Song of the Dead by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Karthia is almost unrecognizable. Change is allowed, people can travel, science can move forward. Valoria, the newly crowned queen, is met with resistance from subjects used to being ruled by a king that forbids any change at all. Odessa, master necromancer with no job anymore with the laws against resurrecting the dead, chooses to leave without a word and travel with her friend Kasmira and Meredy, the girl she has feelings for. She wants to see the world and experience something untouched by her grief and the events that led to Valoria's reign. Unfortunately, now that Karthia is in contact with the world, the world is more aware of Karthia and the weakness of the current reign. Odessa goes back to serve her queen and hopes it isn't too late.

Song of the Dead is the sequel to Reign of the Fallen in which the world has a few different types of magic particular to certain eye colors. This installment expands the world from Karthia and shows how unaware of the rest of the world they were. Other lands ban necromacers altogether while other lands breed dragons and still others travel around, pillaging and stealing along the way. There are marvels and dangers Karthia was completely unaware of, which is creating issues for them now. Different abilities are also shown with people of unique eyecolors than the usual such as power over plants, shapeshifting, and a different type of necromancy. The young adults with these unique powers were forced to hide them due to the shame and mistreatment of those around them. Since they are viewed outside the norm, it feels akin to LGBT or nonbinary or those with different beliefs than their intolerant parents are treated.

The main conflict of the novel comes from people attacking Karthia from the inside, their own subjects resistent to change, and those outside, possibly trying to conquer or take their resources. The internal conflict is populated by very different people, violent and peaceful alike. Although she is constantly in danger from terrorist attacks, Valoria still tries to debate and negoatiate with the group in order to work towards peace. She is a powerhouse ruler who does what's needed sometimes at the expense of herself. The outward conflict is dealt with brilliantly because it shows how rumors and offensive stereotypes can spread and affect how people in far lands can view them. I wish these issues had come up sooner. While I like the romance between Meredy and Odessa, I felt it the conflict and angst around it took up too much time and made the ending feel quite rushed. I did, however, appreciate that Odessa was able to put her romantic troubles aside when more important things need her attention.

The undead are not seen much in this installment, much to my disappointment, but there are new ways for the dead to enter the mortal realm. One specific zombie proves to be much more dangerous than he seems and makes up for the lack of undead everywhere else. This aspect surprised me and came out of nowhere. I hope further installments have more zombies, but not if Valoria still bans the resurrection of the dead. I found these particular zombies fascinating with their urge to eat but never becoming satiated and their transformation to shades if the living see any part of them. Their absence in Karthia leaves a hole in their society that people miss. Many aren't used to not spending time with dead loved ones. There was no need to mourn or miss them. Life went on as usual with generations of relatives around. Now, the living remain with new people holding power in families, another aspect of change that's widely hated.

Song of the Dead is enjoyable and widens the scope of the world, revealing modern marvels and unknown dangers. The pacing is a little off and the relationship between Meredy and Odessa (with their dramatic breakups and makeups) took more precedence in terms of time. I also felt that Meredy's struggles with addiction mirrored Odessa's too much and Odessa's response to some of Meredy's behavior felt off to me. Other than that, the novel is a worthy continuation and has me eager for more (hopefully with more zombies).

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

Cotton Crossing by Lilith Saintcrow

Cotton Crossing is a dead end of a place. It's a small town with little opportunity, but Ginny Mills is gaining experience as a librarian in the county system in order to be more competitive in a bigger city after a year or two. Lee Quartine, on the other hand, lives there to have a simple life after military service. He has a crush on Ginny and checks out loads of books to have an excuse to talk to her, only to chicken out every time. When a slew of people get sick and weird things are all over the forest, a missed connection and a job are the least of their worries.

Cotton Crossing portrays the start of a zombie apocalypse started by the US government on accident. It isn't the first time that something extra has been added to the year's flu vaccines that has been proven to benefit the population in some way. This one was supposed to make people heal faster, but it somehow made them into zombies instead. At first, it appears that there just happens to be rioting in some major cities until those cities are then quarantined and cut off from all communication. City after city goes dark, leaving Cotton Crossing a little puzzled. They go on with their everyday lives until it isn't possible anymore. Throughout the book, small vignettes from the perspective of a minor character show who they are, what they're doing, and how they turn into a zombie. I loved these micro-stories because each one is like a small piece of the mosaic that makes up the town to show how the infection is moving.

The zombies are fairly standard. They have grey, blind eyes, foam at the mouth, and have ability to move quickly. My favorite part of these zombies is the familiar mixed with the horror of undead. Many point out clothing or a trait typical to that person only to have it marred by the rotting flesh and animalistic need to eat people. The disease starts with flu-like symptoms such as fever and vomiting until it progresses into convulsions that lead to their death. Many people's criticism of fast moving and quickly infected zombies is that it simply wouldn't go beyond a city or two, but in this case, those flu vaccines went all over the US. It's hard to tell how far the infection has gone, but it's definitely all over the US.

The main characters are interesting, nuanced people. Ginny is marking time in the small town, dreaming of bigger, better things, and dealing with her overly dramatic family. She's frantic once she loses contact with them and vows to find them in one of the quarantined areas. I personally think the plan is horrible as she doesn't know survival or fighting skills, but I understand the need to care for family. Lee, on the other hand, has no family connections and is just trying to enjoy a simple life. When people are shot in the streets and zombies attack in broad daylight, Lee switches modes. He keeps cool, commands panicked people, and keeps them as much out of harm's way as he can. He also recognizes the frazzled state of the military, indicating that the situation is much worse than he sees. Lee is mostly quiet and keeps to himself, but his warm, caring actions towards Ginny and other civilians really shows what kind of person he is.

Cotton Crossing is a good start to a zombie series. So far it has 3 books and is still going. If you'd like to receive it chapter by chapter as a serial, go here and subscribe. I personally like purchasing the books, but I'm intrigued at the series as a whole. Everything from the mode of infection to the characters is well done and establishes a world where the zombie apocalypse is just starting. I especially like the small references like the underground government organization being called Umbrella Corp. The zombie scenes are scary and suspenseful while feelings bloom between Lee and Ginny. It's a nice balance and I want to know what happens.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

Lazlo and Sarai are reeling from recent events where he was revealed to be a god and she became a ghost. Minya holds Sarai's soul and threatens to let it go if Lazlo doesn't comply with her commands, which includes taking the citadel to the city so Minya can murder everyone. It's an impossible decision for Lazlo and Sarai finds that he powers have changed as a ghost. A separate enemy arrives, throwing everything into chaos, making everyone reasses their alliances, and revealing the secrets of the dead gods.

