Jessica Strider
Pros: great characters, thought provoking
Cons:
Nadya was abandoned to a Russian orphanage on birth, having been born without a right hand. She never considers herself lacking something until a Christian American couple adopts her and gets her a prosthetic. Unsure of her future, she falls through a door into a world with giant talking turtles.
This is book 10 of the Wayward Children series, but it is an origin story novella, so while Nadya is a main character in Beneath the Sugar Sky (book 3), you don’t need to read that to understand her story here. Nor do you need to have read any of the previous book to have a full understanding of this book.
McGuire is a master of creating empathy with her characters. Her clear but lyrical prose allows you to follow Nadya’s thoughts regarding her missing hand - how she doesn’t feel its lack, nor does she feel it needs replacing to be ‘whole’. Too often books align with the parents in this situation, expecting gratefulness from the recipient of their ‘aid’, unwanted and unnecessary as it may be.
It’s a thought provoking read, not only for the prosthetic, but also about Nadya’s adoption and some reasons why families choose that option and how it can affect the child in question.
I loved Nadya’s spirit and cleverness. Her kindness. Her resilience.
Belyyreka’s a challenging world to get your head around. I loved the giant turtles and how they were used in the story.
The ending, as usual for the origin novellas in this series, has an abrupt ending. We do know what happens to Nadya next, after this story ends. Strangely, that knowledge left me with more questions of how things go after the end of Beneath the Sugar Sky. Maybe those will be answered in a future novella.
If you haven’t read any of the Wayward Children books, this is another entry point that requires no previous knowledge, and it’s a great little story.
Pros: great characters, thought provoking
Cons:
Nadya was abandoned to a Russian orphanage on birth, having been born without a right hand. She never considers herself lacking something until a Christian American couple adopts her and gets her a prosthetic. Unsure of her future, she falls through a door into a world with giant talking turtles.
This is book 10 of the Wayward Children series, but it is an origin story novella, so while Nadya is a main character in Beneath the Sugar Sky (book 3), you don’t need to read that to understand her story here. Nor do you need to have read any of the previous book to have a full understanding of this book.
McGuire is a master of creating empathy with her characters. Her clear but lyrical prose allows you to follow Nadya’s thoughts regarding her missing hand - how she doesn’t feel its lack, nor does she feel it needs replacing to be ‘whole’. Too often books align with the parents in this situation, expecting gratefulness from the recipient of their ‘aid’, unwanted and unnecessary as it may be.
It’s a thought provoking read, not only for the prosthetic, but also about Nadya’s adoption and some reasons why families choose that option and how it can affect the child in question.
I loved Nadya’s spirit and cleverness. Her kindness. Her resilience.
Belyyreka’s a challenging world to get your head around. I loved the giant turtles and how they were used in the story.
The ending, as usual for the origin novellas in this series, has an abrupt ending. We do know what happens to Nadya next, after this story ends. Strangely, that knowledge left me with more questions of how things go after the end of Beneath the Sugar Sky. Maybe those will be answered in a future novella.
If you haven’t read any of the Wayward Children books, this is another entry point that requires no previous knowledge, and it’s a great little story.
Pros: great characters, thought provoking
Cons:
Nadya was abandoned to a Russian orphanage on birth, having been born without a right hand. She never considers herself lacking something until a Christian American couple adopts her and gets her a prosthetic. Unsure of her future, she falls through a door into a world with giant talking turtles.
This is book 10 of the Wayward Children series, but it is an origin story novella, so while Nadya is a main character in Beneath the Sugar Sky (book 3), you don’t need to read that to understand her story here. Nor do you need to have read any of the previous book to have a full understanding of this book.
McGuire is a master of creating empathy with her characters. Her clear but lyrical prose allows you to follow Nadya’s thoughts regarding her missing hand - how she doesn’t feel its lack, nor does she feel it needs replacing to be ‘whole’. Too often books align with the parents in this situation, expecting gratefulness from the recipient of their ‘aid’, unwanted and unnecessary as it may be.
It’s a thought provoking read, not only for the prosthetic, but also about Nadya’s adoption and some reasons why families choose that option and how it can affect the child in question.
I loved Nadya’s spirit and cleverness. Her kindness. Her resilience.
Belyyreka’s a challenging world to get your head around. I loved the giant turtles and how they were used in the story.
The ending, as usual for the origin novellas in this series, has an abrupt ending. We do know what happens to Nadya next, after this story ends. Strangely, that knowledge left me with more questions of how things go after the end of Beneath the Sugar Sky. Maybe those will be answered in a future novella.
If you haven’t read any of the Wayward Children books, this is another entry point that requires no previous knowledge, and it’s a great little story.
Pros: great characters, thought provoking
Cons:
Nadya was abandoned to a Russian orphanage on birth, having been born without a right hand. She never considers herself lacking something until a Christian American couple adopts her and gets her a prosthetic. Unsure of her future, she falls through a door into a world with giant talking turtles.
