Michael Barnes
It was the world setting in this that I found intriguing, a contemporary Philadelphia where the climate apocalypse we have all seen coming is now here and getting worse. The terrible storms, tornadoes that have destroyed houses, flooding, fever season as a common place consideration, but this is the background- setting the place
A story centered on a titular festival of misrule and fiesta, protagonist character is gradually peeled back, making her captivating if mercurial, compelling if occasionally duplicitous. She is both strong and vulnerable, and the more the narrative progresses, the more charismatic and compelling she becomes.
Kirkus reviews described it as "A near-future version of the U.S. entranced by mutual aid organizations–turned–secret societies and caught in a slow-burn environmental catastrophe that’s unsettlingly plausible, and her depiction of the aftermath of sexual assault is complicated in its rage and compassion. The novel’s pacing is electric, its worldbuilding seamless, and the magic that slowly reveals itself feels truly strange and captivating—a considerable feat".
Set over just one night, but with many flash backs to expand our understanding of character's and motivations the plot’s five-part structure has a traditional unity of time and place that serves only to contrast the chaos of the action.
I would have liked to spend more time with some of this fascinating cast of women (the male characters, not so much)
It was the world setting in this that I found intriguing, a contemporary Philadelphia where the climate apocalypse we have all seen coming is now here and getting worse. The terrible storms, tornadoes that have destroyed houses, flooding, fever season as a common place consideration, but this is the background- setting the place
A story centered on a titular festival of misrule and fiesta, protagonist character is gradually peeled back, making her captivating if mercurial, compelling if occasionally duplicitous. She is both strong and vulnerable, and the more the narrative progresses, the more charismatic and compelling she becomes.
Kirkus reviews described it as "A near-future version of the U.S. entranced by mutual aid organizations–turned–secret societies and caught in a slow-burn environmental catastrophe that’s unsettlingly plausible, and her depiction of the aftermath of sexual assault is complicated in its rage and compassion. The novel’s pacing is electric, its worldbuilding seamless, and the magic that slowly reveals itself feels truly strange and captivating—a considerable feat".
Set over just one night, but with many flash backs to expand our understanding of character's and motivations the plot’s five-part structure has a traditional unity of time and place that serves only to contrast the chaos of the action.
I would have liked to spend more time with some of this fascinating cast of women (the male characters, not so much)