Muse of Nightmares is one of my top anticipated reads of last year after reading Strange the Dreamer early. Every aspect of the story from the lore to the romance is detailed, fleshed out, and thoughtful. Lazlo and Sarai are the cutest couple ever. I wish more YA books could be written without romance because it seems expected, but this is such a sweet relationship. Now that Minya can make Sarai evanesce or control her absolutely at will, their angst is understandable and heartbreaking. Sarai doesn't expect Lazlo to commit atrocities just to keep her alive and Lazlo puts himself in danger to save even Minya because Sarai loves her even through her evil actions. These two are the best and I just want the best for them.

More information is discovered about why the gods produced so many godspawn (by kidnapping, raping, and removing memories from hundreds of human women) and what happened to them. The original gods aren't seen very much, but their actions have far-reaching consequences. The new antagonist isn't a true villain and proves to be yet another person harmed by the gods' imperialist ways. She and her sister were essentially enslaved by their partiarchal society and saw the floating citadels as a way to freedom. They discover that the gods are a more powerful enslaving force that blackmails one sister into using her power for them and threatens the life of the other to ensure her cooperation. Their place of origin is impossible far from Weep and shows the true breadth of the gods' devastation.

More locally, both Minya and Erik-Fane are completely changed, angry, and traumatized. She wants to perpetuate the cycle of violence and intolerance because he was treated the same way and continued it. For something else to happen, either side has to decide to do something different. The way both feel is understandable, but the impulse for violence never ends well. The connection between these two very different characters plus the antagonist is well drawn and makes sense with their similar experiences from either side of this war.

One of my favorite more light hearted aspects of the story is the transformation of Thyon Nero. At first, he's shocked that Lazlo is the one flying citadels and discovering his remarkable origins. He bonds with the common people he works with and has to work against his high class upbringing to just be a person with them. They open up to him over time as they see him do manual labor with them and the change in his usual snooty responses. I didn't like him in the last book even though I understood his reasons, but he sees the errors of his ways now. It just warmed my heart.

Muse of Nightmares is everything I wanted it to be. As usual, Taylor's words transport me into her world from the first sentence. Sarai, even though she is a ghost, plays a huge part in the story. I feared she would be in the periphery despite the title, but Taylor handled the story well. This book played with my emotions and had some huge, earth shattering revelations. While I would love to see a longer series in this world, the two book series is perfect.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Audrey Rose Wadsworth has a privileged life with a wealthy family. After her mother dies, a rift appears in her family as her father isolates himself. She turns to science and throws herself into studying anatomy and forensics at her uncle's laboratory against society's expectations and her father's wishes. One day, the body of a mutilated woman is delivered for her uncle to collect evidence in a disturbing case of multiple murders. Audrey throws herself into the investigation along with an annoying but brilliant rival Thomas Cresswell despite the risk of danger and irreparable damage to her reputation.

Stalking Jack the Ripper is the story of Audrey and her unconventional science education, her endeavor to solve the true crime mystery, and her first love. Some of these aspects work better than others. Audrey is a smart young woman who suffers from "not like any other girl" syndrome. She soundly rejects other women as frivolous and beneath her, which left a bad taste in my mouth. Victorian society pressures women into a certain mold that doesn't necessarily show how they are inside. This goes against her anachronistically modern view of women and their abilities. I relate to Audrey's grief about her mother's death and the negative changes she sees in her father. Her grief also led her to learning about anatomy and forensics. She takes courses dressed as a boy and stays silent even though she knows the answers. As a whole, I didn't hate Audrey, but she annoyed me.

The biggest problems I have are with Thomas Cresswell, the picking and choosing of what part of Victorian society are used, and the way the villain is treated. Thomas Cresswell is incredibly intelligent and also incredibly arrogant. His condescending nature has a misogynistic tinge to it as he mocks Audrey for not being as educated as him (because women are barred from classes). He seems to be there only to be better at everything than Audrey. I didn't find him likeable in any way and grew even more annoyed that she grew attracted to him when he's so awful. The book played lip service to some aspects of Victorian society at the beginning and then completely ignored them by the end. Audrey gallavanting around the city with Thomas and no chaperone would have destroyed her reputation. The final nail in the coffin of this book was how they treated the villain when his identity was revealed. Audrey and Thomas has the audacity to offer him resuming his normal life if he agrees to stop murdering. I felt so angry reading this because this isn't the action of a hero and it shows such privilege.

Stalking Jack the Ripper is not my favorite book. It has numerous flaws that include an annoying love interest who puts her down at every turn, inconsistencies with Victorian society (either go with it or ignore it), and an infuriating protagonist. My favorite part of the book is Audrey's view of anatomy, how she's adapted to work with the bodies, and her skill at finding clues. I also didn't guess the mystery before the end, which is rare for these teen mysteries. I am a sucker for Victorian era mysteries and this one lost me. I won't be continuing the series.

My rating: 2/5 fishmuffins

Dance of Thieves by Mary Pearson

The Remnant Chronicles continues with Jase, the new leader of a fearsome outlaw family, and Kazi, a former thief and current guard of the queen. The queen has set out to overthrow Jase's family, but they must join forces to survive despite their conflicts.

Dance of Thieves takes place in an already established world that I was unfamiliar with. I never read the Remnant Chronicles and I expected this book to be part of an all new series. Establishing the characters, setting, and current politics felt choppy and stilted. The author seemed to assume that the reader already knows the world and didn't fill in many gaps besides the backgrounds of a few characters. The prose completely changes to being fluid and easier when the plot finally moves forward, but I didn't feel much of a connection to the characters. I didn't finish this book. Sixty pages felt like it took forever and I decided not to invest the time in the rest of the four hundred plus additional pages.

What I read had some good aspects. Kazi AKA Ten is an interesting character. She's a legendary thief because she worked for a long time and kept her ten fingers, meaning she wasn't caught stealing. When the queen went by, Kazi spit on her and the queen responded by training her. Kazi pushed back and kept defiant for a while until the others earned her trust. The only trouble after that was when she had a traumatic flashback and attacked someone violently. I felt for her, but Jase was only introduced a few pages before they met. We only saw him being generally drunk and arrogant before the two characters on opposing sides are thrown together, presumably to become attracted despite their best efforts.

Dance of Thieves had some good aspects, but I couldn't connect with it. Maybe I'll read the previous series and get on board, but the way it's written doesn't seem to account of unfamiliar readers.

My rating: 1/5 fishmuffins

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller

Sallot Leon earns their living as a thief, beholden to a cruel boss who will take fingers for insubordination. When they take a flyer from a rich woman that advertises a competition of sorts for the role of Opal, one of the Queen's loyal assassins. Sal gets there with proof of a kill (messy and traumatic, but necessary) and is one of 23 people to get past the screening. They are all numbered, masked, and given rules for each stage of the competition. Underneath it all, Sal burns for revenge for her dead people and ravaged land. Will their ulterior motive get in the way of the competition or will Sal be ruthless enough to succeed?