This is book 10 of the Wayward Children series, but it is an origin story novella, so while Nadya is a main character in Beneath the Sugar Sky (book 3), you don’t need to read that to understand her story here. Nor do you need to have read any of the previous book to have a full understanding of this book.
McGuire is a master of creating empathy with her characters. Her clear but lyrical prose allows you to follow Nadya’s thoughts regarding her missing hand - how she doesn’t feel its lack, nor does she feel it needs replacing to be ‘whole’. Too often books align with the parents in this situation, expecting gratefulness from the recipient of their ‘aid’, unwanted and unnecessary as it may be.
It’s a thought provoking read, not only for the prosthetic, but also about Nadya’s adoption and some reasons why families choose that option and how it can affect the child in question.
I loved Nadya’s spirit and cleverness. Her kindness. Her resilience.
Belyyreka’s a challenging world to get your head around. I loved the giant turtles and how they were used in the story.
The ending, as usual for the origin novellas in this series, has an abrupt ending. We do know what happens to Nadya next, after this story ends. Strangely, that knowledge left me with more questions of how things go after the end of Beneath the Sugar Sky. Maybe those will be answered in a future novella.
If you haven’t read any of the Wayward Children books, this is another entry point that requires no previous knowledge, and it’s a great little story.
Pros: interesting characters, asks some interesting questions
Cons: standard aliens, not the most charismatic crew
Jackson, Gilly, Beanfield and Anders are the human crew on the 5th Providence AI ship sent to battle against the alien “Salamanders”. But as their 4 year mission drags on they realize just how little the ship needs them, and how much the aliens seem to be learning from their encounters.
The chapters are told from the point of view of different characters, mainly Gilly, their Intel officer, and Beanfield, the Life officer (whose job it is to keep everyone sane). Things on the ship aren’t as they anticipated, and the characters have personalities that clash more than they complement.
I didn’t really like any of the characters for the first half of the book. Gilly seemed the most relatable, in certain ways. But as the story changed and you got POVs from all of them, their quirks became more understandable as you learned more of their histories and why they act the ways they do.
A lot of emphasis is put on manipulating people on Earth to pay for the war effort. Making videos showing how heroic the Providence crews are, risking their lives. I appreciated the extent to which psychology played a role in the book. There’s so much behind the scenes manipulation that the crew only become aware of as time passes.
The aliens, called Salamanders by the army, are the standard ‘bug’ that comes up in SF a lot. They have hives and appear somewhat intelligent, even if they mostly swarm ships en mass.
It’s an interesting read, with some good commentary on war, AI, and how humans manipulate each other.
Pros: interesting characters, asks some interesting questions
Cons: standard aliens, not the most charismatic crew
Jackson, Gilly, Beanfield and Anders are the human crew on the 5th Providence AI ship sent to battle against the alien “Salamanders”. But as their 4 year mission drags on they realize just how little the ship needs them, and how much the aliens seem to be learning from their encounters.
The chapters are told from the point of view of different characters, mainly Gilly, their Intel officer, and Beanfield, the Life officer (whose job it is to keep everyone sane). Things on the ship aren’t as they anticipated, and the characters have personalities that clash more than they complement.
I didn’t really like any of the characters for the first half of the book. Gilly seemed the most relatable, in certain ways. But as the story changed and you got POVs from all of them, their quirks became more understandable as you learned more of their histories and why they act the ways they do.
A lot of emphasis is put on manipulating people on Earth to pay for the war effort. Making videos showing how heroic the Providence crews are, risking their lives. I appreciated the extent to which psychology played a role in the book. There’s so much behind the scenes manipulation that the crew only become aware of as time passes.
The aliens, called Salamanders by the army, are the standard ‘bug’ that comes up in SF a lot. They have hives and appear somewhat intelligent, even if they mostly swarm ships en mass.
It’s an interesting read, with some good commentary on war, AI, and how humans manipulate each other.
Going to Church in Medieval England
This is a book about worship and attendance of the medieval church in England. Specifically, the book focuses on parish worship, that is, worship for the populace in villages and towns (as opposed to monasteries and cathedrals, where worship was for their members). It consists of nine chapters: Origins and the Parish, The Staff of the Church, The Church Building, The Congregation, The Day and the Week, The Seasons and the Year, The Life Cycle, The Reformation and Reflections.
It is a very detailed study and can be a bit dry at times. The breadth of information however, is incredible. The author researched numerous primary sources to get a broad idea of how people really responded to the church’s demands (tithes/taxes, holy days, weekly worship). Some were pious, others rebellious.
Rather than a chronological overview, the book tackles a subject and shows how it changed over time. I personally found the two chapters on liturgy and how it worked from day to day and over the course of the year (chapters 5 and 6) the most fascinating. It’s really hard to get a firm understanding of how church practice occurred beyond reading primary sources (like the missal or breviary), so a book explaining now only how the services went, but also how they differed as they year progressed was very helpful. The book includes a lot of details about various ceremonies (baptism, marriages, etc) as well.
There are a decent number of colour illustrations throughout the book.
