Nico
3.5 stars. Wow, Lostetter released The Helm of Midnightand this one in the same year?! After reading HoM I was curious to pick up more by them. I didn't love this one as much, but like the other book it took my about a quarter to get into it. It's basically about a robot struggling with identity and it has a mystery of sorts and found family aspects. Aside from that I think it's nothing like the Murderbot Diaries, which it's compared to. My issues are hard to identify, but I think sometimes it felt a bit info dumpy and that put me off. Regardless, Lostetter has another release in 2022 and I will be looking out for it.
I went into this blind, so I didn't know it would be a story across time and have a mystery. In the end this worked for me as it has some interesting story telling and characterization.
I saw a reviewer say that this was an inferior version of the Daevabad trilogy...and I think that is absolute garbage. First, this is a fast-paced, more plot-driven story inspired by One Thousand and One Nights and following three characters: a thief who travels with a Djinn, a Djinn hunter, and a prince. Second, the setting may feel somewhat similar (I mean given the history and region of inspiration shocker) but that's it. Aside from it clearly being a different book, author, themes, etc., Daevabad is more about being ingrained in the culture and political machinations of the Djinn, while this one feels very rooted in the plot and more like a fairytale come to life. Not that there's no character development, there is and there's trauma too that the characters navigate.
I really enjoyed this. It felt epic, urgent, and high-stakes, and I love adore Djinn stories and fairytales. I think if you like Daevabad you will like this and vice-versa, but just don't expect a 1:1, they're different books! Even though I gobbled this one up at a time when I was having trouble with audiobooks, I was feeling some fatigue towards the end, like, “oh we're still going and I have 25% left.” It doesn't quite end on a cliffhanger but you clearly have to keep reading the next book to get to a resolution.
This YA/teen had a strong start for me, I even thought it would be 4 or 5 stars, but it putt-putted out for me throughout the book.
It began as one of the easier physical reads for me since climbing out of my reading slump. It was an okay traditional fantasy for me, especially because I didn't love the last quarter. However I'm seeing phenomenal reviews of the second book so I will go on. I also was shocked I liked the first person, single POV, since I'm usually 50/50 on those, but I really liked the voice.
I absolutely loved this short story collection and what a comfort to return to this world. You must read the Daevabad trilogy before picking this up though.
Based on reviews and comments I've seen, to me this is clearly a love letter to the Great Gatsby (which I think I read but honestly can't remember). So from a non-Great Gatsby perspective: I really loved Vo's writing in this one, but the plot, character development and fantasy were fairly weak. I was very happy when I finished it I'm sad to say and I didn't appreciate it like many other folks.
Holy cow I LOVED this book. It's a paranormal story about a woman, her grandmother and gods in Malaysia. It was a ride and I quickly finished this. It often has a humorous tone that resonated with me, but it tackled some heavy issues as well. I didn't absolutely love the novella I read previously by Cho, but this put them on the radar for me. I might flip-flop my rating at some point, but for now 5-stars.
Audio: Probably a 5-star book, but considering my enjoyment rating it 4. A high magic, standalone fantasy about a prospective mage and janitor who learn a secret that can break the world. Thematically probably one of the strongest books I’ve read about feminism, colonialism, classism and the cost of modernity while being original without being heavy handed.
If you don't know the Murderbot series, I personally think that's a bummer for you. Check it out if you want a combo of mystery, sci-fi, chuckles and friendship. Particularly if you're looking for lighter, short reads/listens. The 6th book in the series isn't in the top of my list, but I still highly enjoyed it.
I suspected that after reading A Dead Djinn in Cairo I was going to gobble this up too and that's what happened! This might have been a bit predictable, but the mystery component felt more realistic than typical detective stories and I'll take any story of Fatimah navigating this magical version of Cairo.
I would not compare this to Spinning Silver or Bear & the Nightingale. Maybe Uprooted by Novik. Nothing about it worked for me, from the writing, to character or plot development, to romance - just no.
Underread series. Not as creepy as the first book and and the mystery didn't have me as hooked, but still a great book (and it did have a quicker start).
