tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40908731577004582512024-03-18T11:17:34.572+02:00Susanna ReadsBook reviews and musings about books by Susanna Shore.Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.comBlogger319125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-84177969139974458102024-03-18T11:17:00.000+02:002024-03-18T11:17:00.958+02:00Cascade Failure by L. M. Sagas: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4OagTYJcqvXLuRYl91j8ilJUQz8jh9O2Ue0LMlCAQ0Fg2VhAj7T_ofGPgZzLk29kRR0rq2uIDAlbqVzuOTKsegTrtW4mNFHkBCYZR94WrKsdwRS6JZ7nTvkz4Fn3KfShx4Xi6fzTOEBU3tuwpjs-z8TEMTwnKnOx7ECmuqwjsAyHUvxka6JmD-BsQu4/s2476/126918225.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4OagTYJcqvXLuRYl91j8ilJUQz8jh9O2Ue0LMlCAQ0Fg2VhAj7T_ofGPgZzLk29kRR0rq2uIDAlbqVzuOTKsegTrtW4mNFHkBCYZR94WrKsdwRS6JZ7nTvkz4Fn3KfShx4Xi6fzTOEBU3tuwpjs-z8TEMTwnKnOx7ECmuqwjsAyHUvxka6JmD-BsQu4/s2476/126918225.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2476" data-original-width="1615" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4OagTYJcqvXLuRYl91j8ilJUQz8jh9O2Ue0LMlCAQ0Fg2VhAj7T_ofGPgZzLk29kRR0rq2uIDAlbqVzuOTKsegTrtW4mNFHkBCYZR94WrKsdwRS6JZ7nTvkz4Fn3KfShx4Xi6fzTOEBU3tuwpjs-z8TEMTwnKnOx7ECmuqwjsAyHUvxka6JmD-BsQu4/s320/126918225.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cascade Failure by L.M. Sagas<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/126918225-cascade-failure" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Cascade Failure</b></a>
starts <i>Ambit’s Run</i> sci-fi series. It’s set in a far-future, space-faring galaxy
that still has a connection to perfectly liveable Earth. Everything worth
anything is owned by Trust, which aims at making profit no matter the human
cost. They’re only kept in reign by the Union who protects the labourers.
Between them, as a sort of a police and military, is the Guild.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Jal is a deserted
Guild ranger. He’s been modified genetically for mining work, and is stronger
and faster than others, with eyes that can see in the dark. He’s fleeing from
something towards an unknown goal, and for that, he needs a ride. He thinks he’s
landed on a ship that has no connection to the Guild, but turns out he’s wrong.
And it’s not a coincidence he’s on the ship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Ambit is a
small Guild vessel that takes on riskier jobs at the edges of the galaxy, and
looks the part. Her captain is Eoan, a sentient AI with holographic projections
and a yearn to learn everything, especially about humans. XO is Saint, a gruff
former Earth soldier turned Guild ranger. He’s Jal’s former commanding officer
and there’s huge baggage between the men, though their relationship is never
made very clear. Then there’s Nash, who is both the mechanic and the doctor and
equally good at both. She likes feng shui and crocheting in her spare time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The crew’s
plan to take Jal to be court marshalled takes a turn when they answer a
distress call. They find Anke, a chirpy programmer who’s learned of a Trust
code that destroys terraformed planets in mere moments. She has a counter code.
She just needs to test it. The crew decides to help her. Things don’t go as planned.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This is a
very character-driven sci-fi. Each character is given their point of view chapters,
and much time is spent in interpersonal relationships. No romances, though
there are some hints that could’ve been made stronger and clearer for bigger
emotional punches later.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The focus
is on Jal and Saint with their past. We learn why Jal deserted, but his life
since is sort of glossed over. He emerges as my favourite, though there’s a
huge gap in how his chapters present him and how others see him. Anke too, has
a clear role. Nash and Eoan didn’t necessarily need their own chapters, they
slow things down, but Eoan goes through a transforming event, which was good to
see from their point of view.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The plot is
fairly straightforward, sort of secondary, and a bit slow, but good. Nothing is
black and white, and the bad guys aren’t necessarily bad, or are bad in an
understandable way. There are betrayals and sacrifices, and the solutions aren’t
easy. The biggest reward for the reader doesn’t come from the plot, but from
the characters themselves.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This might
have been a four-star book, but it’s so well-written and balanced, especially
for a debut, that it gets full five stars. The ending hints at the crew’s next
mission. I’m definitely going to read that too.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I received
a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-10782452071856684482024-03-14T11:52:00.003+02:002024-03-14T13:45:01.388+02:00Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgIx7xzR9lGvcoeK3gnltBndAhz2RuRBuLYyPdGfKHwJ7IjbKnXOGC4HmOX_kvv-ml90is3h0roE2CJPsgCBpHzaPNIHE4aGOZijv2eedC9xd_v_21ITpHEHn93frQZvzNyzBjvGv2QZgnDC6fSzLgNOEtl0IkvVjrihQr-As6PV4FZmwb3KKSmgX_04/s835/205517359.png" name="twitter:image"></meta><b>2/5 stars on Goodreads</b><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgIx7xzR9lGvcoeK3gnltBndAhz2RuRBuLYyPdGfKHwJ7IjbKnXOGC4HmOX_kvv-ml90is3h0roE2CJPsgCBpHzaPNIHE4aGOZijv2eedC9xd_v_21ITpHEHn93frQZvzNyzBjvGv2QZgnDC6fSzLgNOEtl0IkvVjrihQr-As6PV4FZmwb3KKSmgX_04/s835/205517359.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="835" data-original-width="536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgIx7xzR9lGvcoeK3gnltBndAhz2RuRBuLYyPdGfKHwJ7IjbKnXOGC4HmOX_kvv-ml90is3h0roE2CJPsgCBpHzaPNIHE4aGOZijv2eedC9xd_v_21ITpHEHn93frQZvzNyzBjvGv2QZgnDC6fSzLgNOEtl0IkvVjrihQr-As6PV4FZmwb3KKSmgX_04/s320/205517359.png" width="205" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205517359-jumpnauts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">J</a></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205517359-jumpnauts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">umpnauts
</a></b>is set in near future where a war has split the world into two factions. In the
middle of this, a signal from space is detected that’s fast-approaching earth.
Three young Chinese, two men and a woman, with their own interests in the matter
decide to investigate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I was
looking for a modern sci-fi with a fresh take from a new, non-western
perspective. This wasn’t that book. The premise is tired and went out of fashion
with von Däniken in the 70s. The idea that humanity is too stupid to evolve
without outside help would require a truly innovative take to make it work. This
wasn’t it. Not even our imagination is our own, and the icons of Chinese
culture like the dragon (loong) are just reflections of alien cultures. The book doesn</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">t even ask what made those aliens so much better that they can evolve, but humans can</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">t? Moreover, they haven</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">t even evolved beyond wars.<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The three
main characters, Jiang Liu, Yun Fan and Qi Fei, were really annoying with
absolutely nothing to redeem themselves. The reader never gets a proper reading
of them. They’re emotionless (like absolutely zero emotional response to
anything, be it space, aliens or a scolding mother) and don’t have any inner
monologues that would explain their actions and reactions. For the first third,
we’re stuck with some sort of triangle drama that doesn’t even exist. Yun Fan
said no, and the two men weren’t even truly interested in her. They just needed
a reason for constant cockfighting. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The story
doesn’t really pick up when the three finally manage to get to space to meet
the aliens. The past is rehashed again, and then the story pauses for a philosophising
of the garden variety. Everything ends with a kumbaya moment where all the humanity</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">s
differences are put aside for a chance for space exploration.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But above
all, the book is boring. The narrative has no driving force from the inside. The
characters react to outside prompts and are pushed by them through the story.
Not once do they rise above themselves or evolve (and no, the mind-reading
ability doesn’t count.) In the end, the reader is left empty.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Learning
from the author’s bio that she’s a physicist and economist explains a lot about
her attitude to humans as an afterthought and passengers in their own story—and
why Yun Fan would be such a bad archaeologist. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But the
author is not much of a physicist either. I’m all for innovative take in
science when it comes to fiction; it doesn’t have to be based in real world
science. But it has to be consistent within the book. Here, it’s best seen like
cultivation magic in Chinese webnovel xianxias. Whatever suits the narrative at
any given moment. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The writing
is only marginally better than in xianxias too </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(and I</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">ve given five stars for far messier of those), and the translation by Ken Liu can do
only so much with the childish narrative. I’ll stick with xianxias with their
jumpy narrative and bad translations. At least there’s emotional reward in
those.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I received
a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-55270042940868547472024-03-07T12:05:00.000+02:002024-03-07T12:05:18.434+02:00Remnants of Filth vol. 3 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Fx1S4rznm5UPpWmqatw0KsjAEkFgid7zVZaNS2rxv-l3sOI2Goe64Php2gtn89Ozi8FQ2yHsRBDM7v5tDLQZpM_YK2fmqHPoIPPrInw-xB8ELsZQOpmMyx_YP3JZQpE_1JkvCLR63QmSAZJit6T_F9rT02c6punzuhSIJS7JwRhQWjh1GIyx-3M1McY/s2374/203310806.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Fx1S4rznm5UPpWmqatw0KsjAEkFgid7zVZaNS2rxv-l3sOI2Goe64Php2gtn89Ozi8FQ2yHsRBDM7v5tDLQZpM_YK2fmqHPoIPPrInw-xB8ELsZQOpmMyx_YP3JZQpE_1JkvCLR63QmSAZJit6T_F9rT02c6punzuhSIJS7JwRhQWjh1GIyx-3M1McY/s2374/203310806.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2374" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Fx1S4rznm5UPpWmqatw0KsjAEkFgid7zVZaNS2rxv-l3sOI2Goe64Php2gtn89Ozi8FQ2yHsRBDM7v5tDLQZpM_YK2fmqHPoIPPrInw-xB8ELsZQOpmMyx_YP3JZQpE_1JkvCLR63QmSAZJit6T_F9rT02c6punzuhSIJS7JwRhQWjh1GIyx-3M1McY/s320/203310806.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remnants of Filth vol 3 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Volume 3 of
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203310806-remnants-of-filth" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Remnants of Filth</b></a> offered a heartbreak after a heartbreak. I’ll try to review
it without great spoilers, but continue at your own discretion. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The story
picks up on the burial mountain where Mo Xi is paying respects to his father.
Gu Mang, feeling the need to show Mo Xi that he can become a good person again,
sets to ask forgiveness in front of all ten thousand graves on the burial mountain.
This even though Mo Xi tells him that no matter how good he becomes, he’ll be
executed in the end.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">And Mo Xi
is right: people aren’t swayed by Gu Mang’s show of humility. Things might have
continued like they have so far, with Mo Xi frustrated with Gu Mang, whose
memory remains poor, but then Yue Chenqing goes missing. The emperor orders Mo
Xi to go rescue him with his Fourth Uncle Murong Chui and half-brother Jiang
Yexue, and Gu Mang has to come along too. It’s an uncomfortable journey, as Murong
Chui and Jiang Yexue don’t get along at all, and Gu Mang remembers some of the
more embarrassing things.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">They locate
Yue Chenqing to an island of bat demons, but the rescue mission goes sideways.
