Fully Booked

Anticipated 2019 SFF reads (Part 1)⠀ ⠀ 📗The Starless Sea - Erin Morgenstern⠀ 📘The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon⠀ 📕The City in the Middle of the Night - Charlie Jane Anders⠀ 📙Bloodwitch - Susan Dennard⠀ 📗Sorcery of Thorns - Margaret Rogerson⠀ 📘Black Leopard Red Wolf - Marlon James⠀ ⠀ Not to mention, those without covers including: ⠀ 📚The Glass Hotel - Emily St John Mandel⠀ 📚Heartsong - TJ Klune ⠀ 📚The Unkindest Tide - Seanan McGuire ⠀ 📚Sapphire Flames - Ilona Andrews ⠀ 📚The Ippos King - Grace Draven⠀ ⠀ Are any of these on your list? What SFF reads are you looking forward to in 2019?

It’s an incredibly fascinating look at how the dirty deeds of war don’t cease with the official end of hostilities, and the incredible feats of individuals who returned to their ordinary lives with the public none the wiser. ⠀

Then I got my hands on Althea's book. And it was perfect. There are no lessons in it. There's just this harsh, horrible world touched with beautiful magic, where shitty things happen. And they don't happen for a reason, or in threes, or in a way that looks like justice. They're set in a place that has no rules and doesn't want any. The above quote, I think, does justice to the book as a whole. It was surprisingly sad in places, which I wasn't expecting. The Hazel Wood is one of those ~aesthetic~ novels, for want of a better word. It's a creepy and atmospheric take on the nature of fairy tales, harking back to their grim (Grimm? ha!) origins. The plot in brief: 17-year-old Alice has spent her life on the run with her mother, chased by a series of incidents attributed to sheer bad luck. Her grandmother is a reclusive and mysterious figure, famous for the publication of a book of strange and haunting fairy tales. One day, they receive news that her grandmother has died, and shortly after, Alice's mother goes missing - her last words a warning for Alice to stay away from her grandmother's hidden estate. So of course, our protagonist does exactly the opposite, armed with her (understandably) prickly personality and an ally from school. He is helpfully rich, which conveniently overcomes many of the obstacles one would have as a teenager-on-magical-quest. I found the book quite jarring and unsettling at times, but an intriguing read nonetheless. I think it's the kind of book you have to be in a particular mood for, however.

Sarah Anderson's comics are a delight - extremely relatable, timely and humorous. Herding Cats, her third collection, deals with more serious issues such as climate change and the current political situation, but it also includes lighter-hearted moments like the struggles of the introvert, which I thoroughly identify with! ⠀ ⠀

This is probably the first true-crime novel I've ever read, reason being that I tend to dream about whatever I've been reading recently, and true-crime novels do not for a good sleep make. But "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" certainly made a splash in the bookosphere, a combination of the author's renown, her sudden passing, and the compelling subject matter - not to mention the fact that the suspect was apprehended soon after the book's release. (Coincidental, and not due to the book.) Although the book is immensely detailed and clearly meticulously researched, the information is spread out across the chapters, so that the reader isn't immediately overwhelmed. It's also a testament to the dedication of writers such as Michelle, the case officers, and internet crime-solvers alike. The author was sensitive and sparing with the physical details of the crimes. So many true crime books, films and podcasts can veer towards the voyeuristic, but I didn't get that sense here. If you commit a murder and then vanish, what you leave behind isn't just pain or absence, a supreme blankness that triumphs over everything else. The unidentified murderer is always twisting a doorknob behind a door that never opens. But his power evaporates the moment we know him.

"With her words, something clicks - a sign of the greater hand. We've been led to this moment, pushed in the tiniest, most obscure ways." Perhaps one of the most hyped books of 2018, Children of Blood and Bone is worth the acclaim and praise. It's such a refreshing change of setting from the standard pseudo-medieval Western Europe which dominates the fantasy genre. From the deities and the magic system to the physical locations, the food, the language, character appearances and clothing - it was richly descriptive, immersive experience of an African (more specifically, Nigerian)-inspired fantasy. Yes, the author does use popular fantasy tropes, such as the "Chosen Ones" and hunt-for-the-magical-artefacts, but there is nothing inherently wrong with this. (I've seen reviews critiquing this, which is why I'm addressing it here.) These are just markers of the genre - it's what you do with them that counts. (Also, there is a problematic trend of allowing white writers a pass on this, but then as soon as POC writers do it, we claim it's overdone/this particular subgenre is over. A discussion for another time, and I am probably not the most qualified person to explain it, but again worth mentioning in regards to this particular book.) The short chapters made for quite a swift read, despite the length of the book. The high emotions of the characters reminds us of how young they are, facing political and magical obstacles; family and friend drama; potential matters of the heart and their own growing powers/involvement. There were also unexpected moments of levity and humour - this particular exchange had me chuckling out loud: "I guess the other night was my first time spending the night with a boy." Tzain snorts. "Was it everything you ever dreamed?"⠀ "I don't know..." I press my finger to my lips. "I always imagined less bondage." (Above context - they were captured and tied up in a tent!) Finally, the jaw-dropping ending upped the stakes, and certainly has readers like me hotly anticipating the 2019 sequel.

Kacey's two best friends start acting distant, and avoid inviting her to one of the biggest parties of the year. However, when one of them fails to make it back home that night, she starts looking more and more like the guilty party. ⠀ ⠀ Featuring:⠀ ⠀ 🎃Sleuthing, spooky séances, and plenty of suspicion.⠀ 🎃Positive representation of step-family life.⠀ 🎃A culprit that you won't see coming until right near the end.⠀ 🎃Dark, twisty high school drama.⠀