I learned so much from this book. From seemingly simple things like the difference between a rector and a vicar, to how much medieval practice survived the Reformation’s attempts at reform. If you’re interested in the Catholic church, how churches were run in the middle ages, or liturgy and religious practices in England, you really need to pick this up.
This is a book about worship and attendance of the medieval church in England. Specifically, the book focuses on parish worship, that is, worship for the populace in villages and towns (as opposed to monasteries and cathedrals, where worship was for their members). It consists of nine chapters: Origins and the Parish, The Staff of the Church, The Church Building, The Congregation, The Day and the Week, The Seasons and the Year, The Life Cycle, The Reformation and Reflections.
It is a very detailed study and can be a bit dry at times. The breadth of information however, is incredible. The author researched numerous primary sources to get a broad idea of how people really responded to the church’s demands (tithes/taxes, holy days, weekly worship). Some were pious, others rebellious.
Rather than a chronological overview, the book tackles a subject and shows how it changed over time. I personally found the two chapters on liturgy and how it worked from day to day and over the course of the year (chapters 5 and 6) the most fascinating. It’s really hard to get a firm understanding of how church practice occurred beyond reading primary sources (like the missal or breviary), so a book explaining now only how the services went, but also how they differed as they year progressed was very helpful. The book includes a lot of details about various ceremonies (baptism, marriages, etc) as well.
There are a decent number of colour illustrations throughout the book.
I learned so much from this book. From seemingly simple things like the difference between a rector and a vicar, to how much medieval practice survived the Reformation’s attempts at reform. If you’re interested in the Catholic church, how churches were run in the middle ages, or liturgy and religious practices in England, you really need to pick this up.
Pros: unique world, interesting characters, complex mystery
Cons:/
Signum Dinios Kol is still an apprentice and only recently became assistant to the Iudex Investigator Anagosa Dolabra. So he’s nervous going alone to a murder scene and examining it for evidence. But he’s an engraver, altered to have an eidetic memory. The mode of death is horrifying and unusual enough that the investigation kicks up more questions than answers. When several other people die in the same manner in a city close to the sea walls, they go to investigate. But the wet season has started, and with the rains come monstrous titans, whose rampaging path has not always been stopped by the walls.
This is a murder mystery set in a very unique fantasy world. The first few chapters require a LOT of concentration, as you’re learning about the characters, the world, and the murder. Once the story moved to Talagray I found things easier to keep track of and really started enjoying the complexity of the case.
The Empire is large and complex. The book gives a real feel for the beaurocracy the underpins its workings and how important maintenance and the Legionnaires that man the walls keep it safe. I loved learning about the Sublimes and how various people have been altered to do specific jobs. I’d love to learn more about Apoths and their work in later books.
Dinios is dyslexic and needs to keep that fact hidden. His inability to easily read and write causes some problems with his investigations. He’s a serious young man and believes in the importance of what he’s doing. He notices everything, making him the perfect protagonist for a mystery novel.
Ana’s clearly autistic, and it’s interesting seeing how her direct questions and observations disconcert people. She absorbs a lot of varied information and is able to see connections others miss.
I appreciated that you’re given all the information the investigators have, so it pays to pay close attention. I found the case fascinating, with several interconnected parts, and enjoyed trying to piece things together on my own. I managed to figure out several things before they were revealed, which is always fun.
If you’re looking for a very different fantasy world and like a good mystery, pick this up.
Pros: unique world, interesting characters, complex mystery
Cons:/
Signum Dinios Kol is still an apprentice and only recently became assistant to the Iudex Investigator Anagosa Dolabra. So he’s nervous going alone to a murder scene and examining it for evidence. But he’s an engraver, altered to have an eidetic memory. The mode of death is horrifying and unusual enough that the investigation kicks up more questions than answers. When several other people die in the same manner in a city close to the sea walls, they go to investigate. But the wet season has started, and with the rains come monstrous titans, whose rampaging path has not always been stopped by the walls.
This is a murder mystery set in a very unique fantasy world. The first few chapters require a LOT of concentration, as you’re learning about the characters, the world, and the murder. Once the story moved to Talagray I found things easier to keep track of and really started enjoying the complexity of the case.
The Empire is large and complex. The book gives a real feel for the beaurocracy the underpins its workings and how important maintenance and the Legionnaires that man the walls keep it safe. I loved learning about the Sublimes and how various people have been altered to do specific jobs. I’d love to learn more about Apoths and their work in later books.
Dinios is dyslexic and needs to keep that fact hidden. His inability to easily read and write causes some problems with his investigations. He’s a serious young man and believes in the importance of what he’s doing. He notices everything, making him the perfect protagonist for a mystery novel.
Ana’s clearly autistic, and it’s interesting seeing how her direct questions and observations disconcert people. She absorbs a lot of varied information and is able to see connections others miss.
I appreciated that you’re given all the information the investigators have, so it pays to pay close attention. I found the case fascinating, with several interconnected parts, and enjoyed trying to piece things together on my own. I managed to figure out several things before they were revealed, which is always fun.