In the heat of the battle, Gu Mang and Mo Xi have a chance to observe the
events of the past, namely the moment Gu Mang decides to defect.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It’s a
revelation in many ways to Mo Xi. He learns things about Gu Mang he had been
too young to understand at the time, and gets some insight into why Gu Mang
defected, though he has now more questions than before. And he realises exactly
how the emperor sees Gu Mang and what his role in Gu Mang’s defection was. All
of it is heartbreaking; more so, because Mo Xi has no way to help Gu Mang or
console him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Mo Xi is
greatly shaken by what he learns, but since the battle is on, he has no time to
reflect. Gu Mang is changed too. But not back to the man Mo Xi knew before. The
final heartbreak comes when Mo Xi finally gathers courage to ask Gu Mang if he
ever loved him. The book ends before we get the answer. It’ll be an agony to
wait for the next volume.</span></p>
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Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-89316682053691421732024-03-03T12:23:00.001+02:002024-03-03T12:28:29.572+02:00Small Gods of Calamity by Sam Kyung Yoo: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHiWZJ-yaMs8Zrt-Ee8WDmRuOqQvsZzKpg4VVu6RfF308DZQUGIi8z3R_xu0KehGA5mZrCrAf69GyEMv6C5cJSSPvfJ6L_bTW1JFafhb5J_q9gyEs9DubhVCqdTs-qf72kRN6i-k7rdp5bt_-aBrCKGXIIqMgFSvWOW5GR2kA2fLu4WHjTvCrfWp3s1Y/s500/204858406.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHiWZJ-yaMs8Zrt-Ee8WDmRuOqQvsZzKpg4VVu6RfF308DZQUGIi8z3R_xu0KehGA5mZrCrAf69GyEMv6C5cJSSPvfJ6L_bTW1JFafhb5J_q9gyEs9DubhVCqdTs-qf72kRN6i-k7rdp5bt_-aBrCKGXIIqMgFSvWOW5GR2kA2fLu4WHjTvCrfWp3s1Y/s500/204858406.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHiWZJ-yaMs8Zrt-Ee8WDmRuOqQvsZzKpg4VVu6RfF308DZQUGIi8z3R_xu0KehGA5mZrCrAf69GyEMv6C5cJSSPvfJ6L_bTW1JFafhb5J_q9gyEs9DubhVCqdTs-qf72kRN6i-k7rdp5bt_-aBrCKGXIIqMgFSvWOW5GR2kA2fLu4WHjTvCrfWp3s1Y/s320/204858406.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small Gods of Calamity by Ssam Kyung Yoo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204858406-small-gods-of-calamity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Small Gods of Calamity</a></b> is an urban fantasy/paranormal mystery set in modern Seoul, South
Korea. Kim Han-gil is a homicide detective with a special ability to see
spirits, both of the living and the dead. His reputation among his colleagues
is bad because of it, and his partners never last. The latest has been with him
for two weeks and is already showing signs of leaving, when they get a case
that appears to be a suicide. Han-gil knows differently.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">For years, he’s
been hunting an evil spirit that caused his mother’s death. It moves from
person to person, causing them to either kill people or themselves. From the
police’s point of view, the crimes are separate, and it doesn’t help that other
spiritualists can’t see the spirit either, so they’re not willing to help him. Only his
adoptive sister, a powerful practitioner, is there for him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This time,
she arranges a partner for him—against his will. Shin Yoonhae, the only person
who has survived the spirit. For Han-gil, he is someone to blame for his mother’s
death. Yoonhae is a timid person greatly affected by his past and harsh words
Han-gil has said to him when they were children. But when a sacrifice is
needed, he’s willing to step in.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This was a
great story; for a debut, it</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">s excellent. It’s not terribly long—I read it in one (looong) evening—and the
mystery isn’t very complicated. But the world is interesting—I especially liked
how Han-gil detected the spirits of living as sounds and smells—the characters
with their complicated backstories are very likeable, and the narrative flows
in an easy pace that keeps the reader’s attention. It’s mostly told from
Han-gil’s point of view, but Yoonhae gets a few chapters too, broadening the
backstory. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">For a Korean
society, it’s very inclusive, with bi and trans characters, and attention is
paid to pronouns in a very natural way. More could’ve been done with Han-gil’s
anxiety, but it’s the first book so maybe later. Korean society and culture weren</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">t very prominent either, it</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">s mostly about forms of address, but the author is American, which probably explains it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The new partner, and the
entire police force, was left out of the story rather easily. With him there,
the tension between practitioners and people who know nothing about the spirits
could’ve been stronger, but that had already happened in the backstory. But
since things with him and Han-gil’s work were left open, it’s maybe something
that’ll be explored in subsequent books.
This was a good start for a mystery series</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, and I definitely hope there will be more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I received
a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-48722070095526022682024-03-02T12:59:00.000+02:002024-03-02T12:59:27.044+02:00 The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter Vol. 1 by Yatsuki Wakatsu: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw0WfzFBg0WMgcNRLY9P9HdDTRXRykMZk2S9btSyyJsJ0WlzFUPgSPHJ_ZIaNL2AQgOmDGBrL7mXFMivUFlWsNMTo-lsA4dyD5zViZbm8yGjIEvSOe2XARKMY6H24vRDSb7WWe-uggNgWPdW8LhIwH4j3fycVS61vzywhs-SYRjJ3ZSZpEAhik7LIrEKk/s1500/198061571.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>4/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw0WfzFBg0WMgcNRLY9P9HdDTRXRykMZk2S9btSyyJsJ0WlzFUPgSPHJ_ZIaNL2AQgOmDGBrL7mXFMivUFlWsNMTo-lsA4dyD5zViZbm8yGjIEvSOe2XARKMY6H24vRDSb7WWe-uggNgWPdW8LhIwH4j3fycVS61vzywhs-SYRjJ3ZSZpEAhik7LIrEKk/s1500/198061571.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw0WfzFBg0WMgcNRLY9P9HdDTRXRykMZk2S9btSyyJsJ0WlzFUPgSPHJ_ZIaNL2AQgOmDGBrL7mXFMivUFlWsNMTo-lsA4dyD5zViZbm8yGjIEvSOe2XARKMY6H24vRDSb7WWe-uggNgWPdW8LhIwH4j3fycVS61vzywhs-SYRjJ3ZSZpEAhik7LIrEKk/s320/198061571.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter by yatsuki Wakatsu<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198061571-the-other-world-s-books-depend-on-the-bean-counter-light-novel-vol-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Volume one</b></a>
of the original light novel has finally been translated, a year after the first manga came out. I’ve read the first
three volumes of the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60099340-the-other-world-s-books-depend-on-the-bean-counter-vol-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>manga adaptation</b></a>, and they cover most of the novel, so the story was
familiar to me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Seiichirou
Kondou, 29, is an overworked accountant in Japan who on a rare day off comes to
the rescue of a school girl who is being sucked into ground by a white light,
and he’s sucked in too. They find themselves in an alternate world, where the
girl, Yua, has been summoned as a Holy Maiden, whose job it is to save the
world from a deadly miasma.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Kondou is a
tag-along, who the kingdom feels honour-bound to protect, but nothing more. He
could spend his days being idle, but he doesn’t know how, so he asks for a job
and is pointed at the royal accounting department. He’s horrified by the lazy
work-culture there, and in no time reorganises the whole place. But he doesn’t stop
there: he needs to salvage the kingdom’s finances too.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">There’s one
problem: his body is unable to handle the magic the world is permeated with, and
everything from food to air is slowly killing him. In an acute health crisis,
he’s rescued by dashing Commander Aresh Indolark, who heals him with magic,
which only makes things worse. Out of options, he needs to acclimatise Kondou’s
body fast to magic. And that means having sex with him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Aresh
appoints himself as Kondou’s protector, making sure he takes care of his health.
And every now and then, a healing is needed, which requires more sex. Their odd
relationship is a matter of necessity for Kondou, but for Aresh, it gradually
becomes more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I read the
light novel in order to get a deeper view of the story. In places, that
happened too, but the manga adaptation is fairly faithful to the story. Kondou seems
more driven and single-minded here. There wasn’t much from Aresh’s point of view,
but he emerges as a slightly different figure than in the manga in the end. The
side characters also have a more meaningful role. The world itself remains a
bit vague, so the manga does a better job depicting that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This was
originally a serialised web novel, so every chapter repeats much of what has
been told many times already. Apart from that, it’s well-written and easy to
read. Translation works too. The story ends without a cliffhanger, but in such
a point in the men’s lives that I absolutely have to read more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-19374987594878515112024-02-27T11:31:00.000+02:002024-02-27T11:31:35.131+02:00The Book of Ile-Rien by Martha Wells: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHp9Ht04tdyhWLC9cTxVnzcmeJCx_Tr8bBthhnHY5fZv5hO7pR99yGaIAjHHhXFayie1rlikg0KCpuZNjQPa1ZflC_BElblG5MlCjsh7BHK5jsIPXE10biIflJZZP3kfFDfbQmUW7sJqdCWJl_TJ2KJdEPvLPnqnztIVjYr4s2BIHZ9oYG5gDrS4PBbIk/s1687/126918782.png" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHp9Ht04tdyhWLC9cTxVnzcmeJCx_Tr8bBthhnHY5fZv5hO7pR99yGaIAjHHhXFayie1rlikg0KCpuZNjQPa1ZflC_BElblG5MlCjsh7BHK5jsIPXE10biIflJZZP3kfFDfbQmUW7sJqdCWJl_TJ2KJdEPvLPnqnztIVjYr4s2BIHZ9oYG5gDrS4PBbIk/s1687/126918782.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1687" data-original-width="1100" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHp9Ht04tdyhWLC9cTxVnzcmeJCx_Tr8bBthhnHY5fZv5hO7pR99yGaIAjHHhXFayie1rlikg0KCpuZNjQPa1ZflC_BElblG5MlCjsh7BHK5jsIPXE10biIflJZZP3kfFDfbQmUW7sJqdCWJl_TJ2KJdEPvLPnqnztIVjYr4s2BIHZ9oYG5gDrS4PBbIk/s320/126918782.png" width="209" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Book of Ile-Rien by Martha Wells<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This is a
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/126918782-the-book-of-ile-rien" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>combined edition</b></a> of the first two books in Ile-Rien series, <i>The Element of Fire</i>
and <i>The Death of the Necromancer</i>. Both were originally published in the 90s,
and were received well. They’ve been revised here and are the author’s
preferred edition.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">First book
is set in a renaissance or baroque type of royal court of Ile-Rien where
tensions are high between the dowager queen, her rather useless son the king, the
current queen, and the king’s favourite courtier. That alone would’ve made an interesting
story of palace intrigue, but added to it are a conspiracy by a sorcerer,
attack by the unseelie court of fayres, and the illegitimate daughter of the
previous king by the fayre queen of Air and Darkness who returns after several
years of exile. And at the centre of everything is the captain of the Queen’s Guard,
Thomas Boniface, whose job it is to maintain order and keep both queens safe.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Kade’s
return pushes several conflicts and conspiracies to light, and before anyone
realises, there’s a battle for life and death going on. The enemy is rather
vague and changes constantly, as the conspirators betray each other for their
own gain, keeping the reader guessing as much as Boniface. When the dust
settles, things have changed for everyone, and not always for the better.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This was a
good and compact stand-alone story with high stakes, interesting characters and
a bit of romance which I didn’t entirely feel. It’s a May-December one between
Kade and Boniface that felt slightly icky even though she’s 24, mostly because Kade
behaved like a capricious child. Luckily it was left to the end of the book, so
I could let it go.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The second
book takes place a century later in the same city. The world has advanced in
leaps, and this one is a Gaslamp novel with gothic vibes and aesthetics,
complete with séances and rambling manors. It doesn’t really build on the first
book, even the magic has changed, and the focus is on the world of demimonde as
much as the aristocracy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Nicholas
Valiarde is a successful thief and man of mystery posing as an art dealer. He’s
lost his foster father to a conspiracy, and has spent the years since planning
a revenge against the man he thinks is responsible for it. With his team, he’s
worked hard and everything is ready for the final act in his revenge. And then
things start to go wrong.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">A man
arrives who claims to know who Nicholas is. Even worse, he has items Nicholas’s
father has invented that should’ve been destroyed. Nicholas has no choice but
to go after the man. What should’ve been a quick kill turns into a full-blown
investigation into necromancy and other forbidden arts that is as ghoulish as
it’s difficult to solve. And to make matters worse, Nicholas himself is being
hunted by an investigator.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This too
was a compact, standalone story with great characters and an intriguing story.
