Hello everyone. Welcome back to Bibliophilia Book Reviews. In this post, I will be doing a wrap up of all the books I read in February. I know that this post is pretty late (since it is now the end of April) but it is only just now that I have had a chance to sit down and write about these books. It is time to play catch up. As always, my reviews have spoilers:
1. The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco is a fantasy young adult novel about a girl, Tea, who discovers that she is a necromancer—or bone witch—when she raises her brother Fox from the dead. Consequently, she is taken from her home in Knightscross to train as an asha—or magic wielder—at the Valerian (school for ashas) in Kion, where she is inevitably immersed in the politics of the kingdoms and immediately at odds with the elders of the asha association. The book consists of two intertwined stories—one in the present, where a bard relates his experiences with the young bone witch as she is telling him her story, and another in the past where Tea is telling her story to the bard in the form of flashbacks.
A peculiar aspect about this book is that the story ends where it began. Hence, its structure is a circle; both storylines converge at the end of the trilogy. This structure, however, is probably the main reason a lot of readers have had trouble getting into it, and the reason why some of them end up not liking it at all. I did not have this problem, but I also understand that this kind of structure in a book is hard to pull off. This is because it gives the impression that a lot of things are happening at once, and it is hard to keep track of them. For example, in the first chapter, we see how the bard arrives at the beach, meets Tea, and convinces her to tell him her story. Then, she starts telling him her story in the form of flashbacks. And in the first flashback she tells him (and us) how she raised her brother Fox from the dead. The story, thus, has two beginnings: one in the present and one in the past.
This structure, however, can be very taxing for the reader and unless he is invested in the story thus far, he is probably going to stop reading. It is also a good recipe for giving the impression that the story drags along—in between all the flashbacks—and it usually both confuses the reader and may even bore him because it seems like the story in the present is not going anywhere (this is the main problem I had with The Name of the Wind; funny that that didn’t happen here). The reader has to stick with the narrator for a very long time (almost to the end of the first book) to finally understand where the story in the present is going, and unfortunately not many readers are willing to make that effort.
Personally, I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it to anyone willing to read it. However, I would caution them about this circular structure and that sometimes it can make for some confusion. However, if that person is still willing to give it try, I would suggest it as a fast and entertaining read. I gave this book a I Really Liked It rating, and I will definitely continue on with the series. Click here to read a more extensive review on this book. This was a reread for me.
2. Pariah’s Lament by Richie Billing
I was contacted and provided an ARC of this book by the author for an honest review. Read it here. Published on March 17th, 2021, Pariah’s Lament is a book full of political intrigue, warfare, and action. However, it is also a book about the dispossessed and rejects of a society finding the courage in themselves to save the world that rejects them. This allows the reader to empathize and identify themselves with either one of the protagonists. I particularly identified most with the female protagonist of the book. Also, I liked the world this story is set in, and the author doesn’t shy away from describing the gritty reality of warfare, political intrigue, betrayal, assassination (attempts), death, fear, loss and grief, and other effects caused by humanity’s greed for power. The world in this book is dark, and its darkness is tangible from the very beginning.
However, there were also things about this book that I did not like. Particularly, the pacing and writing style. I think I would have enjoyed this book all that much more otherwise. Alas, that was not the case. Overall, I gave this book an I Liked It But Will Probably Not Read It Again rating.
3. Hunted by Meagan Spooner
Hunted by Meagan Spooner is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and it was also a reread for me. This is a YA fantasy retelling first published in 2017 set in ancient Russia that focuses primarily on the love story between Yeva (nicknamed Beauty) and the Beast. However, I also liked the love story between Solmir and Ashenka that happens in the background. And I was not expecting this. I was honestly not expecting to like the character that personified Gaston (from the Disney adaptation, even though this book is not based on the cartoon at all) in this retelling, and that was a pleasant surprise.
The other thing I liked about this book is that we get glimpses of the Beast’s point of view and see how he slowly changes as he falls in love with Beauty. The book, however, is written primarily from Yeva’s point of view and the author introduces her as a lady-in-waiting to a baronessa; she, however, is disenchanted with the life at court and wishes to go back to the way things were before she and her sisters were old enough and expected to marry; to a life where she and her father would hunt together. Tragedy strikes when her father loses his fortune, and he is forced to move them all out of the city to the cabin where they once lived. Beauty’s father, however, instead of seeking to recover from financial ruin, becomes obsessed with hunting a mysterious beast and goes mad. Eventually, he gets lost in the woods and never comes back. Yeva thus goes out in search of him leaving her sisters and new fiancé behind. Yeva, however, doesn’t come back either. She finds her father, dead, and the beast who killed him and vows to kill him in turn. For his part, the Beast seeks to hone Yeva into a weapon that will help him break the curse laid upon him by a creature he cannot name.