If you’re looking for a very different fantasy world and like a good mystery, pick this up.
Pros: interesting protagonist, optimistic SF
Cons: got a bit tedious at times
When Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship in an unknown location next to 2 dead astronauts he doesn’t know what’s going on or who he is. As the days pass he slowly pieces together that his mission is humaity’s last hope of stopping an invasive microscopic alien species that’s slowly devouring the sun’s energy. After arriving at his target, he learns that humanity isn’t the only species at risk.
This is a mostly hard SF novel. That is, there’s a lot of accurate science and math used to flesh out the made up scenarios. I appreciated that as an elementary school science teacher Grace explains complex things in simplistic terms, but towards the end the constant asides of formulas and calculations got a bit tedious.
The plot is interesting. Learning what happened on Earth via flashback’s that directly relate to what Grace is doing in the present was great. It allowed for character development and story progression. Rocky is also a wonderful character.
The book deals with alien contact in unique and often unexpected ways.
Humour is very subjective and hard to pull off well. I thought the author did a great job. While nothing was laugh out loud funny, I enjoyed how the author bypassed swearing. A few jokes were low brow body humour, which I am not a fan of, but I didn’t find anything particularly objectionable.
I loved how the world came together to build the Hail Mary. So often science fiction pits nations against each other, so having them co-operate made this feel more optimistic as a result, even though the situation was dire at times.
It’s a great book. I found it mostly fast paced and fairly quick to read.
Pros: interesting protagonist, optimistic SF
Cons: got a bit tedious at times
When Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship in an unknown location next to 2 dead astronauts he doesn’t know what’s going on or who he is. As the days pass he slowly pieces together that his mission is humaity’s last hope of stopping an invasive microscopic alien species that’s slowly devouring the sun’s energy. After arriving at his target, he learns that humanity isn’t the only species at risk.
This is a mostly hard SF novel. That is, there’s a lot of accurate science and math used to flesh out the made up scenarios. I appreciated that as an elementary school science teacher Grace explains complex things in simplistic terms, but towards the end the constant asides of formulas and calculations got a bit tedious.
The plot is interesting. Learning what happened on Earth via flashback’s that directly relate to what Grace is doing in the present was great. It allowed for character development and story progression. Rocky is also a wonderful character.
The book deals with alien contact in unique and often unexpected ways.
Humour is very subjective and hard to pull off well. I thought the author did a great job. While nothing was laugh out loud funny, I enjoyed how the author bypassed swearing. A few jokes were low brow body humour, which I am not a fan of, but I didn’t find anything particularly objectionable.
I loved how the world came together to build the Hail Mary. So often science fiction pits nations against each other, so having them co-operate made this feel more optimistic as a result, even though the situation was dire at times.
It’s a great book. I found it mostly fast paced and fairly quick to read.
Pros: more magic development, battles,
Cons: limited romance, no HEA
The country is at war, with Royalists fighting Reformists. Sophie Balstrade helps purchase necessary supplies before joining Theodor and her brother at the army camp. Sophie must decide what magic she’s willing to perform to help her side win.
Book 3 of the Unravelled Kingdom series starts a short time after the end of book 2. If you haven’t read the previous volumes you’ll be completely lost.
Magic gets more developed in this book as Sophie’s skills improve and she’s able to do more with her powers. The West Serafans also use magic a few times, in a different way from Sophie, which was interesting. She’s not really doing any sewing anymore, as she has new ways of affixing charms and curses to a wider variety of materials.
There’s a decent amount of warfare, including a few battles, but it’s mostly strategy. There’s a lot about the logistics of maintaining an army, namely about supplying, billeting, clothing, and training an army.
This is a fantasy novel, not a category romance, so the happily ever after ending isn’t promised. I was still a bit disappointed I didn’t get it though. The romance elements are very light, with Sophie and Theodor being an established couple. I loved seeing their interactions, though they don’t spend much time together.
There’s a long denouement that goes over what happens after the war ends. It’s great to see how things develop a bit, though I wasn’t happy with one major decision, it was realistic and fit the story.
It’s a good ending to the trilogy, if not quite the happy ending I was hoping for.
Pros: more magic development, battles,
Cons: limited romance, no HEA
The country is at war, with Royalists fighting Reformists. Sophie Balstrade helps purchase necessary supplies before joining Theodor and her brother at the army camp. Sophie must decide what magic she’s willing to perform to help her side win.
Book 3 of the Unravelled Kingdom series starts a short time after the end of book 2. If you haven’t read the previous volumes you’ll be completely lost.
Magic gets more developed in this book as Sophie’s skills improve and she’s able to do more with her powers. The West Serafans also use magic a few times, in a different way from Sophie, which was interesting. She’s not really doing any sewing anymore, as she has new ways of affixing charms and curses to a wider variety of materials.
There’s a decent amount of warfare, including a few battles, but it’s mostly strategy. There’s a lot about the logistics of maintaining an army, namely about supplying, billeting, clothing, and training an army.