Interestingly enough, I’d tried to read <i>The Death of the Necromancer</i> years ago
and hadn’t managed more than three chapters before giving up. Mostly, if I
recall, because I couldn’t get into the world at all. Reading the books back-to-back,
it was easier to understand the second book too, even though the worlds are
completely different, and I rushed through it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I would
give the first book four stars (it was a tad confusing with too large a cast)
and the latter five stars. As a whole, they get five stars for being
well-written, imaginative and able to tell their stories in a concise manner
that didn’t leave anything out and didn’t have anything unnecessary either. The
characters were great and the world was interesting. There are other Ile-Rien
books too, and I’ll have to give them a try after this.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I received
a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-21183815652769804822024-02-22T11:58:00.001+02:002024-02-22T11:58:23.926+02:00Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture Vol. 3 by Mikage Sawamura: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTG6Mc8kzTMekMSZpT1WG7rR-0sLsE2ZtrKuQtVo5oFDQL_SO_cENJ33eBmBppzpQPYCTa0WzQG6uPRBKx0wZlu-k-XzqCZjwjwXLcfzsXru9s981dzIps9oxUN_XVlDrgwYq9E_KTVy93VkA2sr8KEsSB7Dl7uNk7HVXSbNBiIi74C-6OBgxzmBCcy14/s466/811JxB4uXDL._SY466_.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><h3 aria-label="By: Mikage Sawamura" class="Text Text__title3 Text__regular"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="ContributorLink__name" data-testid="name"></span></span></h3><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTG6Mc8kzTMekMSZpT1WG7rR-0sLsE2ZtrKuQtVo5oFDQL_SO_cENJ33eBmBppzpQPYCTa0WzQG6uPRBKx0wZlu-k-XzqCZjwjwXLcfzsXru9s981dzIps9oxUN_XVlDrgwYq9E_KTVy93VkA2sr8KEsSB7Dl7uNk7HVXSbNBiIi74C-6OBgxzmBCcy14/s466/811JxB4uXDL._SY466_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTG6Mc8kzTMekMSZpT1WG7rR-0sLsE2ZtrKuQtVo5oFDQL_SO_cENJ33eBmBppzpQPYCTa0WzQG6uPRBKx0wZlu-k-XzqCZjwjwXLcfzsXru9s981dzIps9oxUN_XVlDrgwYq9E_KTVy93VkA2sr8KEsSB7Dl7uNk7HVXSbNBiIi74C-6OBgxzmBCcy14/s320/811JxB4uXDL._SY466_.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture by Mikage Sawamura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Volume 3 of
<i>Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture</i> is called <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198061755-associate-professor-akira-takatsuki-s-conjecture-light-novel-vol-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>A Tale of Curses and Blessings</b></a>. This light novel series of paranormal cozy mysteries is set in contemporary
Japan. It follows Naoya Fukamachi, a first-year student at Seiwa University in
Tokyo, and an associate professor of folklore, Akira Takatsuki, who specialises in
urban legends and ghost stories. Naoya helps the professor to explore all sorts
of paranormal incidents, all of which have had very mundane explanations so far,
much to the excitable professor’s disappointment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As the
title tells, the third volume is about curses. Naoya’s classmate believes he’s
been cursed because he didn’t forward a chain letter, so Naoya brings him to
the professor who solves it in a very Takatsuki manner. Then the pair
investigates a ghost story at a nearby library. The ghost leaves ciphers in
books and whoever finds them is cursed if they fail to solve them. That turned
out to have a lovely and sad explanation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Third
mystery takes Naoya, Takatsuki and his detective friend Kenji ‘KenKen’ Sasakura
out of Tokyo to a remote mountain village. They’re supposed to be on a winter
break, but Takatsuki has heard of a cave with a demon buried in it and wants to
see it for himself. When they find bones that belong to a human, they suddenly
have a mystery to solve. That too, turned out to be very sad.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The volume
ends with a lovely bonus story from KenKen’s point of view, where he remembers
how he and Akira first met when they were six and formed a friendship that’s lasted
thirty years. It has a spooky ghost story too, that might shed light to why Akira
is special—if only KenKen would reveal it to him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In addition
to mysteries, we learn more about Takatsuki. He hides a personal tragedy behind
constant smiles and taking delight in all the small things, like hot chocolate with marshmallows. But the
glimpses behind the scenes make the reader want to give him a tight hug and never
let go. There is something dark in him too, which Naoya discovers to his horror,
though it’s unclear yet if Takatsuki himself knows about it. Since Naoya and
KenKen are determined to protect him at all costs, mostly from himself, neither
of them will likely tell him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Naoya, the
point of view character, is more involved this time round instead of a mere
observer that remains a bit distant. He realises that his time at the university
has changed him, and that he might have made friends even. He’s not willing to
admit it though, as all friends he makes usually leave him when they learn that he
can hear their lies. He tells a few fibs himself, much to his distress. But
best of all, he realises he’s become friends with Takatsuki beyond a mere
student-professor relationship. Those looking for a romance will be
disappointed though—unless the last line in KenKen’s story hints at that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As always,
I read this too fast and now have to wait for the next volume. Luckily there
are several volumes to be translated still. I’m looking forward to reading them
all.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">p.s. If you’re buying this series on Amazon, there’s a glitch which directs to the manga of the series when purchasing the ebook. The volume number is the same, but contents obviously aren’t. Paperback links direct to the correct book. Other retailers don’t have the same problem, so maybe favour them. The problem isn’t unique to this series on Amazon; many light novels with manga adaptations have the glitch.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-64708366386293997302024-02-20T10:41:00.001+02:002024-02-20T10:41:35.303+02:00Case File Compendium vol 1 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjft3DuprPof5J8EylrQc98fYL1LIK_osO_IrUKqfdG2m_JZX9IFKaRFwE3nq1UGEWGrFQBDOoMOxImbA7qqw_LReiOBLEdFyM2MslzumjVF7B16CfZiJeNV42UvFbFoM-u9yWGuzFP6HG7pVUOBYCTYwiavZObpRrMhGfcHkdRx9Oe9pK1xgaiFIGrGDU/s810/203310698.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>4/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjft3DuprPof5J8EylrQc98fYL1LIK_osO_IrUKqfdG2m_JZX9IFKaRFwE3nq1UGEWGrFQBDOoMOxImbA7qqw_LReiOBLEdFyM2MslzumjVF7B16CfZiJeNV42UvFbFoM-u9yWGuzFP6HG7pVUOBYCTYwiavZObpRrMhGfcHkdRx9Oe9pK1xgaiFIGrGDU/s810/203310698.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="601" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjft3DuprPof5J8EylrQc98fYL1LIK_osO_IrUKqfdG2m_JZX9IFKaRFwE3nq1UGEWGrFQBDOoMOxImbA7qqw_LReiOBLEdFyM2MslzumjVF7B16CfZiJeNV42UvFbFoM-u9yWGuzFP6HG7pVUOBYCTYwiavZObpRrMhGfcHkdRx9Oe9pK1xgaiFIGrGDU/s320/203310698.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Case File Compendium by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203310698-case-file-compendium" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Case File Compendium</b></a> is a long-awaited official translation of the Chinese webnovel <i>Bing An
Ben</i> by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou, a prolific author of historical danmei fantasies.
Unlike their other series, this book has a contemporary Chinese setting and
doesn’t have fantasy elements.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">He Yu is a 19-year-old
university student in the imaginary city of Huzhou (basically Shanghai.) He’s
recently returned from living several years abroad, and wants to reconnect with
the girl he’s loved for a long time, Xie Xue. She’s teaching screenwriting at
the university, so that’s what he’ll study too. She’s several years older than
him though, and only sees him as a childhood friend.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Xie
Quingcheng is 32, a former doctor and current professor of medicine at a nearby
university. He’s Xie Xue’s brother, and He Yu’s former doctor. He Yu suffers
from an extremely rare (and imaginary) condition that’ll eventually drive him
insane, if he doesn’t learn to control his emotions. And love, especially unrequited,
isn’t good for him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The premise
of the three being connected throws the men constantly together. They don’t
like each other much, and don’t really understand each other either, even
though Xie Quingcheng is the only person who truly knows what He Yu is like and
what is required of him so that he can remain sane. Both are extremely homophobic
too, so even friendship under the guise of looking after a former patient isn’t
likely. The first volume only sets the stage for their
relationship. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Mostly, the book is a bit of a mess. A lot of things happen, a background
conspiracy emerges, people come and go, and random stories pop up that have
nothing to do with the characters or the plot. It takes a long time for the
basic story to form and the reader to get the hang of the two men, especially
since—in the manner of webnovels—their characters and backstories keep changing
to fit the plot.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It’s amazing how much Xie Quingcheng has done for a relatively
young man (though He Yu keeps calling him middle-aged), and how sane He Yu is
for a psychopath. They’re fairly likeable characters nonetheless, and oddly
well-suited for one another for such different people. The age gap is pronounced,
but I didn’t find it problematic.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Contemporary
China is an interesting setting. It remains kind of vague though, and I kept
wishing there would be more of it. It’s mostly about the divide between the rich
and poor, and traditional, patriarchal society and modern values—or the lack of
them. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Despite the slow start, the story becomes fairly compelling towards the end, lifting it from a three-star book to a four-star one. The first
volume ends at a small cliffhanger that comes out of the blue. However, since
it is about the background plot, it’s not terribly
annoying. The game between the two men has only started, and I’m interested in
reading where it’ll lead.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-56015732766325096142024-02-17T13:02:00.000+02:002024-02-17T13:02:54.261+02:00At First Spite by Olivia Dade: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATtSVHtjbhkG9koJQZG0CKi4kQuZ3HBmXZBCs_10WzuzMWKsE0VkaBdBPzauTzbmWuRnu-4b_RHCR9hq6GG9LFUyamzH9yWG5WcPeyyiJ6G-tE8G8QxHFVnLhWno62UkNSrsjh2RBghDlK4hUPGJGTctqTkpjwrIAPUoAM4mQPeW9B9-HqHAicf5NYAg/s2201/124042572.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>4/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATtSVHtjbhkG9koJQZG0CKi4kQuZ3HBmXZBCs_10WzuzMWKsE0VkaBdBPzauTzbmWuRnu-4b_RHCR9hq6GG9LFUyamzH9yWG5WcPeyyiJ6G-tE8G8QxHFVnLhWno62UkNSrsjh2RBghDlK4hUPGJGTctqTkpjwrIAPUoAM4mQPeW9B9-HqHAicf5NYAg/s2201/124042572.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2201" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATtSVHtjbhkG9koJQZG0CKi4kQuZ3HBmXZBCs_10WzuzMWKsE0VkaBdBPzauTzbmWuRnu-4b_RHCR9hq6GG9LFUyamzH9yWG5WcPeyyiJ6G-tE8G8QxHFVnLhWno62UkNSrsjh2RBghDlK4hUPGJGTctqTkpjwrIAPUoAM4mQPeW9B9-HqHAicf5NYAg/s320/124042572.jpg" width="204" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At First Spite by Olivia Dade<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/124042572-at-first-spite" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>At First Spite</b></a> starts the <i>Harlot’s Bay</i> series of contemporary romances. In the first
book, Athena Greydon moves to Harlot’s Bay, into the house she had bought for
her husband-to-be as a wedding present, only for him to call off the wedding.