Mask of Shadows is a high fantasy novel that had some unique elements and kept me reading. Sal is a genderfluid person who goes by he, she, or they depending on how they feel and indicated by their clothing. This is established and then not highlighted until people misgender them. It's treated as any other gender and fully integrated into the character. Sal is a competent thief, skilled in weapons, but lacking in other areas. Some of the applicants are wealthy, educated, and well fed while Sal learned on the street while their boss kept them poor and hungry. They are unfamiliar with advanced medicine, herbs and poisons, etiquette, and archery. It was satisfying to see them succeed in some places and struggle in others instead of being good at everything. The most unrealistic aspect of them is getting over the horror of killing people way too quickly. Sal has an affable nature most of the time with some sarcasm thrown in, but the thing that makes them the most angry is the fate of their homeland and the people who destroyed it running free and being prosperous.

The world is interesting and told in small bits throughout the book. Sal came from Nacea, a place that no longer exists. It and all its people except Sal were destroyed by shadows, magical creatures who flay people alive. Nacea was caught in the middle in the war between Erland and Alona. Erland knew about the shadows, but only cleared out their own people and hoped the shadows would be slowed down by Nacean lives. Alona and the Queen only won because she took away all magic. Magic users have no other skills and take over many jobs that would have gone to less qualified people. Now, the Erland nobles are needed to keep their land as it merged with Alone in line even though they are all pretty much biding their time before they can overthrow the Queen. The court intrigue is well done and layered. So many people are plotting against each other, being nice to each other's faces, and biding their time.

The competition has a similar vibe to court intrigue, but with defined rules for each stage and the knowledge that your competition will kill you when given the chance. Some spaces are safe while others are fair game, but no kill is successful unless there is no evidence tying the assassin to it. They are offered training and classes that they have the option to take with the risk that their enemies will know their routine. Sal and the other contestants have to be on guard constantly and think of ways to kill their opponents. Even though they are all assassins, the good and bad are differentiated. Which ones enjoy the kill and even torture as opposed to those who kill only when necessary. Even though they are addressed exclusively by their numbers, I found them memorable and easy to tell apart by their actions.

Mask of Shadows exceeded my expectations and had me reading it in long stretches. It has intrigue, magic, assassins, acrobats, romance, and a relatable main character. The only real flaw of the book is how Sal broke several social rules and never really experienced consequences for it. As someone with very little social clout, this should have been a bigger deal. This is a pretty small detail in the bigger picture of the book. Other than that, the novel is such a fast read that kept me guessing what would happen.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins

The Waking Land by Callie Bates

Lady Elanna Valtai was kidnapped and held hostage to keep her father in check by the king. Raised in his court for most of her life, she is loyal to the royal family and calls her father and the rest of her own people from Caeris savages and backward thinking people. Elanna renounces her magic power and wants to become a botanist. When the king is killed with a poison mushroom, Elanna is automatically blamed and has to run or be executed with no trial. The only people who help her are those fighting for revolution to turn the corrupt monarchy to a just system. Elanna doesn't believe them until the evidence is right in her face and slowly starts to realize the lies she's been fed throughout her life. While she help the revolution or leave to find her own life somewhere else?

The Waking Land has an interesting premise and setup. I've read a lot of books lately that have two societies where one has conquered the other to oppress them and take away everything they held dear. This one is different in Elanna actually believing the awful things about her own heritage. Even though she is regularly mocked for her heritage, she tries to set herself apart and completely assimilate with the conquering society by rejecting her native language, her culture, and her father. This shows how people can be brainwashed against their own culture, through history lessons through the lens of the winner and bigoted treatment by everyone around them, and develop self hating behaviors that they justify to themselves. As the book goes on, Elanna finds out the truth through the lies she's been told and has to figure out a totally new world view to adapt.

Unfortunately, this is the only really interesting thing about this novel. Elanna turns out to be very wishy washy as the book goes on. One minutes she's totally commited to a revolution and the next  she's right back to being selfish. This goes on for far too long. A similar thing happens when she continually refuses a person who says they can help her learn more about her powers. Why would she say no? She has no idea what she can do. The romance doesn't take time to develop and seems there because it's expected to be. Her powers are amorphous and having sex for the first time seems to make her more powerful for no defined reason. That particular scene where she "wed the land" was odd to say the least. The conclusion seems too easy after almost completely losing and everything is conveniently resolved at the end except for one person's death who could have easily been saved by his best friend. It's a weird detail to add just after the fact and makes that particular character seem like a sociopath.

The Waking Land starts out really well and then descends into Elanna making the same mistakes and going back and forth on several decisions. After a while, it grows frustrating and the book could have easily been a third shorter had all that flip flopping been taken out. Callie Bates has potential to be a good writer because her prose flows well, but there are so many things I don't like about the story and its mechanics. I'm only reading the second book because I already own it and may as well.

My rating: 2/5 fishmuffins

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

Noemi Vidal has volunteered to die for her planet Genesis, which is focused on religious freedom, conservation of resources, and living life with as little technology as possible. Abel is an android with advanced programming to make him evolve into something close to human. He works only to protect his creator, who also created the hordes of AI that work for and fight for Earth. Earth is ideologically opposite of Genesis and at war with them. When Noemi stumbles across Abel and he isn't able to contact his creator, Abel follows Noemi absolutely and is forced to help her crusade despite being on the opposite side. Being so ideologically opposite and isolated, both start to question what they've been taught when exposed to other ideas.

Defy the Stars is a human/AI romance amidst two planets at war. It's a typical romance trope to throw two people together who hate each other only to have them grow to love each other, but I very much enjoyed it. The story is told in alternating chapters from Abel and Noemi's point of view. Abel is the most interesting character by far because he is self reflective and constantly questioning things about the world and himself. His picture of it broadens as he learns more and more about the world and his place in it. Noemi is more focused on her faith, souls, the will of her god, and questioning the holes in the answers her faith provides. They both started out extreme, raised in their respective planets, and slowly come together in the middle by being exposed to the others ideas. I personally don't like Genesis as a planet that suppresses technology and sacrifices its people for no real reason, but Earth isn't much better consuming planets by polluting them beyond repair and moving on to the next.

Their story had me interested up until one point that isn't even very important to the main story, but made me incredibly angry. When Noemi and Abel become separated, both have the same idea of breaking out a unrepentent terrorist named Riko from prison who bombed a popular music concert and killed hundreds. If that's not enough, after getting her out, the narration muses if Riko can compromise with someone who shares her values but abhors violence. Wow. How is this even a question? Why did both main characters think she didn't belong in jail? Releasing her is the action of a villain, not a hero. In the real world, it would be like breaking out someone who shot up a rock concert or a school or bombed a crowd of people and saying if only we could compromise. That implies that their terrorism has any sort of validity, which completely disgusts me. You don't get second chances after acts like this no matter what your values are. I don't know why this was included, especially in this time where incidences such as this have become much more common.

Defy the Stars has good world building, compelling characters, and enjoyable narration. This one detail really angered me and almost had me not finish the book. It occured so close to the end that I just finished it, but it marred my entire experience with the book. I'm really surprised that no other reviews I've read have mentioned this at all. I will not be reading the rest of this series and I am seriously thinking about chucking the rest of Claudia Gray's books in the trash.