This is a fantasy novel, not a category romance, so the happily ever after ending isn’t promised. I was still a bit disappointed I didn’t get it though. The romance elements are very light, with Sophie and Theodor being an established couple. I loved seeing their interactions, though they don’t spend much time together.
There’s a long denouement that goes over what happens after the war ends. It’s great to see how things develop a bit, though I wasn’t happy with one major decision, it was realistic and fit the story.
It’s a good ending to the trilogy, if not quite the happy ending I was hoping for.
Pros: interesting magic, political intrigue
Cons: pacing is a bit uneven
Several months have passed since the attempted revolt at midwinter and the Council of Nobles are preparing to vote on the new Reform Bill that Prince Theodor has advanced. Sophie Balstrade prepares to give up her seamstress business and accompany the prince to a trade conference in West Serafe. But trouble from home follows them there, as the nobles don’t intend to give up their power. Meanwhile Sophie’s casting ability has been faltering and she needs to figure out why, and if it can be recovered.
This is the second book in the Unravelled Kingdom series, and heavily depends on knowing what’s happened in book one. There’s less sewing and more magic and politicking in this book.
I love Sophie and seeing her relationship with Theo deepen is a real pleasure. They sometimes butt heads, being from different social strata, but work out their difficulties.
The magic is interesting. I love how Sophie sews charms, and seeing her abilities expand is fun. The musical magic gets examined a bit more and Sophie develops a new form of casting.
There is a lot of political intrigue. I love that there are no easy solutions to how to resolve problems of social and economic change. People in power don’t want to give that up. The book shows very realistic responses to the various solutions proposed. The brutality of people fighting for their future comes across.
I did find that some parts of the book were more interesting than others. The pacing got a bit uneven at times.
I enjoyed the book and can’t wait to read the final volume.
Pros: interesting magic, political intrigue
Cons: pacing is a bit uneven
Several months have passed since the attempted revolt at midwinter and the Council of Nobles are preparing to vote on the new Reform Bill that Prince Theodor has advanced. Sophie Balstrade prepares to give up her seamstress business and accompany the prince to a trade conference in West Serafe. But trouble from home follows them there, as the nobles don’t intend to give up their power. Meanwhile Sophie’s casting ability has been faltering and she needs to figure out why, and if it can be recovered.
This is the second book in the Unravelled Kingdom series, and heavily depends on knowing what’s happened in book one. There’s less sewing and more magic and politicking in this book.
I love Sophie and seeing her relationship with Theo deepen is a real pleasure. They sometimes butt heads, being from different social strata, but work out their difficulties.
The magic is interesting. I love how Sophie sews charms, and seeing her abilities expand is fun. The musical magic gets examined a bit more and Sophie develops a new form of casting.
There is a lot of political intrigue. I love that there are no easy solutions to how to resolve problems of social and economic change. People in power don’t want to give that up. The book shows very realistic responses to the various solutions proposed. The brutality of people fighting for their future comes across.
I did find that some parts of the book were more interesting than others. The pacing got a bit uneven at times.
I enjoyed the book and can’t wait to read the final volume.
Pros: fun characters with some unique takes on fairy tales
Cons: the story meanders, convoluted plan
Prince Charming has been rescuing women - and paying himself with half their treasuries - for years. Now, a group of his victims has banded together to bring him to justice.
This is an entertaining reworking of several classic fairytales, but with the idea that Prince Charming is a real cad. I enjoyed seeing how the author would rewrite each woman’s history. The characters were fun to watch, even - especially? - Charming.
Once the women got together and started their plot, things began to meander a bit. Their plan, as it’s revealed through the story, is so convoluted when you consider it after the fact, that it’s hard to believe it succeeded. The ending was also a bit lacking of consequence.
I did find it strange that with how many women he’d defrauded and how THEIR part of the stories travelled, that the prince wouldn’t be more easily recognized. He’s using the same name, just translated for new languages after all. Seems with a detailed description and his modus operandi new potential victims could be warned away.
It was a fun, quick read. Don’t think too hard about it. Just go along for the ride - and the reworked fairytales.
Pros: fun characters with some unique takes on fairy tales
Cons: the story meanders, convoluted plan
Prince Charming has been rescuing women - and paying himself with half their treasuries - for years. Now, a group of his victims has banded together to bring him to justice.
This is an entertaining reworking of several classic fairytales, but with the idea that Prince Charming is a real cad. I enjoyed seeing how the author would rewrite each woman’s history. The characters were fun to watch, even - especially? - Charming.
Once the women got together and started their plot, things began to meander a bit. Their plan, as it’s revealed through the story, is so convoluted when you consider it after the fact, that it’s hard to believe it succeeded. The ending was also a bit lacking of consequence.
I did find it strange that with how many women he’d defrauded and how THEIR part of the stories travelled, that the prince wouldn’t be more easily recognized. He’s using the same name, just translated for new languages after all. Seems with a detailed description and his modus operandi new potential victims could be warned away.