Now she’s stuck with the house and mortgage, and to her horror, she’s next-door
neighbours with her ex’s brother who caused the breakup.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Matthew Vine
had a good reason to make his brother call off the wedding: Johnny wasn’t
mature enough for Athena. He just didn’t think to tell her that. And he’s not
about to admit, not even to himself, that he’s interested in her himself.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">At first,
Athena’s anger with Matthew makes her push him away, but little by little, the
two become friends. He feels responsible for her and acts accordingly, which occasionally
annoys her. But when she becomes depressed, he’s there for her. There’s not
much romance as such until after the half point, when she has recovered, with a
bit of drama when Matthew feels he needs to choose between his brother and her.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This was a
lovely, grownup romance, though slow and much too long. Both MCs are closer to
forty with lived lives and baggage. They behave their age too, and not like
teenagers, like so often happens in these ‘mature’ romances. Nevertheless, both
needed to grow up, and some grovelling had to happen, before the happily ever
after. Emotions were fairly steady, but it</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">s a good romance for those who want more mature characters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I received
a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-37021644400203071482024-02-13T11:38:00.000+02:002024-02-13T11:38:27.068+02:00The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1qEuZa59w_XeGYq5PsSJATMwbzCxdI4xHJpxtskyVcIAL1ORKDgaU26sXTG4cQbOucyrrEg0ngnxydJIljI6I8UUKKrqGcycAbzZ5WthZ4WW2HACgBb-Z9361wMiWKT9sDL7QZqC59QA46PYJyN7Si3xF6-P7Q-Bsl6n-yxSlmaeSskGsYhXmo9MqR0/s2560/150249463.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1qEuZa59w_XeGYq5PsSJATMwbzCxdI4xHJpxtskyVcIAL1ORKDgaU26sXTG4cQbOucyrrEg0ngnxydJIljI6I8UUKKrqGcycAbzZ5WthZ4WW2HACgBb-Z9361wMiWKT9sDL7QZqC59QA46PYJyN7Si3xF6-P7Q-Bsl6n-yxSlmaeSskGsYhXmo9MqR0/s2560/150249463.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1693" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1qEuZa59w_XeGYq5PsSJATMwbzCxdI4xHJpxtskyVcIAL1ORKDgaU26sXTG4cQbOucyrrEg0ngnxydJIljI6I8UUKKrqGcycAbzZ5WthZ4WW2HACgBb-Z9361wMiWKT9sDL7QZqC59QA46PYJyN7Si3xF6-P7Q-Bsl6n-yxSlmaeSskGsYhXmo9MqR0/s320/150249463.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/150249463-the-tainted-cup" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Tainted Cup</a></b> starts the <i>Shadow of the Leviathan</i> series of fantasy mysteries. As always,
Jackson Bennet has created a wonderfully innovative world that isn’t a mere
backdrop but an integral part of the story, and characters that the reader can
root for.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The story
is set in a vast empire lined by the sea at one edge, where each wet season
huge leviathans try to enter the land, kept at bay by a wall. All the efforts
of the empire, especially the military, is directed at protecting the people
from these creatures. But they’re useful too, as their blood is used for
modifying and genetically manipulating everything from people to animals and plants.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Dinios Kol
is an engraver, a person whose brain has been altered to remember absolutely
everything. He’s been assigned as an assistant to Ana Dolabra, a criminal
investigator banished to a tiny village near the sea. She’s susceptible to
outward stimulus and goes blindfolded most of the time. And she never visits
the crime scenes herself. That’s why she has Kol.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">A puzzling
murder has happened in a manor of one of the most influential families in the
empire. A tree has burst from inside a visiting military officer. The crime
doesn’t take Dolabra long to figure out, but then there turns out to be more of
these murders, which takes the pair to the town nearest to the seawall where
the military is preparing for the wet season.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This was an
excellent book and an intriguing mystery. Told from the point of view of Dinios
Kol, the mystery deepens and its scope widens at every turn. He’s the perfect protagonist
for the story, curious, single-minded and persistent. With his ability to
remember everything, he conducts a steady investigation. But solving the crime is
left for his boss. She’s a Sherlock Holmes type of person who makes huge deductive
leaps that leave others puzzled, the reader included. But she definitely finds
the truth in the end.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It's also a
warning about the human manipulation of nature. At every turn, the story relies
on the consequences of altering the people and the nature, and the toll of the
endless war against the leviathans. I have a notion they’ll turn out to be both
more important and less destructive than the people believe. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Despite the
gruesome nature of the murders, the story has a cozy feel to it. Kol goes about
his investigation, making friends and finding new things about himself and his
abilities. There’s even a bit of romance for him, if too briefly. The ending sends
the pair for more adventures. I hope there will be an entire series of the two
solving crimes around the empire.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I received
a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-19980227951013329982024-02-06T10:30:00.000+02:002024-02-06T10:30:23.424+02:00Legacy of Temptation by Larissa Ione: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1XTizllx75IXwKMQxr7DI7w5StuQWvOL4OajcJfWSmbJ4S432idQ-tj-e0_B6jpBLSTameDreFbVeW0emRLyFX3N_AZkyF8ZV2ghyphenhyphenq4is_2NSqxcyGhL9XyOfUaOctgvXIURKhVEdCQA3L3JiNLQAfmQnTWszLcBxdPe45Ay6HFXb4VTIMnFVClowHI/s1500/174057689.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>4/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1XTizllx75IXwKMQxr7DI7w5StuQWvOL4OajcJfWSmbJ4S432idQ-tj-e0_B6jpBLSTameDreFbVeW0emRLyFX3N_AZkyF8ZV2ghyphenhyphenq4is_2NSqxcyGhL9XyOfUaOctgvXIURKhVEdCQA3L3JiNLQAfmQnTWszLcBxdPe45Ay6HFXb4VTIMnFVClowHI/s1500/174057689.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1XTizllx75IXwKMQxr7DI7w5StuQWvOL4OajcJfWSmbJ4S432idQ-tj-e0_B6jpBLSTameDreFbVeW0emRLyFX3N_AZkyF8ZV2ghyphenhyphenq4is_2NSqxcyGhL9XyOfUaOctgvXIURKhVEdCQA3L3JiNLQAfmQnTWszLcBxdPe45Ay6HFXb4VTIMnFVClowHI/s320/174057689.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Legacy of Temptation by Larissa Ione<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/174057689-legacy-of-temptation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Legacy of Temptation</b></a> starts a new <i>Demonica</i> spin-off series, <i>Demonica Birthright</i>. I’ve
been reading these books since they first began to appear 16 years ago, and
although this one has a 30-year time-jump, the complex world and the characters
are the same, and everything felt familiar.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The premise
is the same too: humans still hate and mistrust demons, and at the centre of
the hatred and misinformation is the Aegis agency. It felt a bit dated—haven’t
they learned anything in thirty years?—but the plot that was based on the hatred
worked fine.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Demons have
their own agency, DART, for fighting evil demons. An exchange program between
the two brings humans in the middle of demons, and things don’t go well. The
focus is on Logan, the son of one of the four horsemen, Thanatos, and Eva, a spokesperson
for the Aegis. She’s the typical brainwashed hater that the series has
introduced before, difficult to like at first, but with demon trouble of her
own. And she does change in the end. Logan is the typical hothead hero with a
good heart.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">A romance
happens, sort of. The two barely interact during the first third of the book,
and right after things start to warm up, the plot takes a turn that basically
ruins the chances for any romance. Logan and Eva spend most of the book apart,
dealing with their own family dramas and other emergencies, and the romance is
very much like an afterthought. The spicy scenes are stolen moments in the
middle of drama, sex for sex’s sake, and they don’t feel very romantic. It’s
not the emotional rollercoaster of the earlier books, but love is declared and
a happy ending is had, so I guess it’s a romance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But the
book is full of supernatural action of other kind. Lilith is on the loose, causing
trouble for Logan. A demon colleague of his is about to turn permanently evil,
and the hunt for him is on too. And there’s trouble brewing in heaven, with different
point of view characters. It makes for an exciting book, but it also feels like
a setup for the series to come. There will be interesting action. I hope there
will be better romances too.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I received
a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span></p>
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Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-57275372470614748882024-01-31T12:07:00.001+02:002024-01-31T12:07:31.296+02:00He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="Review by Susanna Shore" name="twitter:description"></meta> <span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjxcHegTZ5aNEaYSaqh1ifBAmTdNihNayTUrBw3X75IdeT2WVvQzkswxV1JvOpbjSsbFzwFqSrQZqphy-MhPf3eM0m4QA2TFInxZdO-0rxAFR14VyVdNnpZ2SRt2K5kmbjh6TsejffeZn9gdtNbEY4osuFl58E0LiteamrykR198aY616fTgD_7lmt3o/s857/63132362.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="537" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjxcHegTZ5aNEaYSaqh1ifBAmTdNihNayTUrBw3X75IdeT2WVvQzkswxV1JvOpbjSsbFzwFqSrQZqphy-MhPf3eM0m4QA2TFInxZdO-0rxAFR14VyVdNnpZ2SRt2K5kmbjh6TsejffeZn9gdtNbEY4osuFl58E0LiteamrykR198aY616fTgD_7lmt3o/s320/63132362.jpg" width="201" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63132362-he-who-drowned-the-world" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">He Who Drowned the World</a></b> concludes <i>The Radiant Emperor</i> duology that began with <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2021/07/she-who-became-sun-by-shelley-parker.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>She Who Became the Sun</b></a>. The first book was so brilliant that when it came time to read the sequel,
I postponed it for months in fear that it wouldn’t live up to the first. I
shouldn’t have worried.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In the
second book, Zhu </span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="readable">Chongba</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, the orphan girl turned a boy monk who assumed her
brother’s destiny along with his name and gender, has become the Radiant King, </span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="readable">Zhu</span> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> Yuanzhang</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">.
But she has a long way to go to defeat the Mongols and becoming the emperor.