My rating: 1/5 stars

Bright We Burn by Kiersten White

Lada and Radu are still at odds. Radu is reeling over the horror he saw in Constantinople and continues to see through Mehmed's manipulations. He's constantly stuck between Lada and Mehmed as they wage their wars. Lada is ruling as she sees fit, harshly punishing all crimes no matter how noble the criminal. Her people, especially the poor, support her unconditionally because she follows through with her promises, redistributes land to the poor, and has basically abolished crime. However, those that follow her don't feel right bucking tradition or no longer wish to follow her rule. Lada has to ask herself if her actions are for Wallachia and how far she is willing to go to rule the country she wants.

Bright We Burn skates an interesting line that has me rooting for both Radu and Lada even though they are more at odds in this book than any other. Lada is my absolute favorite. She becomes a little more self reflective in this installment. Her rash actions come from selfishness and pride rather than for the good of Wallachia and she eventually recognizes it. Many of her actions are successful like completely blazing her own way regardless of tradition. Power flows from her down instead of always being held by boyars who stay prince after prince. Her rigidity in regards to justice and rewarding loyalty make the people fiercely loyal in turn, almost to a fanatical degree. She never underestimates anyone and makes use of all of her resources that others would overlook or find distasteful. Many might find Lada's actions questionable or pushing too far, but she does what's necessary to protect her people and keep her country from falling into the wrong hands.

Radu, on the other hand, is quite changed from the last book. The horrors of Constantinople weigh on him and he still doesn't know if his lover and wife are even alive. He's caught in the same triangle between Mehmed and Lada's conflict as he always has. Mehmed's patterns of manipulation are much more transparent to him and Radu finds himself falling out of love with him. Being in constant conflict isn't for him and he wants peace sometime in his life. He's tired of the same old power plays in court even though he still deftly navigates them. I feel for him and his frustration, but I still feel he's on the wrong side as he plots against Lada. He doesn't wish to hurt her, but sees her takeover of Wallachia as a dangerous folly. I wish he would recognize her amazing qualities instead of trying to save her from herself. 

Bright We Burn is an amazing novel that ties up the story beautifully. The final ending seemed to deviate from the rest of the series and was slightly disappointing in its view of Lada. Literally everything else was amazing. The most wonderful thing was to see so many women in all sorts of roles doing whatever they could to exert their power and influence in such an oppressively patriarchal system. It shows that while Lada is an outlier in some ways, so many women are just as capable and powerful. I never thought I would get into this series, but I read each installment the minute I got it. Kiersten White infuses her characters with such humanity and emotion that even the war stuff, which usually bores me, had me at the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this whole series.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green

Four teenagers don't know it, but their paths will cross. Tash is a smoke thief, running from demons as bait and helping to trap and kill them for their intoxicating smoke. Catherine is a princess set to marry a prince she's never met and holds affections for her guard, Ambrose. Ambrose is loyal to a fault, reciprocates Catherine's feelings, and becomes the target of her cruel family so her match won't be ruined. Lastly, March is one of the last of the Abask people, obliterated in a war between two kingdoms, Brigant and Calidor. He serves Prince Thelonius of Calidor until he quits to make him pay for refusing to help his people in their time of need. They all find themselves in danger and face hard decisions that decide the fate of Brigant and Calidor.

The Smoke Thieves is a lengthy fantasy novel with a large cast of characters. Once the story gets going, I was drawn in, but it took a while to get there. The four main characters are all interesting and have different perspectives. Tasha is by far my favorite and I felt like she was shown the least. She's younger than the rest and has a fiery personality and love for gorgeous footwear. Her relationship with Gravell cracks me up. He's kind of a gruff, reluctant father to her while she can be a bit annoying when she doesn't get her way. March has the biggest journey throughout the book and starts out from an understandably hateful place. His whole world has been destroyed and people ooh and ahh at him like a circus animal. He's the only character that brings in the negative side of Calidor as a nation that stood by while the Abask people suffered because of their rivalry. Unfortunately, these two characters were not as focused on as the other two characters.

Some aspects of the book took away from the experience for me. Catherine has to marry someone she doesn't love and Ambrose is hunted for loving her. The drama between Catherine and Ambrose take up most of the book. I liked them and their romance, but there's only so many times I can read that they looked meaningfully at each other or thought about each other. Plus Catherine's plight as a very privileged woman pales in comparison to Tash or March. The misogyny of Brigant society was laid on thick and I felt for her, but other characters were much more interesting. Ambrose read as flatly good and rather uninteresting. I would have personally loved to see more depth in the relationship between March and Edyon. This style of story telling that splits the book into 5 different perspectives takes a long time for anything to come together. I also found some plot developments stretching my sense of disbelief.

The Smoke Thieves is an enjoyable novel that could have been more so in a more straight forward format. It took me quite a while to read and I grew impatient with the story. I would probably read the next book to see what happens. The ending is a mix of happy and frustrating that's perfect to set up for the second installment. If you like high fantasy and don't mind a lengthy book and a long list of characters, I would recommend this.

My rating: 3.5/5 fishmuffins

LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff

In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, Eve is only trying to survive with her sickly grandpa. She only has a few credits left and fights malfunctioning robots in a mech for money, but a rigged game has her losing and exposing a power to disrupt electronics with her mind. Her power is considered deviant by the Brotherhood and they will stop at nothing to hunt her down. On top of this, a lifelike or android named Ezekiel approaches her calls her by a different name. Then her whole world falls apart around her. Along with Ezekiel, her best friend Lemon Fresh, and her voice of reason bot Cricket, Eve needs to remember her past and save her loved ones.

LIFEL1K3 is like Max: Fury Road, Pinnochio, and Blade Runner all smooshed together. The world is almost unrecognizable. California is its own island because of an earthquake. Corporations are fighting against each other in War 4.0. The Brotherhood rules all with a fantical iron fist. Abnorms and deviates came from proximity to radiation which can result in some pretty spectacular powers. There are all different types of artificial intelligence from lifelikes (now illegal) to logika to bots to blitzhunds, descending in complexity. People can be enhanced cybernetically like Eve is. She was shot in the head as a child, so her eye is robotic along with some of her skull. Technology enhances peoples lives and also irreparably destroys them.

The characters are all lovely people that I rooted for the entire time. Eve has a fauxhawk and a tough attitude with skills to back it up, only necessary living in this time. Her friendship with Lemon Fresh is super supportive, equal, and awesome. Cricket has a bit of a Napoleon complex, but he is the voice of reason throughout the novel. Ezekiel is a literal coin operated boy and developed a relationship with Eve. He's fiercely loyal and fights through anything. This band of misfits (plus a blitzhund) travel around getting into scrapes and fighting their way out of it one way or another. Their dialogue is hilarious to read. Though the story is pretty fantastical and science fiction, the book is at its core about finding where you fit in and choosing your family.