It was a fun, quick read. Don’t think too hard about it. Just go along for the ride - and the reworked fairytales.
Pros: compelling, fast paced, interesting characters
Cons: abusive dom/sub scene
The Rochford Institute is hosting their class of 2064 reunion on Space Habitat Altaire. As an added bonus, attending will net each participant at least 5 MERIT points, necessary to gain coveted spaces in the new Mars colony. Unlike her classmates, Ava Khan isn’t there to schmooze. She wants to know who really killed her abusive twin brother their last year of school, and she thinks her three oldest friends have the answer. Meanwhile, the station crew have a plan for how to make the world a better place.
The story is told from the alternating perspectives of the four friends and Cielo, chief housekeeper on the Altaire. You learn more about each one, how things went in school, what they’ve been up, and why they’re really on the station. They’ve all got compelling stories, even if - despite what they think - they’re not particularly good people.
The book delves into the kinds of backroom deals that allow the super rich to influence the world and come out on top.
There’s an orgy scene (mildly graphic) and one character acts as Dom to another, in which a lot of minimizing language and swear words are used. The second scene with that pair went past words, and though it wasn’t graphic, it still left me feeling uncomfortable.
The ending hits hard and wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s a fast paced, compelling read.
Pros: compelling, fast paced, interesting characters
Cons: abusive dom/sub scene
The Rochford Institute is hosting their class of 2064 reunion on Space Habitat Altaire. As an added bonus, attending will net each participant at least 5 MERIT points, necessary to gain coveted spaces in the new Mars colony. Unlike her classmates, Ava Khan isn’t there to schmooze. She wants to know who really killed her abusive twin brother their last year of school, and she thinks her three oldest friends have the answer. Meanwhile, the station crew have a plan for how to make the world a better place.
The story is told from the alternating perspectives of the four friends and Cielo, chief housekeeper on the Altaire. You learn more about each one, how things went in school, what they’ve been up, and why they’re really on the station. They’ve all got compelling stories, even if - despite what they think - they’re not particularly good people.
The book delves into the kinds of backroom deals that allow the super rich to influence the world and come out on top.
There’s an orgy scene (mildly graphic) and one character acts as Dom to another, in which a lot of minimizing language and swear words are used. The second scene with that pair went past words, and though it wasn’t graphic, it still left me feeling uncomfortable.
The ending hits hard and wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s a fast paced, compelling read.
Recently I’ve been working on reducing my anxiety so I requested this on NetGalley.
The book has 2 parts (Understanding Anxiety & How to Manage Your Anxiety) and 9 chapters (Anxiety & Women; Navigating Life with Anxiety; Calm Your Body & Mind; Observe Your Anxiety & Identify Your Triggers; Release Yourself from the Cycle of Worry & Rumination; Replace Your Anxious Behaviors with Healthy Ones; Navigate Relationships and Manage Social Anxiety; Acknowledge & Address Specific Phobias; and Reclaim Your Life & Reach Your Goals). The book ends with a short list of resources, online sites for additional help if you need it.
The first chapter has a lot of repetition, which is great for getting you to really take in the information. I found it helpful to learn why anxiety exists and how it’s meant to help in dangerous or unusual circumstances. Anxiety becomes a problem when it overstays its usefulness.
The book progresses through teaching you about anxiety, then ways to deal with different aspects of it using a variety of exercises. I found some activities worked better for me, but the variety means people with different ways of learning and thinking - and different levels and aspects of anxiety - will find useful activities. There were several exercises dealing with intrusive thoughts/ruminating on past actions, on how to relieve black & white thinking, etc. Unexpectedly the book didn’t just deal with ways to improve yourself in private, there’s a section on how to do small talk and introduce yourself to strangers. The chapter on breaking down goals into manageable pieces was also unexpected and useful. I really appreciated the reminder to celebrate your successes.
It is useful to try various exercises, even if you don’t think they’ll work for you. I did the ‘write a letter to your anxiety’ and it was surprisingly insightful.
Through the work I’ve done over the years some of these lessons were no longer necessary for me, but I could see how they would have helped (and were similar to techniques I used in the past).
If you suffer from anxiety and want to learn techniques that can help, give this workbook a try.
Recently I’ve been working on reducing my anxiety so I requested this on NetGalley.
The book has 2 parts (Understanding Anxiety & How to Manage Your Anxiety) and 9 chapters (Anxiety & Women; Navigating Life with Anxiety; Calm Your Body & Mind; Observe Your Anxiety & Identify Your Triggers; Release Yourself from the Cycle of Worry & Rumination; Replace Your Anxious Behaviors with Healthy Ones; Navigate Relationships and Manage Social Anxiety; Acknowledge & Address Specific Phobias; and Reclaim Your Life & Reach Your Goals). The book ends with a short list of resources, online sites for additional help if you need it.
The first chapter has a lot of repetition, which is great for getting you to really take in the information. I found it helpful to learn why anxiety exists and how it’s meant to help in dangerous or unusual circumstances. Anxiety becomes a problem when it overstays its usefulness.
