area. Both really creative and super fun romps, but not my absolute favorites of his. Maybe if they weren't both Sanderson I could rank them better, lol.
Overall, I had so much fun getting through this one, it had so much to love. So happy that he got to release these stories. If you're looking for a Sanderson standalone to start with, this is definitely a solid option....more
A man wakes up in a burning circle of a field with no memory of who he is or what he's doing. He appears to be in Medieval England, but they also speaA man wakes up in a burning circle of a field with no memory of who he is or what he's doing. He appears to be in Medieval England, but they also speak modern English. His only guide? The Frugal Wizard's Guide to Medieval England, a guidebook that's a poorly veiled advertizement rather than actual help, which has also been blown to pieces.
Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors, if not my favorite. Getting the secret projects was a must for me. This is the only of the four books to not be in the Cosmere. I think that if this was wrtten by another author I woudn't have picked it up, and if it wasn't a secret project I wouldn't have prioritized it. This is my fourteenth (dang, and only in 4 years omg) Sanderson I've read, and unfortunately is one of my least favorites.
Reading this not in the secret project copy is a travesty - the comics done in the margins by Steve Argyle are adorable and heartwarming, telling a story of the very cute and small Frugal Wizard as he goes on his merry questing way. The illustrations range from simple to complicated, but burst with personality without a single word. My number one push to continue flipping through the pages was to see what happens to this sweet little guy and his dragon egg! I full heartedly want a comic series about him.
But about the acutal plot: the strongest part of this story was the awesome ideas in the worldbuilding. It's minor spoilers, but in the future, humanity has discovered the multiverse, and the infinite realities have been given different different purposes for people to traverse - some for research, but many, like those owned by Frugal Wizard, are basically vacation realities. We learn about the worldbuilding both through the perspective of our main character as he remembers himself, but also through FAQ intermission chapters that are hilarious and flesh out the world without feeling like unnatural infodumping (and if you don't care, they're easy to skip!).
However, the storyline and characters within the world, I cared about way less. I don't think that the white room setup (character wakes up with no memories) played into Sanderson's strengths as an author. I felt very disconnected from him as a character. I didn't have any feelings about the side characters at all. The real-world plot I cared very little for. I think I may have been more invested if the time wasn't split between the real-world and Medieval plots and characters. I just generally wasn't very excited to continue on in the story (but I wanted to see the cute drawings!!!).
Overall, I guessed that this one wasn't going to be as much my vibe as many of his other books, and I was unfortunaely right. Petition for a Frugal Wizard comic book though!...more
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