LIFEL1K3 is a crazy in your face science fiction adventure with family and friendship in the center of it all. I did have a few problems with it. Some of the action sequences didn't make sense to me in the way they were described. For instance, there are people shooting pretty close and a storm with literal glass in it, but the main characters get out without a scratch. What??? However, I really loved the ending. It's a bit of a gut punch but totally makes sense and makes me want the next book NOW.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong

Skye Gilchrist and Jesse Mandal were best friends in freshman year of high school and on their way to becoming a couple. Then, a tragedy interrupts their lives in the form of a school shooting. Skye's brother Luka was caught with a gun and shot before he killed anyone. Jesse's brother Jamil was shot and killed. In the three years afterward, Skye moved from place to place, trying to unsuccessfully escape the blame and torment until she returned to her home and the school where the shooting happened. Once she's there, Jesse treats her terribly and someone is playing pranks on her that become more dangerous as they go on. Will their friendship ever be the same and who is tormenting Skye?

Aftermath is an obviously titled book about the aftermath of a school shooting. Skye and Jesse's lives are both very effected by this event. Skye is much more introverted and scared to interact with people. She hasn't been able to call anywhere home for very long because of the harassment. People assume she knew something or did something terrible because her brother was one of the shooters. Skye only has happy memories of Luka, his wonderful art, and his caring nature. Jesse, on the other hand, became a track star to fill his brother's shoes and give his parents some joy in their lives. His academics suffered even though he was great at them before and he takes steroids to stay good at the sport. His school attendance is extremely spotty, but overlooked because he's a successful athlete. He has nothing but awful memories of Jamil, his abuse, and his cruel nature.

Skye and Jesse reconnect after some rough interactions and misunderstandings and work together to find out who the harasser is. Their relationship is sweet. They acknowledge the changes in each other and move on from there. I felt the harassment plotline took away from the greater story. Dealing with the aftermath of this horrific event is enough and adding a mystery plot seems a little cheap. I also felt some characters could have been dealt with better. Jamil seems like a jerk, but his brother would still mourn him. Jesse seems very callous towards his brother and doesn't seem to care a lot for him. I felt it would be more realistic if Jesse was torn and mourned him, but was still affected by those bad memories and Jamil's awful behavior. The principal is an idiot and would never work in a school. He would be sued so fast it's ridiculous because he keeps denying the harassment and escalating incidences and blaming Skye for them. If he were more calculating or nuanced, he could have been a  more effective character.

Aftermath could have been a hard hitting book about school shootings, but it gets too caught up in unnecessary mystery and one dimensional characters. The relationship featured is sweet and built organically over time. Other than that, the only really good, nuanced thing is Skye's feelings toward her brother and trying to reconcile him with what he did. If you're going to write a book about a school shooting, which is very topical as it keeps happenning over and over, it should be about the shooting itself and the real aftermath, not some manufactured whodunit.

My rating: 2.5/5 fishmuffins

Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne

Stella Ainsley works partly as a teacher, partly as an engineer keeping the rustbucket ship called the Stalwart she lives in functional despite its lack of pretty much everything. She's an orphan whose aunt abandoned her and her only way to some of the other richer, more fuctional ships is as a governess. Unexpected, a private ship called the Rochester hires her and she experiences riches she's never seen: a hige variety of food, no limits on water usage, a closet full of decent clothing, and even actual physical books. Stella can't believe her luck, but a couple things worry her. First, the captain Hugo Fairfax exhibits erratic behavior, nice to her one second in private and then rude in public plus his penchant for drink. Second, she hears laughter in the hallways and mysterious things happen like random fires being set. Is it safe for her to be on the vessel or should she return to Stalwart?

Brightly Burning is an inventive retelling of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre set in space. 210 years ago, a super volcano erupted on Earth, causing an ice age that could last for centuries more. All nations sent up ships, but poorer, less resource rich ships are being phased out or just can't run anymore. Infodumping is necessary to set up the world, but this was done within a lesson to Stella's students. It felt much more organic and skillful to do this. Because of how life is pretty hard in space, people die much younger. 35 is considered to be old, especially on the Stalwart without many medical supplies, food, and water. The difference between rich and poor is astonomical without any hope for the poor to better their situation. Stella's situation is pretty dire, but she does her best to keep the Stalwart afloat, help her young charges, and juggle a couple of crushes.

The Rochester couldn't be more different than the Stalwart from the decadent amount of resources available, to the amount of people, and the very different nature of those people. On the Stalwart, people are rather open and honest while the Rochester crew of 8 seems pretty secretive but polite. When they are alone and going through normal operations, many social protocols are relaxed like having the working crew eat with Hugo and Hugo speaking informally to everyone. I thought this social aspect was a little out of place in the futuristic setting. Hugo is much different than Rochester, which is good since he's hard to like in a modern sense. This incarnation still lords his wealth, power, and privilege over Stella when he wants to plus his overexcessive drinking makes him intolerable.

Brightly Burning is an enjoyable read that transports the Jane Eyre story to the future. I was enjoying it and totally onboard until the last quarter of the novel. An additional unexpected secret is hamhandedly revealed and resolved in an unrealistic, convenient way. The ending felt rushed and not as immersive or detailed as the rest of the story. I would read another Alexa Donne book since the book did suck me in for most of it, but the ending is a bit of a disappointment.

My rating: 3/5 fishmuffins

Obsidio by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik are back with new seemingly insurmountable problems including fitting thousands of people into one way over capacity ship, the Mao, with few resources. They plan to return to Kerenza, but who knows what's happening there after the Beitech invasion seven months ago. Their friends and family may not even be alive anymore. The reality isn't that bad, but the remaining civilians are either enslaved to mine fuel for Beitech or imprisoned and threatened to help the miners work faster. Kady's cousin Asha survived and joined the resistance because she sees that they will all die when the mining is done. Unfortunately, her ex-boyfriend Rhys is working for Beitech and threatens her work unless she can manipulate or convince him to help her save lives. All of them have mounting problems and a corrupt, genocidal corporation to face.

Obsidio has a lot of expectations because of how good the first two books were and fulfills them all. All three books are very different, but each has relatable characters, crazy plot twists, and awesome action sequences. Obsidio has the largest cast of them all and the plot follows each of them fairly evenly, making sure we know what's going on with old favorites and meeting and getting to know the new ones. Nik, Ezra, Kady, and Hanna are all trying to process what has happened to them and how to fix these new problems. All have loved ones die and get small moments to mourn them in the middle of all of this. These moments are so realistic when wanting to see or talk to them, feeling the loss, and recognizing the new normal. In such an action packed series, these moments bring in emotions and human experience on a smaller scale. With the new characters, Asha has made a lot of mistakes and tries as hard as she can to atone. She doesn't have any crazy abilities, but she tries her best to do what's right even with such harsh opposition. Rhys goes through a huge transformation when he finally see what Asha is truly fighting against. I grew to like these characters just as much as all the others.