The book progresses through teaching you about anxiety, then ways to deal with different aspects of it using a variety of exercises. I found some activities worked better for me, but the variety means people with different ways of learning and thinking - and different levels and aspects of anxiety - will find useful activities. There were several exercises dealing with intrusive thoughts/ruminating on past actions, on how to relieve black & white thinking, etc. Unexpectedly the book didn’t just deal with ways to improve yourself in private, there’s a section on how to do small talk and introduce yourself to strangers. The chapter on breaking down goals into manageable pieces was also unexpected and useful. I really appreciated the reminder to celebrate your successes.
It is useful to try various exercises, even if you don’t think they’ll work for you. I did the ‘write a letter to your anxiety’ and it was surprisingly insightful.
Through the work I’ve done over the years some of these lessons were no longer necessary for me, but I could see how they would have helped (and were similar to techniques I used in the past).
If you suffer from anxiety and want to learn techniques that can help, give this workbook a try.
Pros: fun and interesting characters, tight plot, some thought provoking moments, good fight scenes
Cons:
The characters are so much fun. They’re all neurotic in complementary ways. Surly and snipey at times, talkative and playful at others. Eoan’s curiosity about everything was a real joy. Despite their arguments it’s clear Nash and Saint are a tight knit crew. Seeing Jal and Anke dropped into the crew’s dynamic made for some great interactions.
The plot is tight with enough down time to get to know all of the characters between chase scenes and fights. There are some real tense moments.
The politics of this future are suitably complex without taking over the story. There are a few decent questions about morality and whether it’s better to focus on the needs of society at large vs saving your personal friends and family. And who should make the necessary sacrifices.
It’s a book about the choices we make and how we deal with the consequences of the bad decisions of our past. Of working as a team to complete a goal. Of betrayal and redemption.
It’s a delightful story that, though it dealt with heavy issues at times, left me feeling hopeful about the future.
Pros: fun and interesting characters, tight plot, some thought provoking moments, good fight scenes
Cons:
The characters are so much fun. They’re all neurotic in complementary ways. Surly and snipey at times, talkative and playful at others. Eoan’s curiosity about everything was a real joy. Despite their arguments it’s clear Nash and Saint are a tight knit crew. Seeing Jal and Anke dropped into the crew’s dynamic made for some great interactions.
The plot is tight with enough down time to get to know all of the characters between chase scenes and fights. There are some real tense moments.
The politics of this future are suitably complex without taking over the story. There are a few decent questions about morality and whether it’s better to focus on the needs of society at large vs saving your personal friends and family. And who should make the necessary sacrifices.
It’s a book about the choices we make and how we deal with the consequences of the bad decisions of our past. Of working as a team to complete a goal. Of betrayal and redemption.
It’s a delightful story that, though it dealt with heavy issues at times, left me feeling hopeful about the future.
The book is split into 4 sections, with 12 chapters, an introduction, and a short conclusion. There are end notes at the back. The 4 sections are: Becoming Christian, What the First Christians Believed, How the First Christians Worshipped, and How the First Christians Lived.
I reviewed an advance reader copy from Netgalley, meaning it wasn’t in its final form. My copy had no illustrations, just captions where the illustrations should go. So I cannot comment on their quality, though there were a good number of them and they’re placed to illustrate interesting aspects of the text.
The author used a decent number of quotes from ancient texts in addition to numerous Old and New Testament quotes. He often tied things together with modern examples which I found a bit jarring but might help a general audience better understand the thought process of ancient peoples.
The book has some great aims and asks some excellent questions. These are questions that cannot be fully answered, as sources are limited, but it was frustrating at times how short the discussion was. The author might give a few possible answers but little or sometimes no reasoning on why these answers should be considered.
For example, in the 3rd chapter he questions why Romans would join the new Christian church when it was so radically different from what they were used to. He mentions 4 possibilities: the intriguing idea of monotheism, the promise of eternal life, that the new faith blended religion, philosophy and morality in a way others didn’t, and the concept of loving everyone. He mentions these but has no follow-up discussion about them and simply ends the chapter. Also strange is the absence of Christianity’s idea of equality as one of those possibilities. Many early adopters of Christianity were rich upper class women (women whose houses were gifted to the church to become buildings of worship upon their deaths). While upper class women had more agency than many in ancient Rome, the Christian faith gave them power over belief in ways other religions denied them. The author does cover the stratification of Roman society and how Christians tried to upend that with their idea of everyone being treated equally within the church in a later chapter, but he never posits this as a reason why lower class individuals might have joined the church in the first place. Even in his conclusion, when he again considers the question of what made Christianity so compelling, he neglects to mention it in favour of purely spiritual answers.