She has the Heavenly Mandate, but she isn’t the only one and the fight for the
throne is fierce.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">A battle
after a battle follows. Zhu Yuanzhang is outnumbered, but she is resourceful
and she has an unexpected—and unwilling—ally, the eunuch general Ouyang who is
driven by his need to revenge his father and kill the Great Khan. The two are
mirrors of each other, in their destinies and the perceived wrongness of their
bodies, but only Zhu is willing to accept it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The journey
to the throne is difficult and unexpected. The death of the Great Khan isn’t
what Ouyang imagined, and the Great Khan Zhu has to face isn’t who she thought he
would be either. But after all the death and sacrifices, after believing she
would do anything for her destiny, Zhu learns in the end that there is a
sacrifice she isn’t willing to make.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This was a
great book. It’s heavy on war campaigns and court intrigue, which aren’t my
favourites, but the attention is always on the characters, which makes
everything interesting. The contenders for the throne aren’t nice people and some
of their fates are well-deserved, but the reader still feels sympathy for them.
And after disliking Ma in the first book, she rose to be my favourite.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Nevertheless,
this wasn’t the mind-blowing experience of the first book. Zhu Yuanzhang has
assumed her role as a man so thoroughly it doesn’t cause any internal problems
for her, not even when she has to pretend to be a woman. She even thinks of
herself as <i>her</i> unlike in the first book.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But she isn’t quite as single-minded
as in the first book either, driven by fear of being found out. She grows with her experiences,
and learns to question the sacrifices and her destiny, which culminates in the
perfect final scene. Had it gone any other way, I would’ve been seriously disappointed.
Now I can imagine that as the first emperor of the Ming dynasty she would’ve
been both fierce and compassionate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I received
a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-66844379366199038842024-01-26T13:18:00.000+02:002024-01-26T13:18:16.497+02:00Pillar of Ash by H.M. Long: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyPnTFoqNzNvRuVrOkBlpymohBn2-vkQGRivwGEaMJtFup6QCJGG3aRXes_gzKRVSLqfUzkwzKo-6udMDIFJblQSZCTLnrD9qIAPUcbDQvXLwCXMF9tYFv7tg79df_JR-QdDCI0ueuU_LHVZSNZwvmAtOWLQzbQCb6IyYyXoKEqr9tDOLlYF183GMFFk/s500/134113887.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyPnTFoqNzNvRuVrOkBlpymohBn2-vkQGRivwGEaMJtFup6QCJGG3aRXes_gzKRVSLqfUzkwzKo-6udMDIFJblQSZCTLnrD9qIAPUcbDQvXLwCXMF9tYFv7tg79df_JR-QdDCI0ueuU_LHVZSNZwvmAtOWLQzbQCb6IyYyXoKEqr9tDOLlYF183GMFFk/s500/134113887.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="328" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyPnTFoqNzNvRuVrOkBlpymohBn2-vkQGRivwGEaMJtFup6QCJGG3aRXes_gzKRVSLqfUzkwzKo-6udMDIFJblQSZCTLnrD9qIAPUcbDQvXLwCXMF9tYFv7tg79df_JR-QdDCI0ueuU_LHVZSNZwvmAtOWLQzbQCb6IyYyXoKEqr9tDOLlYF183GMFFk/s320/134113887.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pillar of Ash by H.M. Long<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/134113887-pillar-of-ash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Pillar of Ash</b></a>
is the fourth book in <i>The Four Pillars</i> fantasy series. It used to be <i>Hall of
Smoke</i> series, but for this final book they’ve changed the series name for some
reason. It’s a Norsk inspired fantasy world according to the author, though not
in such an obvious way that readers would easily recognize the inspiration. I
took it to be a mix of Native American, Asian and Roman cultures; mostly tribal
with direct interaction with gods, and one large empire in constant war with
them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">First two
<a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2020/12/hall-of-smoke-by-hm-long-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>books </b></a>followed Hessa, an Eang warrior who set out to kill false gods. <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/01/barrow-of-winter-by-h-m-long-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Third book</b></a>
followed Thray, Hessa’s adopted niece as she journeyed to north to find her
origins. Fourth book follows Hessa’s twins Yske and Berin.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Yske is a
healer who has learned her trade with Aita, a former goddess of healing. She’s partaken
in the secrets of the Hall of Smoke and received godlike features herself. When
her excitable twin informs her that he’ll form an expedition party to search
the edge of the world, she goes with him to keep everyone safe. As a parting
gift, Aita gives her the ability to miraculously heal almost every wound. But
it comes with a great cost.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s not an
easy journey and Yske’s skills are often needed. The final task waits at the
edge of the world. She needs to revive a near immortal who has been resting in
ice for several years, someone who has personal meaning for her. But if she
does it, she’ll launch the end of the world.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The book is
told in Yske’s point of view and the reader follows as she struggles with the
consequences of her healing powers. Her patients aren’t always grateful and the
reader is left wondering why she bothers. Berin especially is so annoying that
only a sister could love him enough to travel to the edge of the world for him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In
hindsight, nothing really happens in the book until the party reaches their
destination. There are creatures to fight and a journey to endure. But
something is constantly going on, so it doesn’t matter. The entire plot happens
in the last third of the book. There’s a great build-up to the world ending—and then it’s dealt with a literal deus ex machina solution that Yske has no
part in. She and the reader are left to watch it from the side.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Thinking of
the series as a whole, none of the follow-ups rose to the brilliance of the
first book. Thray and Yske didn’t have Hessa’s trauma and rage that propelled
her to journey to kill the false gods. Yske’s motivation for following her
brother wasn’t compelling, and although she grew to be an interesting
character, she relied too much on her godly gift to be a similar underdog
facing the gods as her mother was.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Nevertheless,
the book was a good conclusion to the series. Things were nicely tied up and
this reader is satisfied. Still, there’s a lot to explore in the world yet, so
if the author decides to continue, I’ll definitely read more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I received
a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-9209936541441762312024-01-20T13:12:00.000+02:002024-01-20T13:12:51.544+02:00Stars of Chaos vol 2 by priest: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2HS3NoqYiBeS-LQQcW1hZvVGEbjhoSS2ZUivX5gMgH-r8Dx-VY_N5DoCVG2aELzAobnsCZuEoQGL6RP8L_iEHLIUF-3bDQrIQSn6p0D_F2jnEoOi3tMjW0MOGNKmxb_hcKl1WhJtAuI-bBUaHatZSfJpfeRZeQgmy32MF0jhi3BrgztavCrn14rOJu0/s1500/203309973.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2HS3NoqYiBeS-LQQcW1hZvVGEbjhoSS2ZUivX5gMgH-r8Dx-VY_N5DoCVG2aELzAobnsCZuEoQGL6RP8L_iEHLIUF-3bDQrIQSn6p0D_F2jnEoOi3tMjW0MOGNKmxb_hcKl1WhJtAuI-bBUaHatZSfJpfeRZeQgmy32MF0jhi3BrgztavCrn14rOJu0/s1500/203309973.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2HS3NoqYiBeS-LQQcW1hZvVGEbjhoSS2ZUivX5gMgH-r8Dx-VY_N5DoCVG2aELzAobnsCZuEoQGL6RP8L_iEHLIUF-3bDQrIQSn6p0D_F2jnEoOi3tMjW0MOGNKmxb_hcKl1WhJtAuI-bBUaHatZSfJpfeRZeQgmy32MF0jhi3BrgztavCrn14rOJu0/s320/203309973.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stars of Chaos by priest<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203309973-stars-of-chaos" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">second volume</a></b> of the Chinese steampunk series <i>Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang</i> starts with
a four-year time jump, which is a good decision. Chang Geng, the fourth prince
of the empire, is now twenty and has grown into a fine young man. He’s spent
the intervening years studying everything possible from martial arts and
military tactics to medicine and accounting. All this for his godfather Gu Yun,
because nothing has diminished his infatuation with the military genius
marquis.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For his
part, Gu Yun has spent the four years securing the silk road to bolster the
economics and the coffers of the empire. But despite his efforts, the country
is getting poorer and more unstable.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The two reunite
by chance and from there on, they’re constantly dealing with a disaster after
another. First, it’s bandits smuggling violet gold, the coveted substance
powering the mechanical devices, which has larger political implications. Then
it’s the inner politics of the empire, which leads to the emperor falling out
with Gu Yun. And before they know it, there’s an invading army outside the empire’s
borders.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">During all
this, Chang Geng and Gu Yun work side by side. The younger man has a sharp mind
and has travelled all over the country, getting a good understanding of how
things are. It constantly baffles his godfather, but he soon learns to rely on Chang
Geng’s suggestions. The men grow to be more or less equal in standing, although
Chang Geng takes a role of a caretaker, looking after Gu Yun who still suffers
from the effects of a poisoning.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But there’s
tension between them too. Chang Geng makes his feelings known to Gu Yun, who
cannot accept them. They keep throwing him off though, forcing him to see the
younger man in a new light. The romance didn’t go anywhere yet, but it had a
nudge to the right direction.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Mostly, the
narrative was dominated by politics and war. It’s a confusing mess and would’ve
benefited from a map to clear some things out, but well-written and fast-paced,
keeping the reader’s interest. The volume ends at a difficult place for the
empire and the pair. I’ll definitely need to read on to find out how they’ll
solve everything.</span></p>
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Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-61929676873943769392024-01-13T13:18:00.003+02:002024-01-13T13:20:43.388+02:00The Market of 100 Fortunes by Marie Brennan: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhYJlzwhd4BMkgogucq3e8NQKnwTDJZUb5YUPKdLbWxwYWLi83wUpqsY81LttTrawc8DlNMVYnhmaloC7f3n_Z_yamDgysYamSXxVLwLH0czXThOKxe77yJz-xm9ALv_Yf9I7QQ3xr-0A5dQVI7xteWGOAyPd9xDN88AsAMMRXMjovYBziE4vuMveDKs/s1500/71XclMgDeyL._SL1500_.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b>4/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhYJlzwhd4BMkgogucq3e8NQKnwTDJZUb5YUPKdLbWxwYWLi83wUpqsY81LttTrawc8DlNMVYnhmaloC7f3n_Z_yamDgysYamSXxVLwLH0czXThOKxe77yJz-xm9ALv_Yf9I7QQ3xr-0A5dQVI7xteWGOAyPd9xDN88AsAMMRXMjovYBziE4vuMveDKs/s1500/71XclMgDeyL._SL1500_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhYJlzwhd4BMkgogucq3e8NQKnwTDJZUb5YUPKdLbWxwYWLi83wUpqsY81LttTrawc8DlNMVYnhmaloC7f3n_Z_yamDgysYamSXxVLwLH0czXThOKxe77yJz-xm9ALv_Yf9I7QQ3xr-0A5dQVI7xteWGOAyPd9xDN88AsAMMRXMjovYBziE4vuMveDKs/s320/71XclMgDeyL._SL1500_.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Market of 100 Fortunes by Marie Brennan<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196786334-the-market-of-100-fortunes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Market of 100 Fortunes</a></b> is the third <i>Legend of Five Rings</i> game world book by Brennan. They follow
Isao Ryotora and Asako Sekken, two samurais of Rokugan Empire, a priest and
a scholar who are drawn into dangerous supernatural situations. I’ve read
them back-to-back and have liked them all, but this was perhaps the weakest one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Ryotora and
Sekken are preparing to travel to the Dragon Clan’s lands together to marry
there, when an urgent request from Sayashi, the cat spirit who has been their
reluctant helper in both cases, calls them to Crane Clan lands. But when they
arrive there, she’s disappeared.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">She may be in the market of 100 fortunes, a place no one believes exists.