Yeva’s character isn’t exceptionally distinct from all the other heroines like her in other books. She fits the mold of the girl who doesn’t want what other girls want and thus doesn’t think she can find love type. There are thousands of heroines like her. But I found that this didn’t prevent me from enjoying the book, and I gave it an I Really Liked It rating.
4. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang is the first book of the eponymous trilogy based on the second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). It is both a coming-of-age story and a grimdark military fantasy series. Trigger warnings for this book include self-harm, rape, genocide, drug use (the protagonist is an addict), violence and gore, torture, and death, to name a few. It is also a very popular, highly-acclaimed, and award-winning novel that debuted in 2018. In short, a lot of people love this book (as well as The Dragon Republic and The Burning God).
Personally, The Poppy War is not my favorite of the bunch. This book has a very strong beginning. The protagonist, Rin, is a strong and determined young woman eager to make her own way in the world; not to let others dictate it for her. She wants more than what’s allotted for her: being someone’s wife and doing what her foster parents tell her to do. She fights against the norm and changes her life by getting admitted into the most prestigious military academy. Then she meets Altan, and everything changes. She becomes a besotted and love-struck girl who does anything and everything for a man who abuses and demeans her. It’s amazing how much she lets her love for Altan change her, and she becomes a much weaker and annoying version of herself. Someone who is constantly seeking Altan’s approval and making all the wrong decisions because of it. I did not like Rin for the better part of the second half of the book. But I did like Kitay and Nezha, the other two protagonists of the book and who eventually become Rin’s guilty conscience and nemesis, respectively. The dynamic between these three characters is one of the best parts of the book (and series). The relationship between Rin, Kitay and Nezha is the backbone of this series. Hence, it is a very character-driven story. And that in itself was what I liked most of the book. Rin, I know, was never meant to be a nice or good person. But the way she completely changed after meeting Altan—who ultimately she saw as the most powerful being around her, the only one who had the power of fire like her, and the one who personified all she ever wanted—and the way she followed him blindly really exasperated and annoyed me.
The other thing I didn’t like about Rin is her relationship with the Phoenix and shamanism. All she wants is power. She hungers for it, everything else be damned. And that didn’t help me into liking her. In fact, I liked her even less because of it. She wants it so much she can’t think beyond it; she doesn’t think about what she’ll do with it in the future; once she’s won the war. Because of course she’ll win the war. She’s got a god on her side. A powerful god, yes, but also a very volatile one at that; and a very self-centered one as well, like her. And once she wins the war, she’ll go on to the next one. And then the next one. Etcetera. War becomes Rin’s whole life, and she readily embraces it and loves it. But she’s not very smart with the power she has or gains from it.
Suffice it to say, I did not like Rin a whole lot. However, I still recommend this series for the simple fact that in the end she redeems herself. For once in her life, she made the right choice, and I can’t hate her completely because of that. Overall, I gave this book a rating of I Liked It And Will Probably Read It Again. Who knows? Maybe I’ll like Rin better the second time around.
5. Soulkeeper by David Dalgish
Soulkeeper by David Dalgish is also a reread for me; I read it for the first time in 2020, and I read it again in February to continue on with the series. The world in this book (and series) is built on the worship of The Three Sister Goddesses—Alma, who births the human soul, Lyra, who takes care of it while alive, and Anwyn, who takes the souls of the dead. Each goddess has her own priests and priestesses (sort of, as they are not referred to as such in the book) known as Faithkeepers, Mindkeepers, and Soulkeepers, respectively. Devin Eveson, the protagonist, is a Soulkeeper and he is introduced when he is performing the funeral rites for a young girl who succumbed to disease. However, his world is soon torn apart when he is asked to seek out a magical creature—a creature his religion teaches him is not real—believed to have the cure for said disease. Devin sets out against his better judgement and is shaken beyond belief when he actually encounters the magical creature after he is gravely injured by wolves and is healed by him. The creature, however, warns Devin about the return of the Dragon and disappears again.
And then a mountain appears at the doors of Londheim and Faithkeepers start appearing all over the city brutally murdered…what’s not to like in a book about the impending end of the world? Or, more specifically, the end of the world created by the Three Sisters?
This book is a very fast read and ends on a cliffhanger. I Really Liked It and will continue on with the series.
That is all the books I read in February. Apparently, February was the month of rereads for me…