The minor characters also play an important role in this book. People are fighting for control on the Mao for the greater good. When crisis after crisis happens and people die under the current rule, others see weakness in the young people who have gotten them as far as they have and opportunity to overthrow to make everything better. In reality, it only serves to divide what should be unified and causes even more deaths in the long run. Their hearts are in the right place, but their actions are terrible. On the enemy side, those like Rhys are seen, people that have no love for Beitech but joined the military, those with larger dreams, and those that are following orders to survive and justifying the atrocities they commit to cope. Hard deaths are felt on all sides and even when the good guys win, good people still die because the enemy isn't monolithicly evil. On the other hand, the chain of command in Beitech is filled with corruption. Complaints about sexual assaults or unlawful deaths are thrown out and never seen by anyone higher than the planetside commanding officer and only lead to the whistleblower being punished.

Obsidio is such a good book. I read it in two days, which is saying a lot with my current schedule. It has many hard hitting moments that made me cry, exciting moments that had me on the edge of my chair, and humorous scenes to give some relief from the emotion and tension. The book is so expertly crafted with transcriptions of video, maps, digital messages, and numerous other media. I have no real criticism of this book because even with so many plot lines and characters, everything is clear and well plotted to cover each setting and character. I love how even minor characters are made important in a book where it would be easy to fade minor characters into the background. Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff are working on a new series in the same universe that I can't wait to read. I will read anything this duo comes out with.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

Women in Horror: Perfect Sense (2011)

Susan and Michael have both given up on love. It just doesn't seem to work for either of them, so both focus on their work. Susan is a epidemiologist and her lab just discovered an bizarre epidemic spanning all of Europe. Michael is a chef whose boss wants to create art through food. They meet each other in the alley between her apartment and his work, sharing cigarettes and flirting. Their relationship blossoms as the world loses sense after sense to this epidemic with no known origin.

Perfect Sense looks a typical romance from its cover, but it has an epidemic of epic proportions. No one knows what causes it or how it's transmitted. Eventually everyone is affected by each stage of the disease. The first sign is a moment of deep sorrow followed by losing the sense of smell permanently. The second is a moment of ravenous hunger where the person eats whatever is within arm's reach followed by the loss of taste. The third is a moment of rage and hatred preceding hearing loss. The last is a desire for connection and love before losing sight. This unknown plague is a unique idea because it attacks people's connection to the world, setting it in contrast with Susan and Michael's relationship and what it means in this uncertain, chaotic time.

The way the public reacts to each stage of the disease feels realistic. After the first stage, people tend to avoid public spaces for a while until things go back to normal. The world adapts and serves spicier, more flavorful food. Musicians describe smells with words and music for those who have lost it. Life goes on. After the second stage, people panic a bit more, but life goes on as normal with people going to work and going about their daily lives. Dining is more about temperature, texture, and being waited on instead of about taste. After hearing is gone, their lives shut down as they are quarantined  inside their homes. The later stages have more profound effects and two movements emerge: people who go to work as normal and people who loot and reject normal society. Complete chaos follows the final stage seen. The progression of the effects on society is gradual and increases in severity with each stage.

Susan has given up on love after her last boyfriend cheated on her while Michael is incapable of emotional intimacy after his wife died. Both are focused on careers and friendship when they meet and have an instant connection. While the world is falling apart around them, their relationship grows closer and more intense. The development of their relationship is While everything is so uncertain, they fall into each other, get drunk, dance, and enjoy their lives when it's so easy to fall into hopelessness. Then the rage part of plague hits. Michael is in her presence during this time and rages at her, reducing her to body parts and cruelly saying that there's nothing special about her. Hearing such horrible things spew from him greatly affects Susan and she leaves to stay with her family. Once it hits her, she's alone and uses that rage to process her feelings about Michael.

The mysterious disease is representative of events in our lives. Anything can happen in this life and earth shattering events happen every single day to individuals. Finding love where the future is uncertain and awful things happen every day is special. Connection to other people is beautiful and what makes life worth living through all of this craziness. On the other hand, the people closest to you can also hurt you the most, shown in Michael's moment of rage. The ending of the film has Susan and Michael looking for each other when the last stage hits. It's a euphoric, sweet moment enhanced by the fact that afterwards, they will never be able to see. The film ends with their one sense left with no indication if it will stay with them. The logical end of the disease represents death, which is presumably nothingness without sensation or communication. The film posits that love and life are fleeting yet hold significance.

Perfect Sense is not what I expected at all and the story sucked me in. The familiar love story contrasts with the insane events worldwide in a lovely way. The overall film is surprisingly positive with such a catastrophe at the center of it all. The love story doesn't have any of the toxic tropes seen in romantic comedies. Eva Green does a phenomenal job as Susan, who isn't afraid to make hard decisions for her benefit. Her strength isn't dampened by her emotions and her job as a scientist and a doctor is refreshing to see. I stumbled upon this gem on Shudder, so if you haven't, give it a watch.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins

Women in Horror: The Living Dead Girl (1982)

* spoilers *

Two men break into a crypt to dump toxic waste and steal the jewelry off of the dead. The spilled toxic waste awakens a beautiful heiress named Catherine Valmont from her grave. She kills the graverobbers and drinks their blood. Afterwards, she wanders to the Valmont mansion where she used to live and is photographed by Barbara. Catherine then attacks the real estate agent and her boyfriend in the midst of their lovemaking in the middle of the night. Catherine remembers her childhood best friend Helene and answers the phone when she happens to call, playing the music box and refusing to answer. Barbara wants to find the mysterious woman she photographed and Helene drops everything to see what's happening at Valmont Mansion.

When I watched The Living Dead Girl, I was expecting an exploitative, gory movie with few merits. However, it's one of the most emotional zombie films I've seen with some flaws mixed in. Catherine Valmont is resurrected (of course looking beautiful and perfect despite being dead for years). At first, her demeanor is flat when she isn't hungry and she wanders back to her home almost in a trance. The more she drinks blood, the more she remembers about her life. Her first real connection to humanity comes in her childhood friend Helene. As children, they took a blood oath and promised to love each other even to following the other to death. Their love, whether platonic or not, has endured and gives Cathering an anchor to the human world. This relationship is portrayed so beautifully and emotionally that it elevates the entire film.

Helene loves Catherine no matter what. So many say that, but she saw the people Catherine murdered, cleaned up the mess for her, and sought out more to keep her alive. Helene would move heaven and earth for Catherine, which makes it so much more heartbreaking when Catherine refuses to go on living on other people. Helen tries to change her mind and fails, sacrificing herself instead. When Catherine becomes aware again, her heartbreak and anguish seem to drive her to madness. This relationship is in contrast with Barbara, an actress, and her boyfriend Greg. Greg pushes Barbara into being a photographer when she hates it and wants to continue acting. Also, he dismisses things that interest her and doesn't pay much attention to her at all. They aren't even married and they already seem bored, fed up with each other, and constantly at odds. The more conventional relationship is lackluster and hollow in comparison to the intense connection between the two women.