The men start to investigate with the help of a Scorpion magistrate who may
have an agenda of her own, and a little orphan girl. Turns out, finding the
market is easy. Getting out of there less so.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This was slightly
less interesting read than before. In the earlier books, the men had full
chapters in their point of view, which gave a lot of space for character
development. Here, the point of view changes in the middle of the chapter,
leaving less room for the characters, as the plot dominates the pace. It would’ve
required more drama early on to keep a reader’s interest. Now it took a bit too
long before anything happened.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">There are
also a couple of chapters from Sayashi’s point of view. She wasn’t quite as interesting
as I’d hoped, and I felt they didn’t really add anything worthwhile. At the
very least, the reason for her actions should’ve been brought up earlier on to
make the great revelation at the end work better. Now it came a bit out of blue
and didn’t have the impact it could’ve had.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Nevertheless,
once the mystery got going, it was intriguing. Again, the solution wasn’t easy,
requiring great sacrifices. The men worked on their peculiar connection, coming
to terms with it, and their relationship remained the best part of the book.
The ending was good, and gave a notion that this is the last book. If that’s the case,
I’m happy with where the men ended up. But I’d really like to read more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I received
a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span></p>
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Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-86206620474139225642024-01-11T18:11:00.001+02:002024-01-11T18:18:10.964+02:00The Restorer's Home Omnibus Vol 2 by Kim Sang-Yeop: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ryAhXcpvgStZwbfMSei1-aYLQc-83Q9icXd2wPgLup3NUb_mc0ip6lYnHEX7jjhpYjGuXKGcwTEmDJJQKI7yckh3bj-RCaxvSLEmdqYrEl1KbcIeAM5UhvFOWZYdHyEpJBXIa95IIFDQzgHXkXOfUzbP5FrVJvPPZx183PurpmCENnauLQna_2jgtZU/s400/125384068.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads <br /></b></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ryAhXcpvgStZwbfMSei1-aYLQc-83Q9icXd2wPgLup3NUb_mc0ip6lYnHEX7jjhpYjGuXKGcwTEmDJJQKI7yckh3bj-RCaxvSLEmdqYrEl1KbcIeAM5UhvFOWZYdHyEpJBXIa95IIFDQzgHXkXOfUzbP5FrVJvPPZx183PurpmCENnauLQna_2jgtZU/s400/125384068.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="282" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ryAhXcpvgStZwbfMSei1-aYLQc-83Q9icXd2wPgLup3NUb_mc0ip6lYnHEX7jjhpYjGuXKGcwTEmDJJQKI7yckh3bj-RCaxvSLEmdqYrEl1KbcIeAM5UhvFOWZYdHyEpJBXIa95IIFDQzgHXkXOfUzbP5FrVJvPPZx183PurpmCENnauLQna_2jgtZU/s320/125384068.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Restorer's Home Omnibus vol 2. by Kim Sang-Yeop<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125384068-the-restorer-s-home-omnibus-vol-2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">second omnibus</a></b> of this Korean comic series contains volumes 3 and 4, requests 14 to 27 to restore
items; a hefty reading of 400 pages. Sungwoo Yoo, the high school student with
a supernatural ability to see spirits in items and restore them, can’t catch a
break. He’s still permanently broke trying to maintain the huge traditional Korean
mansion after his father disappeared, and feed the horde of ghosts of an
ancient king who needs Sungwoo to restore special items to gain back his
powers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This is a
fun mix of Koran history, restoration details, high school life, and manga
antics. Sungwoo makes a couple of new (reluctant) friends, helps people in their
troubles, saves an ancient site from destruction, and restores a few items. He
even manages to restore enough of the king’s items for him to briefly return to
his true form, and he’s not at all what I—or Sungwoo—expected him to be. But
more needs to be done.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">His father
is still a no-show, but he sends Sungwoo the king’s artefacts regularly, so he’s
alive. And the mother who hasn’t even been mentioned before, features briefly
in Sungwoo’s memories. The cliffhanger ending seems to hint of her return. And
it might not be a good thing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I liked
this as much as the <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-restorers-home-omnibus-vol-1-by-kim.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>first volume</b></a>. The black and white illustrations are good, stories were interesting, the pace wasn’t
quite as hectic as in the first, Sungwoo’s fate didn’t jump up and down as
badly, and the king and his horde were even helpful occasionally. I’m
definitely interested in reading more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I received
a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-82869221129213910992024-01-09T20:25:00.001+02:002024-01-09T20:52:09.418+02:00The Game of 100 Candles by Marie Brennan: review<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b47752f0-7fff-a779-36aa-f8e347d11ee3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3bA9gmmymQTBmVujdpCebf66fcyNJzqX1v5dhW_ZARSJef3k3RKyFqhhkQ-uq4ybBOANWwO000vAJqpT0b2kllpQ8cBQV0uWHoYmXbIaa42mkcVl31T_GsOWpr_qu0pM-aaN-86CTcKNmNrzJeQafTCq6Un29H4LrnTd5b6kXrFvvPQIi5B1iFQ-eSc/s2114/D9BD08C7-A693-4A58-9E74-87DDD686208A.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2114" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3bA9gmmymQTBmVujdpCebf66fcyNJzqX1v5dhW_ZARSJef3k3RKyFqhhkQ-uq4ybBOANWwO000vAJqpT0b2kllpQ8cBQV0uWHoYmXbIaa42mkcVl31T_GsOWpr_qu0pM-aaN-86CTcKNmNrzJeQafTCq6Un29H4LrnTd5b6kXrFvvPQIi5B1iFQ-eSc/s320/D9BD08C7-A693-4A58-9E74-87DDD686208A.jpeg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Game of 100 Candles by Marie Brennan<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61964774-the-game-of-100-candles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>The Legend of 100 Candles</b></a> is the second Legend of the Five Rings novel by Brennan that I’ve read, and I like it even better than the <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-night-parade-of-100-demons-by-marie.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>first</b></a>. Two years have passed since the events of the first book, and Ryotora and Sekken have spent most of it apart. Both are still suffering from the consequences of Sekken’s sacrifice, but true to their natures, neither has told the other about it.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now Ryotora has come to Sekken’s home town to negotiate about the fate of the shrine that they’ve saved. Court intrigue isn’t Ryotora’s strong suit, but he has Sekken there to help him. And then things start to go wrong when an evening of story-telling leads to a strange sleeping curse. It’s time for the men to investigate.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This was a great story. Both men struggle with their feelings, their duty as samurais, and their health. And when they figure out the reason for their poor health, things become even more muddled. The romance doesn’t have much room to grow; rather, the men figure out what they need to do to uphold their duty and feelings on their own. The end result is satisfying, if brief.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The mystery, once it presents itself at 30% mark, is intriguing and difficult to solve, made more difficult by politics and family demands. And once again, Ryotora saves the day.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This was fairly different in style and pace from the first book, the focus on characters rather than the mystery. I like where it took both men, individually and together. Side characters were interesting and multi-dimensional. The end for the men was left rather open, and I absolutely must read more.</span></span></p><br /></span>Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-13280123806477058112024-01-08T11:41:00.001+02:002024-01-08T12:37:58.987+02:00The Night Parade of 100 Demons by Marie Brennan: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7SeU6IMlncPYFRRB9p3X7dlHJ5o85Zs34qrrvWZBajOGsQPPlpjfxLmOmAPUqy-AotJQDSOlGh3cSgn6dALdTOfabnwhlYibAlJL-YCwyEFvC9FORBH4at0epjY-UeFc-GeIWjWPVR2eaCQp5FJcnHP0yCh0Eee0fKmeKQQgKcWEGB4xHUaDk_zQofs/s2093/56049165.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7SeU6IMlncPYFRRB9p3X7dlHJ5o85Zs34qrrvWZBajOGsQPPlpjfxLmOmAPUqy-AotJQDSOlGh3cSgn6dALdTOfabnwhlYibAlJL-YCwyEFvC9FORBH4at0epjY-UeFc-GeIWjWPVR2eaCQp5FJcnHP0yCh0Eee0fKmeKQQgKcWEGB4xHUaDk_zQofs/s2093/56049165.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2093" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7SeU6IMlncPYFRRB9p3X7dlHJ5o85Zs34qrrvWZBajOGsQPPlpjfxLmOmAPUqy-AotJQDSOlGh3cSgn6dALdTOfabnwhlYibAlJL-YCwyEFvC9FORBH4at0epjY-UeFc-GeIWjWPVR2eaCQp5FJcnHP0yCh0Eee0fKmeKQQgKcWEGB4xHUaDk_zQofs/s320/56049165.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Night Parade of 100 Demons by Marie Brennan<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56049165-the-night-parade-of-100-demons" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Night Parade of 100 Demons</a></b> is set in the <i>Legend of the Five Rings</i> game world, but the
game or its events don’t feature in any way. This is the second series I’ve
read and I’m still so ignorant about the game that I don’t even know what the five
rings of the legend are. The books work fine without.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The stories
take place in an Asia-inspired, pre-industrial empire that is divided
into smaller vassal territories ruled by clans that are fairly independent and
culturally diverse. The Asian elements work very well, even though neither
author that I’ve read is Asian. There are enough modern elements in the mix,
like the equality of genders and acceptance of same sex relationships, that the
reader doesn’t really question the authenticity of the details that might be authors’
inventions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This is a
supernatural mystery that takes place in a remote mountain village of Seibo
Mura in the Dragon Clan’s lands near the border to the Phoenix Clan. For two
full moons, a horde of evil spirits have descended on the village, killing
people and destroying everything. The villagers have asked for help and the
nearest official has sent a samurai to investigate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Agasha no
Isao Ryotora is an itinerant samurai of the Dragon Clan and of fairly low