Despite my desire to see more discussion, the book is excellent at giving a good idea of how differently ancient peoples thought about concepts like religion. It was very useful learning how Greeks and Romans worshipped. I also appreciated learning more about how early Christian practice was different from the Jewish faith it sprang from. I highlighted numerous passages in the book that I thought were worth reflecting on. Christianity has changed a lot from those early years, so it was interesting seeing what the first Christians believed and how they followed Christ.
Consider this a great introduction to the topic of how early Christians practiced and how their worship and thought patterns differed from those of the people around them. It’s a fairly short, easy to read book that will give you a lot to think about.
The book is split into 4 sections, with 12 chapters, an introduction, and a short conclusion. There are end notes at the back. The 4 sections are: Becoming Christian, What the First Christians Believed, How the First Christians Worshipped, and How the First Christians Lived.
I reviewed an advance reader copy from Netgalley, meaning it wasn’t in its final form. My copy had no illustrations, just captions where the illustrations should go. So I cannot comment on their quality, though there were a good number of them and they’re placed to illustrate interesting aspects of the text.
The author used a decent number of quotes from ancient texts in addition to numerous Old and New Testament quotes. He often tied things together with modern examples which I found a bit jarring but might help a general audience better understand the thought process of ancient peoples.
The book has some great aims and asks some excellent questions. These are questions that cannot be fully answered, as sources are limited, but it was frustrating at times how short the discussion was. The author might give a few possible answers but little or sometimes no reasoning on why these answers should be considered.
For example, in the 3rd chapter he questions why Romans would join the new Christian church when it was so radically different from what they were used to. He mentions 4 possibilities: the intriguing idea of monotheism, the promise of eternal life, that the new faith blended religion, philosophy and morality in a way others didn’t, and the concept of loving everyone. He mentions these but has no follow-up discussion about them and simply ends the chapter. Also strange is the absence of Christianity’s idea of equality as one of those possibilities. Many early adopters of Christianity were rich upper class women (women whose houses were gifted to the church to become buildings of worship upon their deaths). While upper class women had more agency than many in ancient Rome, the Christian faith gave them power over belief in ways other religions denied them. The author does cover the stratification of Roman society and how Christians tried to upend that with their idea of everyone being treated equally within the church in a later chapter, but he never posits this as a reason why lower class individuals might have joined the church in the first place. Even in his conclusion, when he again considers the question of what made Christianity so compelling, he neglects to mention it in favour of purely spiritual answers.
Despite my desire to see more discussion, the book is excellent at giving a good idea of how differently ancient peoples thought about concepts like religion. It was very useful learning how Greeks and Romans worshipped. I also appreciated learning more about how early Christian practice was different from the Jewish faith it sprang from. I highlighted numerous passages in the book that I thought were worth reflecting on. Christianity has changed a lot from those early years, so it was interesting seeing what the first Christians believed and how they followed Christ.
Consider this a great introduction to the topic of how early Christians practiced and how their worship and thought patterns differed from those of the people around them. It’s a fairly short, easy to read book that will give you a lot to think about.
After losing years of her life in the Land Where the Lost Things Go, Antsy Ricci has found her way to Eleanor West’s Home for Warward Children. But a school filled with kids trying to find their Doors back to magical lands might not be the best place for a girl that can find anything,
This is the 9th book in the Wayward Children series and is best read in sequence. It takes place a bit before and directly after the events of Where the Drowned Girls Go and Lost in the Moment and Found. It’s worth rereading those if you don’t remember what happened.
Antsy’s an interesting character. She’s 9 years old in the body of a 16 year old, with no idea of how to act around kids her visible age. Seeing her face her past and giving real resolution to her story in Lost in the Moment and Found, was wonderful.
I loved Sumi in this story. She can be a bit much but acts like a real mother hen crossed with a real no nonsense attitude. She has some of the most insightful lines in the book.
Despite the rules of the school, a quest is at hand. As a novella it only takes a few hours to read, but has a very satisfying story arc.
If you’ve read the prior novellas in the series, this is a strong follow-up. If you haven’t, I can’t recommend the series enough.
(review copy provided by Netgalley)
After losing years of her life in the Land Where the Lost Things Go, Antsy Ricci has found her way to Eleanor West’s Home for Warward Children. But a school filled with kids trying to find their Doors back to magical lands might not be the best place for a girl that can find anything,
This is the 9th book in the Wayward Children series and is best read in sequence. It takes place a bit before and directly after the events of Where the Drowned Girls Go and Lost in the Moment and Found. It’s worth rereading those if you don’t remember what happened.
Antsy’s an interesting character. She’s 9 years old in the body of a 16 year old, with no idea of how to act around kids her visible age. Seeing her face her past and giving real resolution to her story in Lost in the Moment and Found, was wonderful.
I loved Sumi in this story. She can be a bit much but acts like a real mother hen crossed with a real no nonsense attitude. She has some of the most insightful lines in the book.
Despite the rules of the school, a quest is at hand. As a novella it only takes a few hours to read, but has a very satisfying story arc.
If you’ve read the prior novellas in the series, this is a strong follow-up. If you haven’t, I can’t recommend the series enough.
(review copy provided by Netgalley)
