Book Journal

4/5 🌟

I picked up this audiobook because of how interesting the concept sounded. I know nothing about Balklan folkore except for Propp's studies, which are mentioned in the bonus content, but it was still a very nice read.

The story itself is not inspired by any particular tale, but rather by the common themes and structures of folklore: a girl is sent on a quest, finds she can't complete her task alone, and the rest is history. It is a very short story (just about 15 minutes of audio) that has the simplicity of traditional fairytales, but with all the necessary elements to engage the reader and leave them satisfied in the end, which, even before listening to the explanation in the bonus contents, made me feel like the author really knew what she was doing. I would have liked some more context or less ambiguity in the end, but that didn't hinder my entertainment that much.

As for the audio, I think the narrator was an excellent pick. Her voice is what you'd expect from a lovely grandma telling the kids a story, and she had a great sense of tone and emphasis to maintain the listener's attention.

All in all, I enjoyed this short story. You don't really need to know anything beforehand to read it, and it's short enough to just do it while having a break and a cup of tea.

4/5 🌟

"Stoneses die young," her big sister explained patiently. "We have to grow up fast if we're to grow up at all."

And indeed, the Stones family has a complicated history of untimely deaths, mostly told through the footnotes at the end of each chapter. But that is not the only thing that makes them special: they have historically served as assasins to the royal family of Liriat and, most importantly, they all have rather extravagant names. Miscellaneous "Lanie" Stones is the youngest member of this family, and after her parents' deaths she and her sister must find a way to pay all their debt and avoid losing the family home, getting tangled up in some dangerous schemes along the way.

This story was incredibly ambitious, there was a lot of worldbuilding to do and a lot of ground to cover plot-wise, and yet the book didn't feel incomplete. There were some points I was left wondering about, like the exact workings of the magic system or other types of wizards, but all that was shown made sense. As for the plot, it was a bit dense for me, especially because it didn't move that fast until about halfway through the book, and so the characters (except for the protagonist) didn't seem to have that much room for development and connection with the reader. It also left a few loose ends, so I'm hoping for a sequel that will round everything up, but the book also works as a standalone.

Finally, I would like to mention the writing style, which was flowy but still made for a great narration. I think it was perfect for this story, with its aristocratic setting and eccentric characters. It felt humorous at just the right moments (the footnotes were a really fun aspect and their "serious" tone was perfect), but it somehow also made me feel worse for Lanie at her lowest moments. The weird family names were also a great touch, if a bit confusing at first, but they made complete sense after knowing a bit more of the family history throughout the book.

All in all, this was a great read. It's definitely not for reading in one afternoon, but if you like fantasy you might want to give this book a try.

4/5 🌟

I was a bit wary of reading this book because of its classification in horror, but it ended up being a pretty good read. There were some scary parts and a feeling of tension throughout the book, but it was lighter than I expected.

The story follows Tess, a high school student who works in the school library during the summer, and Eliot, the son of the headmaster, as they accidentally release a demon and scramble to prevent it from completely ruining their lives. They come from very different backgrounds and in the beginning it seems like they'll never get along, but as they're forced to work together they find they're more similar than they thought.

As someone who isn't very familiar with the horror genre, I didn't expect most of the twists in the story, but they still felt coherent and most of them made sense in retrospective. Waiting for the next one was never boring and it kept me almost constantly on edge. I was also completely rooting for the main characters and hoping for them to finally catch a break, although I did feel slightly disappointed when I found out one of the main motivations for the protagonist. However, I did like how she evolved throughout the story so it wasn't that big of a deal.

I did notice that some parts of the setting and characterization didn't really fit with the ya category, but it made more sense after finding it was originally meant to be an adult book. This is really the only aspect I didn't like, as the characters felt too old to be in high school, because in everything else they were easy enough to relate to (as a musician, Tess's obsession with having to practice was like having a mirror held up to my face).

5/5🌟

What an absolutely joyous read!

I was about to give this book four stars because of the way the ending threw me off and I struggled to see how it connected to the rest of the story (for me, it kind of ruined the message I was getting), but the overall reading experience was so good that I decided to give it five stars anyways. It was a very emotional read and I cried a lot, but in a way that was incredibly enjoyable.

How high we go in the dark follows a diverse cast of characters who are all trying to survive through a terrible pandemic and its aftermath, climate change destroying the world, and, most importantly, grief. Grief for the people they could've been, the lives they might have led, the better choices they should've made. All of the stories are connected, but they are unique enough that it truly feels like they represent the diversity of people when dealing with hard times. Even though none of the characters really get that much time, they all feel like real, three-dimensional humans, and it was impossible not to empathize with them.

The way Nagamatsu presents the grim future doesn't seem too unrealistic, especially now that we've seen how humanity really deals with a pandemic. The scenarios depicted really help understand the characters, and it feels as if there is an (excellent) study of grief being done all throughout the book, but not in a way that takes readers out of the story.

As for what I mean about the ending, it's a big spoiler, so feel free to skip this paragraph. In the last chapter, it is revealed there's a sepcies of "superbeings" that supervise the creation of life around the universe, and one of them lives on Earth. She is responsible for the pandemic that destroyed humanity, but also for some great discoveries. This made it feel like the overarching message of humanity's resilience and will to live, explore, and get better was conditioned by someone better than us watching from the shadows, ready to intervene if we were to stray too far off the right path.

All in all, I loved this read. At some points it even reminded me of Record of a spaceborn few by Becky Chambers, which is one of my favorites. If you need something that will make you let out a good cry while picking up your spirits, this is definitely the perfect read.

5/5 🌟

As always, Becky Chambers has created an amazingly hopeful world with a story that will leave you feeling all kinds of good. This time we follow Dex, a monk living in the eco-friendly world of Panga, as they try to figure out their life's purpose and end up making an unlikely and curious friend.

The story is set in a completely different world from ours, where humanity has learnt from its mistakes and now cares for their "Earth", leaving part of the planet untouched and wild and trying to be as respectful of its half of the environment as possible. People have all they need, and yet one little monk finds they're never satisfied. While exploring the wild half of the planet they run into a descendant of the robots that left civilization centuries before, and both robot and monk begin to learn from each other. There isn't really a grand plot, as this is more a "slice of life" story, just set in a fantasy world.

The book is a (not so subtle) exploration of the topic of purpose, what truly fulfills us after all our needs are met. It also feels like a promise of the future our planet might have, if we start trying right now, with beautiful descriptions of sustainable living arrangements (honestly, Dex's wagon is The Dream) and of the kindness people are capable of showing one another. The book felt like one of Dex's special cups of tea, this one specifically tailored to comfort my own worries about the climate and our future, even if no specific answers could be given, and Chambers's writing style fits perfectly with the tone of the story.