If you want to see what egotistical Djinn look like in the modern world and amongst tech advances, this is for you. Dual-POV story with a bit of humor following a savant hacker teen and a killer going around cutting off heads, in a near-future dystopian that feels like it could actually be our future in 60 years. Sounds serious (and feels serious for a couple chapters and the commentary in this near-future dystopian is serious, real and relevant), but Hossain's humor and style of storytelling makes it feel breezy and delightful to consume. Maybe not a perfect book, but I absolutely loved this so it's 5 stars from me and I don't care!
If you've read and liked The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday (which I HIGHLY recommend, even if you don't want to read the other books) you'll want to go to Hossain's Djinn City and then this one. If you read Djinn City and liked it but were unsatisfied with the end, you NEED to go Cyber Mage. I think techies, cyberpunk fans or gamers might really want to pick this up too. Folks who like dystopian, but don't want to feel the emotional tax of dystopian, this would be great for you. If you like Djinn stories or sci-fi/fantasy mash-ups the Djinn City series is a must-read, the books are absolutely top of the class of the mash-ups I've read.
First of all, I would barely classify this as fantasy (yes, there is some paranormal stuff but it was barely there). Anyhoo, someone I follow on GR wrote “there's no way I read the same book as everyone else,” and that's how I feel. This was just okay for me. There is some depth in the character work and I do respect the intricacies of the plot, but in the end my socks were not blown off. For folks who like historical fiction or military fiction, this is a must read.
4.5 stars. I entered this memoir knowing nothing about it, so I sometimes found it triggering as it's about the loss of Zauner's mother to cancer and all of the emotions that come with that, and it's talks a lot about food too. I do recommend.
There's something that elevated Becky Chambers for me after reading all of her Wayfarer series. If I hadn't read those first, I'm not sure I would have appreciated this one as much (like how I wasn't as in love with To Be Taught if Fortunate, which was my first Chambers, like so many other people). This is a really intricate story mostly about one character and their struggles with the minutia of life and individual purpose (yes please!). Although I appreciated their journey for most of the book, I was a tad bored until the 2/3rds mark — and THEN I was hooked. The set up for the rest of the series has me super excited for the next one and hopefully many more after.
I liked it. It's a middle grade and it served well for me since I love me some ghost stories but also I'm a wuss. I did think it was better than the second book, but there are some editing things that I wish had been better and the ending was anticlimactic for me. I will be checking out the 4th book in the series though, because i have no doubt there will be one.
First, this book made me feel like I was watching a Star Trek series (particularly it has DS9 vibes) and therefore I loved it. Second, I mildly enjoyed A Memory Called Empire (I rated it 3-stars) and quite frankly I can't believe this is the sequel. It turned from (mostly) single point-of-view to multi, and everything from the plot, political plays and character development has improved for me 80 billion percent. And what I love about sci-fi (read: aliens) is much more present in this book as well. I definitely had a blast with this sequel. If there's a next book, this time I will not hesitate about picking it up.
This is an audio bind up of short stories “The Citadel of Weeping Pearls” and “The Tea Master and the Detective.” It was okay, both stories are sci-fi mysteries and the writing reminded me a little bit of Becky Chambers. I recommend for folks who read a lot of sci-fi, but wouldn't suggest it if you rarely read the genre.
This is a magical realism family story that hooked me in from the beginning. I really enjoyed the mystery and whimsical magic.
This is a creepy, dark debut novella following the POV of a pregnant woman on ship whose community flooded. There were aspects I liked, aspects I didn't. I mostly felt like the writing style was too cerebral for me and I was missing a lot. What I did get, though I've never been pregnant and I'm not certain of Zin's intentions, was a story about a difficult pregnancy and postpartum depression, and I thought this was done well.
What a surprising novella. Based on the cover I thought it was going to be set in space (I thought the cover art was of stars, it is not) and the title techie, but it was not either. It was just a really good story about something weird that happens to a little girl and all that happens after. Excellent storytelling and audiobook, it has stuck with me after listening.