standing among samurais. He’s not a warrior but a priest capable of
communicating with spirits. When he arrives, he discovers that another samurai
is already there, an aristocratic Asako Sekken of the Phoenix Clan. He’s not a warrior
either but a scholar. Combining their knowledge of the spirit world, they set
out to investigate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s not an
easy investigation, as all the people who might know about the lore and spirits
of the village are dead. It’s a trial and error, and it’s made more difficult
because both men are keeping secrets from one another.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Ryotora’s
secret is that he’s been adopted to a samurai family from that village. He’s
already lost a lover when he confessed his low birth status, and he’s not about
to face the same humiliation. Sekken’s secret is that he’s not there by
accident. He’s been haunted by a spirit dog and it’s lured him there. Of the
two secrets, Sekken’s turn out to be more important for solving the problem.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This was a
rather slow-paced mystery told in both men’s point of view. There are no great
highs and lows along the way, but the investigation never stalls and something
is constantly happening. Along the way, the men become friends and develop deeper
feelings too, but neither of them is about to bring it up, mostly for the
secrets they keep. It’s very slow burn, but their feelings have a crucial role
in saving the village, so it’s well-woven in the story anyway.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The book is
rich in Japanese mythology of evil spirits. Brennan is an anthropologist and
she’s done a thorough research. None of the creatures—or other special Japanese
words—are explained in the narrative, and while I didn’t know any of them, it
didn’t mar my enjoyment. However, there’s a glossary of the creatures at the
back for those who need to know.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Otherwise,
the descriptions are sparse. I don’t know the ages of the main characters—I
barely know what they look like—and the village remained vague to the end. But
the narrative flows so well I didn’t miss the detailed descriptions all that
much. I like the world, and I liked both Ryotora and Sekken. I have the next
two books in the series waiting and I’ll definitely read on.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-23226667590039512522024-01-05T11:47:00.000+02:002024-01-05T11:47:45.822+02:00Thousand Autumns vol. 3 by Meng Xi Shi: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YXHJ5WgtExK5NDkpKYdxOcgf2nVFKynvSmlvVuq4aCRQran7_T8DYMThJyRNcQOgVdyum1Z1yIE66EiqpIe0WuYLzpF_fQxjuODp2WiKG6LAKSGdZ9rmecKe2YTPKEX91a1qQsn_fadmAPoEk-jpRHBGLVJdsND3KQEmtXM6YHFrW6t3tCwCftJSXRU/s2374/200801817.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YXHJ5WgtExK5NDkpKYdxOcgf2nVFKynvSmlvVuq4aCRQran7_T8DYMThJyRNcQOgVdyum1Z1yIE66EiqpIe0WuYLzpF_fQxjuODp2WiKG6LAKSGdZ9rmecKe2YTPKEX91a1qQsn_fadmAPoEk-jpRHBGLVJdsND3KQEmtXM6YHFrW6t3tCwCftJSXRU/s2374/200801817.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2374" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YXHJ5WgtExK5NDkpKYdxOcgf2nVFKynvSmlvVuq4aCRQran7_T8DYMThJyRNcQOgVdyum1Z1yIE66EiqpIe0WuYLzpF_fQxjuODp2WiKG6LAKSGdZ9rmecKe2YTPKEX91a1qQsn_fadmAPoEk-jpRHBGLVJdsND3KQEmtXM6YHFrW6t3tCwCftJSXRU/s320/200801817.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thousand Autumns by Meng Xi Shi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200801817-thousand-autumns" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Thousand Autumns</b></a>, the story of Shen Qiao, the pure and good Daoist cultivator, and Yan
Wushi, the leader of the demonic cultivation sect, set in imaginary 6th century
Chinese empire has reached its third volume. It continues where the previous
one left, Shen Qiao rushing to save Yan Wushi from an ambush he couldn’t
possibly survive—only to arrive too late.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Yan Wushi’s
enemies learn that they and Shen Qiao are on opposing sides politically too, no
matter what Shen Qiao thinks of Yan Wushi personally. Reluctantly, they give
his body to Shen Qiao who has now made powerful enemies. But Yan Wushi is not
dead.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Tides have
turned for the two men. It’s now Shen Qiao’s turn to nurture Yan Wushi back to
health. It’s not an easy task and comes with a curious twist. A head injury
surfaces multiple personalities in Yan Wushi, most of whom are more likable
than the man himself. Some tender feelings rise, but those hoping for a proper
romance are again disappointed. In the end, the original personality returns
and Yan Wushi pulls yet another shitty move, leaving Shen Qiao to deal with the
political ramifications of what his alleged death has caused.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This was a
great volume. Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi spent most of it together, and even
though there weren’t many scenes from the latter’s point of view, there were
some insights into him. Mostly though, it’s still the story of Shen Qiao
growing to become the most powerful martial artist in the realm. There were
even more battle scenes than before where he fights against an overwhelming
enemy, surprising them with his skills. The volume ends after one such scene,
not quite with a cliffhanger but leaving everything open-ended. It’s impossible
to tell where the story is going from here, but I’ll definitely read on to find
out.</span></p>
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Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-71843995856910873442024-01-03T14:10:00.004+02:002024-01-03T14:10:46.923+02:00My reading year 2023<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<div><div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I spent the
last week of 2023 on vacation and didn’t have time to publish a summary post of
my reading year, so here it is now. I had a mixed year, reading-wise. On one
hand, I made a personal record of titles read in a year, 230 by official
Goodreads count, 52 of which I reviewed on this blog. On the other, I struggled
to pick up and finish books.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTG7l_0wkYUpg7zzdWNw1IrmBS3NTgRtRVA5dhoxWg3UcgmxqzTc6HrJSOIW10UyMVUHhspIAaFnyT3zSA-eOS5SdCXbqVQ6lp8mCgVQMQwYzBU5PN6mPVKZbv-9QebXHxDSfxwbQNmK9X_0Aw7wXhdMRDek2CkkAj4dXxfUyWYfU_HQIwvXUidvHUfFA/s2400/75319056.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTG7l_0wkYUpg7zzdWNw1IrmBS3NTgRtRVA5dhoxWg3UcgmxqzTc6HrJSOIW10UyMVUHhspIAaFnyT3zSA-eOS5SdCXbqVQ6lp8mCgVQMQwYzBU5PN6mPVKZbv-9QebXHxDSfxwbQNmK9X_0Aw7wXhdMRDek2CkkAj4dXxfUyWYfU_HQIwvXUidvHUfFA/s320/75319056.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Part of the
problem is my shortening attention span. Even the most engaging books can lose
my attention in the middle of a scene, and less-engaging books take eons to
finish—if I finish them. Especially the review copies I received from NetGalley
and Edelweiss suffered for this, leading to a back-log of books I haven’t even
started. But partly it’s because I’ve grown bored with the same books I’ve read
for years.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">What saved
my reading year were new genres for me, like Chinese xianxia boylove novels,
Japanese light novels, and online manga and manhwa. The first xianxia I picked
up randomly at a local bookstore the year before based on the cover. It turned
out to be <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5168970941" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation</b></a> by </span>Mo Xiang Tong Xiu<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, and like
millions of westerns in the past few years, I was swept away by it and the TV
adaptation too.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I read 27
xianxias or Chinese boylove novels last year. There aren’t all that many of
them officially translated and available commercially, so it didn’t take long
to catch up. Next year will be slower in those, as I have to wait for them to
be translated.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquvHKygpYd9czZXNJ9iNuEIY2L0gv0aZBDnReiIILRiup-mXbP6Wep7VUyU8gafMeHZyyMOxuLcpMBfHNssqidEU05A8TASI6QIbx7iJEyxaVPzjH1kYcJTkLInhV14pJTf5p3o35_fvCubqKVr_Wc7XXWGU0MTDGO-HiY-SU1QpUxof5znIdM1mGMqY/s1000/62629580.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquvHKygpYd9czZXNJ9iNuEIY2L0gv0aZBDnReiIILRiup-mXbP6Wep7VUyU8gafMeHZyyMOxuLcpMBfHNssqidEU05A8TASI6QIbx7iJEyxaVPzjH1kYcJTkLInhV14pJTf5p3o35_fvCubqKVr_Wc7XXWGU0MTDGO-HiY-SU1QpUxof5znIdM1mGMqY/w206-h320/62629580.png" width="206" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmIyXlDzLEbNW3lBVmqt2uJ7My4t7wL6qGybORwpbHX11lFhg8KAWzVcsuq3GSOWe8vPXa5ZVHXzQpbKdTFyOSLtvWDQ71t2JdOlcdx4wcFqe69_uimK00nMAsWN0RipG5PM8AcevdHbK64YmIbPTnAIESnFipbN7MbPzS21DiaaZi2iNAtGOBhaEm7Q/s500/60139506.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmIyXlDzLEbNW3lBVmqt2uJ7My4t7wL6qGybORwpbHX11lFhg8KAWzVcsuq3GSOWe8vPXa5ZVHXzQpbKdTFyOSLtvWDQ71t2JdOlcdx4wcFqe69_uimK00nMAsWN0RipG5PM8AcevdHbK64YmIbPTnAIESnFipbN7MbPzS21DiaaZi2iNAtGOBhaEm7Q/s320/60139506.jpg" width="201" /></a></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">My favourites
were <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-husky-and-his-white-cat-shizun-by.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Husky and His White Cat Shizun</b></a> by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou, of which four
volumes have been translated; <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/03/thousand-autumns-vol-1-by-meng-xi-shi.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Thousand Autumns</b></a> by Meng Xi Shi (currently reading
volume 3), <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/07/golden-terrace-vol-1-by-cang-wu-bin-bai.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Golden Terrace</b></a> by Cang Wu Bin Bai, of which I’ve read the first
volume so far, and a modern romance <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5418031380" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>The Missing Piece</b></a> by Kun Yi Wei Lou. On top of the m/m romances, they’re wonderful insights into
(fantasy) Chinese past, and cultures that are refreshingly different from the
western ones that I usually read. However, curiously enough, similar books by