This isn't a perfect film and it suffers from problems such as the treatment of nudity. Women are exclusively nude in this film. Catherine has some random moments of nudity that may imply a less than platonic relationship with Helene. I didn't really have a problem with the choice until the scene with the real estate agent and her boyfriend in Valmont Mansion. During their night tryst, the woman is fully nude the entire time while the man's nudity is only implied. When he gets up to investigate a noise and dies, he is completely covered by a blanket while she is killed spread eagle on the front steps of the mansion. This uneven treatment shows how sexualized violence seems to be only acceptable when women are the victims. Even when not being murdered, women are unabashedly nude (even when killed) while the one man is purposefully completely covered up.

The Living Dead Girl or La Morte Vivante is a surprisingly emotional movie about the love between two women. The intensity of their relationship and the tenderness with which it was portrayed made the film so much better than expected. The film does have troubling elements, especially with the nudity, and the effects are laughably bad. However, it was a worthwhile viewing of a film I took a chance on and had never heard of.

My rating: 3.5/5 fishmuffins

The Belles

Camellia Beauregarde and all of her sisters are Belles, who have the power to make people beautiful. They rise to power as the previous generation retires to provide services to the rich and powerful. She desires above all else to be the Favorite, the most famous Belle that will live at the palace to serve the royal family. When the time to show off her skill comes, Camellia completely ignores instructions to partly to deal with a difficult situation and partly to put her above the other girls. Her plan backfires and she's named second to her sister. Crushed and overwhelmed by her demanding career, she works at a prestigious place until her sister is ousted as Favorite. Camellia is thrilled, but this world of beauty isn't as frivolous as it looks.

I honestly wasn't expecting a lot from The Belles. The world is rife with gowns, beauty, and luxury, but it has a science fiction premise and a dark, horrific underbelly. The people of this world are born with grey skin, red eyes, and straw-like hair, known as Gris. The Belles and their power are the only way they can look what they would call beautiful. Skin and hair color change with the fashion trends, the same as colors or cuts of clothing for us. The society seen in the majority of the novel is the upper class because they are the only people who can pay for Belle services. Their concerns are largely superficial especially when worth is measured by beauty. I am interested in seeing how the poor live. The only glimpse seen of them is in the little girls changed during the Belle debut demonstration where one of the girls isn't shy about condemning the beauty treatment as useless to her situation.

The Belle mythology and treatment by the public are at odds. The people are polytheistic and believe that the Belles inherited their power from the goddess of beauty. Their power includes the ability to change others' appearance (from hair color to their size to bone structure) and emotions. As children, the Belles are separated from the outside world to grow up and hone their skills without their parents. As adults, they are forced to provide their service no matter how the rebel or resist. Edelweiss in particular hates being a Belle and purposefully fails and offends whenever possible. They aren’t allowed to marry or have romantic relationships. Men aren’t even allowed to be alone with them. The Belles are revered and coveted in public, objectified and exploited behind closed doors.

Camellia experienced the realistic fatigue of working a demanding full time job. She is supposed to be guided by a seasoned Belle to learn the clients’ preferences and the ins and outs of the house. This doesn’t actually happen, leaving her to sink or swim on her own, which feels pretty realistic to how jobs usually go. Changing one’s appearance is a painful often disgusting endeavor with an opiate tea needed to sit through the procedure. She is understandably distressed when unwilling, screaming children are subject to her treatment (while their parent cruelly derides their appearance) and adults who refuse to recognize their own limitations. These rare encounters can be horrific, but the real horror comes in the wailing each Belle hears every night and the cruel, demanding princess. This adds and horror and mystery element that surprised and delighted me.

The Belles is a well built world that feels different than others of its genre. I enjoyed the story, but the ending fell apart a bit. The main villain is too flat compared to the other nuanced characters and her exploits went way too extreme. It went into ridiculous territory for me. The Belle powers also aren’t completely defined until convenient to the plot, which felt messy and unplanned. Other than that, this novel is a look into a unique world with a horrific underbelly. I am interested to see where the next book goes.

My rating: 3.5/5 fishmuffins

Batman: Nightwalker

Bruce Wayne is a young man with his whole future ahead of him. He has everything he could ever want at his fingertips except the parents killed by a thief when he was a child. While testing out a prototype car, a police chase passes him by involving the notorious Nightwalkers responsible for terrorizing Gotham City. Despite the police telling him repeatedly to stay away, Bruce decides to chase down the Nightwalker car and disable it so the police can catch it. The police give him community service that entails cleaning Arkham Asylum, home to hundreds of the most notorious criminals the city has seen. He's immediately drawn to a young girl named Madeleine imprisoned for murder and working for the Nightwalker gang. She only speaks to him and the police agree to allow him to try to get information from her, but she is more than she seems.

Batman: Nightwalker isn't like any other Batman incarnation because he isn't Batman yet. Bruce is the most innocent and naive you will ever see him. His intentions are pure and he still acutely feels the pain of his parents' absence. Unfortunately, he also is heavily influenced by his own arrogance and the assumption that he knows everything. Even when warned of Madeleine's methods of manipulation and reading people, Bruce assumes that he's just too competent to fool. (Spoiler alert: he wasn't.) He succeeds in feeding her information and making himself look like a fool. His whole attitude around Madeleine frankly disgusted me. He invented an entire senario in his head where she is truly innocent because she's female, young, and attractive. I was doubly disgusted when his sexist theory was correct to a point. The entire narrative only proved to reinforce his arrogant and sexist ideas.

Many plot points in this novel are hard to believe or unnatural feeling. The police having a teen work at Arkham Asylum is like having one work at a maximum security prison. No one would do that because that teen would be at risk. They also wouldn't ask him to do exactly what he was being punished for: interfering in police matters even when he thinks he's helping. It kind of ruins the whole point of his community service. The drones Lucius Fox made seemed more like something out of Robocop than something made today. The whole situation with them was completely predictable. The most egregious part of the novel for me was Madeleine's turnaround from bloodthirsty killer to reluctant criminal in love with Bruce Wayne. The entire time they spoke, she was manipulating him (too much like Sherlock Holmes if you ask me), but somehow she grew to like him? I didn't see it at all and it came out of nowhere.

Batman: Nightwalker did not meet my expectations. The most natural feeling parts of the book are between Bruce and his friends. These parts are unfortunately few and far between. Very little of the book is believable and I found myself exasperated and annoyed most of the short book. Bruce didn't really learn anything by the end of the novel and his arrogance is reinforced. I would not like to see this Batman in the future.

