A joint-review of Tithe and Ironside by Holly Black: I asked my friend for some recommendations of books, and found these two thrust into my hands. Apparently there is actually another book that comes in between them in the series (Valiant), but that it is about other characters whereas Ironside is more like a direct sequel to Tithe. But anyways, that’s a bit of a side note. I will start this off by saying that as a kid growing up, I love love LOVED anything […]
These fun fairy-tale retellings are feminist as f*ck.
The Stepsister Scheme Jim C. Hines is honestly one of my favorite authors, even though he’s never written a book that I’ve lost my mind* over. What he writes is solid, fun fantasy with a strong feminist backbone. He also seems to have a thing for championing the underdog, and writing stories that subvert traditional story-types. The Princess series, of which I’ve read all but the last book at the time of writing this review, is particularly notable as all the main characters are ladies, […]
Between the cantrips and the spells, I’d rather have the cantrips
It’s good. A good solid story with a linear plot with a few side plotletts along the way. I read it straight through with just a pause for dinner, and maybe a pee break. In reading it so quickly, I most likely missed out on some of the tiny details. And I could barely pronounce any of the names, even in my head. Agnieszka (see?) begins our story as a 17-year-old girl who always seems to be a mess. She and her best friend Kasia […]
Tuan volgen oketh ama*
*Literally means “Don’t put a spoon in your eye over it.” Siaru idiom meaning “don’t let it make you crazy” I had to really take that advice to heart while slogging through this brick. It’s not that I won’t read loooooooong books (see Karl Ove Knausgaard). I have very little experience with the fantasy genre but one of my pledges to myself while undertaking this Cannonball Read was to try new writers and genres and mediums. Regular fans of the stuff may have an easier time […]