My rating: 2/5 fishmuffins

Now I Rise

Lada Dracul was supposed to be the prince of Wallachia, but she finds herself with no powerful allies and no throne with only backstabbing enemies. She has to depend on herself and just her small caravan of loyal men because everyone else proves to be easily swayed. Radu, Lada's brother, is commanded by Mehmed to become a double agent in Constantinople, the city Mehmed must have according to prophecy. Although he longs to stay by Mehmed's side, he outwardly denounces the sultan and joins the Christian city with his wife. Both sibling faces practically insurmountable tasks and must decide how much they are willing to compromise or sacrifice to get what they want.

I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction, but Kiersten White's writing has sucked me into this world of political intrigue and strife in the 1400's. Lada and Radu are well drawn characters that I root for although their goals are at odds. Lada is still a force of nature even though she's at her lowest point. Her rage is considerable and her vengeance is brutal. I love how White balances Lada's character. She's capable of much violence and strength, but she's still a teenage girl figuring out herself and her emotions. The appearance of her childhood nurse embarrasses her in front of her men and it's a humanizing moment that puts the story in perspective. Lada also still loves Mehmed, but recognizes that Mehmed doesn't value her dreams or accomplishments. She would have to give up everything to be with him and she isn't willing to do that. The moment when she realizes that he wants her to be queen is the moment he exposes himself as being like all the other nobles, only viewing her as a decorative broodmare instead of what she is.

Lada finds herself in the political realm and faced with difficult decisions. When opportunities arise, she must choose to follow people who wronged her family in the past or hold on to that grudge at the expense of her dream. The best thing about her is her love for Wallachia. Although she has many ambitions for herself, her ultimate goal is to save and elevate her country and its people. Along her journey, peasants are saved from starvation and murder. Many of them march with her because of the change she could bring to their lives. Lada must also decide if she will follow the deeply flawed political system that has allowed for so much greed, exploitation of the poor, and the decline of Wallachia or if she will blaze her own bloody path. Without Radu, Lada is forced navigate the niceties of court on her own, where she is lost. She does learn a considerable amount, such as the true weakness in other countries. Every experience, no matter how bad, teaches her how to make the right decisions for her future rule of Wallachia.

Radu, on the other hand, has to compromise his own integrity to be what Mehmed wants him to be. Still smitten with Mehmed, Radu would do anything he asked and discovers that the whole Christian vs. Muslim situation isn't as cut and dry as he would like it to be. While in Constantinople, he discovers the truth of the city: the overwhelming amount poor, the religious fanaticism, and the weathered, almost dilapidated state of the city. Radu is present when the siege starts on the city and works at the side of the people there, forming friendships and bonds, while he simultaneously sabotages their efforts for Mehmed. He and Cyprian form a friendly relationship that runs deeper. I was so excited for Radu to have a romance that isn't completely manipulative and one sided. However, it complicates things when he sympathizes with the people Mehmed seeks to destroy. He witnesses harrowing events and experiences the horror of war first hand. Eventually, Radu must decide if his newfound relationships are enough to turn against Mehmed. Mehmed's perfection started to wear away before Radu even left when he murdered envoys from Constantinople. Radu rationalized it at the time, but he is slowly seeing how disposable lives are to his love.

Now I Rise is even better than And I Darken. The story takes off much faster and I had a hard time putting it down. Both siblings are fighting their own very different wars and White manages to make both of them sympathetic and easy to relate to. The minor characters shine as well, especially Radu's wife Nazira and Hunyadi. Nazira is so clever and skilled that it's crazy. Her love for her wife and her friendship for Radu are shown through her devotion and care. Hunyadi, the man who murdered Lada's father, proves to be a father figure for her who is much better than her own father. She relates to much more than she expected. The end was epic, especially Lada's last letter to Mehmed, and I can't wait for the next book.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

Book Mini-Reviews: One Dark Throne and Invictus

* One Dark Throne

Katherine has ascended from being the weakest potential queen to the strongest. Arsinoe found out that her power lies in poison. Mirabella faces the most opposition as the one having the most power. All three sisters vie for a throne because of toxic traditions that call for the death of two of the triplets only to repeat again with their own children when their reign is over.

There's something about this series that I'm reluctant to read it at first, but before I know it I'm halfway through the book in one sitting. The story just grabs me even though there are a lot of plots and main characters to follow. I grew to hate Katherine in this book because she's the only one gunning to kill her sisters, trying to game the system, and pretending to be a poisoner when she's not. I felt for her last book, but my sympathy is gone now Arsinoe makes some pretty terrible decisions this book. Her core is still that strong, practical woman we saw in the previous book who completely expects to die in this fight. Mirabella gets caught up in misunderstandings, but she's the most steadfastly good person in the book. I like all three sisters in their own way. Some are making frustrating decisions and turning against each other, but all the sisters are sympathetic.

The action seems to move much faster since the world has already been established. The sisters' past is seen in more detail as they meet someone they haven't seen since they were taken from the Black Cottage. It puts their reality more into perspective and shows how the traditions of their society have harmed them. The only lacking parts are in the side characters like Jules and Joseph. I didn't really care for their relationship or the overprotective way Jules treats Arsinoe. I will read the series to the end, but it does take me a little while to get into the story.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins

* Invictus

Farway Gaius McCarthy has a bit of reputation because he was born outside of time. His mother (from the 2300's) recorded history and fell in love with a Roman gladiator in 95 AD, which of course is forbidden. Facts are fudged so Farway's parentage doesn't come into question. His dream is to travel through history like his mother, who never returned from one of her assignments. Farway's whole world comes crashing down when he fails his final exam and is forever barred from his dream. A less savory man offers him a job to illicitly travel through time to obtain lost artifacts, but it all goes wrong when the girl who sabotaged his test holds one of those artifacts hostage to join their crew. Who is she and what does she want?

I really enjoyed the first half of the book. I love the idea of a world where time travel exists and it's an actual job to go back in time, blend in, and record key events for both historical record and public enjoyment. Even on illicit trips to the past, it's important to have a good engineer to do all the calculations and a good historian who will know what fashion, materials, and language would be commonplace for the time. I wish we could have seen a little more what a typical day in that world would have been, but more time is spent in other times.

Farway and his crew really drew me into the story. While Farway is a bit conceited and annoying, his romances with Priya is adorable and keeps him grounded. Priya is the medic onboard. Her steadfast nature balances out the more flighty and wild people on the crew and I liked her best. I do find it a little annoying that they are already in love when they start so we don't get to see how it developed. Another unspoken romance blossoms between carefree, colorful Imogen and by the numbers Gram. To round out the crew, they have a red panda generally being adorable and getting into mischief. The crew dynamic is balanced and they are really more family than friends.

The second half of the book revealed the mysterious girl's identity and introduced a whole disparate concept to the story that I didn't enjoy as much as everything else. The story was exciting and the characters grew and changed, but that concept just didn't really mesh with everything else for me. I rode out the story and generally enjoyed it, but I probably wouldn't read another book if it were a series. I would definitely read more from the author, but maybe not a science fiction based book.

My rating: 3/5 fishmuffins