westernised Asian authors failed to engage me completely.</span> <br /></p></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXfssTBomme29zQTUzwdPLkcnYKGg7HAJFQ8V9r1IkXaQZLPpq2g_TTsD0y2nGlIX3_0GkgYrQY7Rngbc3k26Ion4c12_geBHQ2OLNESqI7nX3t09mFy-_MMbuLBVYFQ0Y2VSBehL2DypUAb9BNTbz3nT9zGuLB-_iohGmHqxpGkWmQp2p9MJryYkTaE/s2479/62145800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2479" data-original-width="1763" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXfssTBomme29zQTUzwdPLkcnYKGg7HAJFQ8V9r1IkXaQZLPpq2g_TTsD0y2nGlIX3_0GkgYrQY7Rngbc3k26Ion4c12_geBHQ2OLNESqI7nX3t09mFy-_MMbuLBVYFQ0Y2VSBehL2DypUAb9BNTbz3nT9zGuLB-_iohGmHqxpGkWmQp2p9MJryYkTaE/w229-h320/62145800.jpg" width="229" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAxQK1AcWb2QyoOQcAqrJ-9tr4JirMZQqvKJOzqY3R0iEkbq7b0qYBhA_ZUFpq9INJl0T6lPb6uyTvTOfmzAmJA0AYYjGX1U93_v2cE7J3TA8pdIic2N-ai_AbFB-pumYu9S4wXFiH3R3Ky-hjnBk1pWe8q4djxHDaIrWgq4j5AFspi9zf7-fj50rMfg/s2374/62925771.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2374" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVAxQK1AcWb2QyoOQcAqrJ-9tr4JirMZQqvKJOzqY3R0iEkbq7b0qYBhA_ZUFpq9INJl0T6lPb6uyTvTOfmzAmJA0AYYjGX1U93_v2cE7J3TA8pdIic2N-ai_AbFB-pumYu9S4wXFiH3R3Ky-hjnBk1pWe8q4djxHDaIrWgq4j5AFspi9zf7-fj50rMfg/w229-h320/62925771.jpg" width="229" /></a></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Japanese manga
and Korean manhwa were an accidental addition to my reading. I requested review
copies at random, realised they’re more fun to read from a tablet than in print
(not that my eyesight is that poor, but still), and went a bit overboard with
them. In total, I read 145 comic volumes that I added to my Goodreads count,
but there were many more that I didn’t, several ongoing webtoons included.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNWtLudOCjZ-VHqcBDGnburWL974oDQZGD0775yEsYMcj6wllT_b0D3ck5v5qs2nH4KgGM6JB8I1UndQ0owLtSYVoaXkTFQcwec5t_J2SgZGkp8bB5DB6Y_J12TFPxoL0i5gKQ2JBvUGflEc0kDxbuxBD3Wj50WpbeMjf6kImmTfrB4AkeJYaI9fPIjo/s499/63109302.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="353" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNWtLudOCjZ-VHqcBDGnburWL974oDQZGD0775yEsYMcj6wllT_b0D3ck5v5qs2nH4KgGM6JB8I1UndQ0owLtSYVoaXkTFQcwec5t_J2SgZGkp8bB5DB6Y_J12TFPxoL0i5gKQ2JBvUGflEc0kDxbuxBD3Wj50WpbeMjf6kImmTfrB4AkeJYaI9fPIjo/s320/63109302.jpg" width="226" /></a></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Most of the
review copies that I received were such that I only read the first volume and didn’t
continue with the series. But there were interesting and fun pieces among them
too, like <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-restorers-home-omnibus-vol-1-by-kim.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>The Restorer's Home</b></a> by Kim Sang-yeop, a mix of modern and historical
Korean culture, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5444137828" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?</b></a> by MyeongMi Kim and GyeongYun
Jeong, which I had to start reading online as translations weren’t published fast
enough. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5546317494" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Spy x Family</b></a> by Tatsuya Endo is also one of my new favourites, with ten volumes translated and published so far.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhUJJMWXAHJYUPxy_EcsbpNpI6HuNmkNnzLa-8v-u8TecQiCpGBY6P1o7WohDobbTc3Mc0WfxLLt4doLpP6TPmqxCBdXU944-ybr2XXtMMXbf4d1XhOj9S4cjtEXutt0Aaw6WfG50jFLnGlH_-sVXV09DSgqTDCXYB_r1SZONSbDGQjCZaQlxpC1qMJc/s400/63099370.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="279" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhUJJMWXAHJYUPxy_EcsbpNpI6HuNmkNnzLa-8v-u8TecQiCpGBY6P1o7WohDobbTc3Mc0WfxLLt4doLpP6TPmqxCBdXU944-ybr2XXtMMXbf4d1XhOj9S4cjtEXutt0Aaw6WfG50jFLnGlH_-sVXV09DSgqTDCXYB_r1SZONSbDGQjCZaQlxpC1qMJc/s320/63099370.jpg" width="223" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6pn22b-gt-Kfiuw7CzdD1O1ynEWkWyhzih39dRO9Bdcxs2rp4gicSd-ZPYxvMFe_9pF4zYIP32-_rmVDYORGIorwFJexy_KwY6u0yAAy8XO7N49aMk2eXf9iyqFpS-IRb5JUbPHc8q80GoOTzJMXqIPjGp0jBpX4FXs9r1zdmNjT9VW3VUhK0OG1WDI/s2560/53541477.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1707" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6pn22b-gt-Kfiuw7CzdD1O1ynEWkWyhzih39dRO9Bdcxs2rp4gicSd-ZPYxvMFe_9pF4zYIP32-_rmVDYORGIorwFJexy_KwY6u0yAAy8XO7N49aMk2eXf9iyqFpS-IRb5JUbPHc8q80GoOTzJMXqIPjGp0jBpX4FXs9r1zdmNjT9VW3VUhK0OG1WDI/s320/53541477.jpg" width="213" /></a></div></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Japanese
light novels were a mixed bunch. Some were rather bad books with lousy
translations, but there was a gem among them that I continued with after receiving
a review copy of the first volume from Edelweiss. <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/05/associate-professor-akira-takatsukis.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Associate Professor Akira
Takatsuki's Conjecture</b></a> by Mikage Sawamura is a fun series of paranormal
mysteries set in modern Japan, with two volumes and one manga volume translated
so far.</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcYbppkDOn2PhDzJb9jOvX8QjAuTF3b3Zb1TzHs-4heIAVrlni41J8P5RnxWILzViAfPDF1HX_cUhtfb68_6bQzCqg2CKlzcbi6QmH9FUhw7UgfXhU0iAb1-efUa5gFgeK-d-QOO4XTazKVOMXcCGBwDRHm1nieDX_ytzJrmvhIlbcA320zWLL61DMYY/s400/64007860.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcYbppkDOn2PhDzJb9jOvX8QjAuTF3b3Zb1TzHs-4heIAVrlni41J8P5RnxWILzViAfPDF1HX_cUhtfb68_6bQzCqg2CKlzcbi6QmH9FUhw7UgfXhU0iAb1-efUa5gFgeK-d-QOO4XTazKVOMXcCGBwDRHm1nieDX_ytzJrmvhIlbcA320zWLL61DMYY/s320/64007860.jpg" width="214" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Outside
Asian light literature, I read my usual fares. Favourites included <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/04/fourth-wing-by-rebecca-yarros-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Fourth Wing</b></a>
by Rebecca Yarros, which managed to be a fresh take of the dark academy genre;
<a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/11/system-collapse-by-martha-wells-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>System Collapse</b></a> by Martha Wells (Murderbot never fails me), and <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-foxglove-king-by-hannah-whitten.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Foxglove King</b></a>
by Hannah F. Whitten, a more traditional romantic fantasy. <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/02/dead-country-by-max-gladstone-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Dead Country</b></a> by Max
Gladstone started a new series set in his <i>Craft Sequence</i> world, and <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/06/translation-state-by-ann-leckie-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Translation State</b></a><b> </b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">by Ann Leckie returned to her <i>Imperial Radch</i> world.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcfMuKR1SglsGEj8pjWrLZjb8-MFJNlyurQPOHVkY3atn8D-A8boQBW7BbOX8M7bdifd9hqG9FMdMTWMf1Nypx0-1x2EWcsTpOAhN968Bn8mQqtgLcKpKuRiKU0hMWcKPRKPspYwQBXdW_v-pEnkdDQOY4m2dT3OqPQh3vXJ8tvDeU9QMMafPl6SVN0Y/s2475/20F5EC42-6007-4D77-8F59-6894399B3C1B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzl05DoE0ThYuNDwuuSJq2zDJWNP3uNkDEWyeuwA6PeZn5zMQtSmuV3ZN7mXJiM80Hb1RrwTnez5ml_ewBvxP-s1k0O9Hf-lY6TYz9AbiKrllbV69K3W7ZPif4rWZLJfE56qVsH9_-UdHkfgOBOeoALD8kWENdPP5NMEBiVNVAeqnyHbvFaLn1Kp9eBM/s2400/63219094.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzl05DoE0ThYuNDwuuSJq2zDJWNP3uNkDEWyeuwA6PeZn5zMQtSmuV3ZN7mXJiM80Hb1RrwTnez5ml_ewBvxP-s1k0O9Hf-lY6TYz9AbiKrllbV69K3W7ZPif4rWZLJfE56qVsH9_-UdHkfgOBOeoALD8kWENdPP5NMEBiVNVAeqnyHbvFaLn1Kp9eBM/s320/63219094.jpg" width="213" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1613" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcfMuKR1SglsGEj8pjWrLZjb8-MFJNlyurQPOHVkY3atn8D-A8boQBW7BbOX8M7bdifd9hqG9FMdMTWMf1Nypx0-1x2EWcsTpOAhN968Bn8mQqtgLcKpKuRiKU0hMWcKPRKPspYwQBXdW_v-pEnkdDQOY4m2dT3OqPQh3vXJ8tvDeU9QMMafPl6SVN0Y/s320/20F5EC42-6007-4D77-8F59-6894399B3C1B.jpeg" width="209" /></b></span></div></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">All in all,
a good reading year, if a very different from previous years. I’ll continue
with my Asian streak this year too, with xianxias, light novels and mangas, but
there are new books coming from my favourite authors too. I’ve pledged to read
150 books this year in Goodreads reading challenge. I’ll review as many of them
here as I have time, so keep an eye on this space. The rest I’ll review on
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2057091.Susanna_Shore" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Goodreads</b></a>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eyZ_r0k3T0NjV6vWUKz2WeZrkplS-Xt4tdfOO_vZ7VXsZ1D5-5Dxvet21PZ4WpG6pAy3MJvGEEX3uhYh9sNpqkfduF02_F3Cpbkyi1uwwtsplD31Y7BQ8UPU5bVpmDDT2zmw_fd8dl_fcw-XroLQdW7bU2teg5f-cU_nNROZOxA5EtQm3l9BhfgVkD4/s2404/63B5A7AF-0900-4CA2-9322-370B60D8EF7B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2404" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eyZ_r0k3T0NjV6vWUKz2WeZrkplS-Xt4tdfOO_vZ7VXsZ1D5-5Dxvet21PZ4WpG6pAy3MJvGEEX3uhYh9sNpqkfduF02_F3Cpbkyi1uwwtsplD31Y7BQ8UPU5bVpmDDT2zmw_fd8dl_fcw-XroLQdW7bU2teg5f-cU_nNROZOxA5EtQm3l9BhfgVkD4/s320/63B5A7AF-0900-4CA2-9322-370B60D8EF7B.jpeg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhth5Qj14h87aXm211WT9M3j-1IzPyVlkjAi6sRvwdma_zAt3qNgpLLMqVhm2VR_PdWdWUlStzH6xty78GtvGQhVLxN_ztr4K2qDJTG9yl0iKaDBvx3vyrRrlyUMJdxJgRobApgLCVzh5bhqUTzIvQH0jeUTA-oGsxv6wBpl_dwp_ggS5GY1QE6PtG-epw/s2600/61463713.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="1731" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhth5Qj14h87aXm211WT9M3j-1IzPyVlkjAi6sRvwdma_zAt3qNgpLLMqVhm2VR_PdWdWUlStzH6xty78GtvGQhVLxN_ztr4K2qDJTG9yl0iKaDBvx3vyrRrlyUMJdxJgRobApgLCVzh5bhqUTzIvQH0jeUTA-oGsxv6wBpl_dwp_ggS5GY1QE6PtG-epw/s320/61463713.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><br /> <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-41772284062221802442023-12-30T17:30:00.000+02:002023-12-30T17:30:33.525+02:00Paladin’s Faith by T. Kingfisher: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVp2Fp258y10at9DTAOARdOZYU6m7gQmqsSpP812mROjUqg15dr8XD8SWAKn2KwCSOO5yZRcNEeI9EnFfRt1xCintkGyq2cIyMMkRLCQnJUoPtCN4sd4ubc5as5Fs81yVqIS6tlP2nC-8z5txVCCmD9_9Njul00E8sOHWUdJOPn2YFnm8wUpYFUy2QhOI/s500/202408844.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><b>3/5 stars on Goodreads</b><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVp2Fp258y10at9DTAOARdOZYU6m7gQmqsSpP812mROjUqg15dr8XD8SWAKn2KwCSOO5yZRcNEeI9EnFfRt1xCintkGyq2cIyMMkRLCQnJUoPtCN4sd4ubc5as5Fs81yVqIS6tlP2nC-8z5txVCCmD9_9Njul00E8sOHWUdJOPn2YFnm8wUpYFUy2QhOI/s500/202408844.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVp2Fp258y10at9DTAOARdOZYU6m7gQmqsSpP812mROjUqg15dr8XD8SWAKn2KwCSOO5yZRcNEeI9EnFfRt1xCintkGyq2cIyMMkRLCQnJUoPtCN4sd4ubc5as5Fs81yVqIS6tlP2nC-8z5txVCCmD9_9Njul00E8sOHWUdJOPn2YFnm8wUpYFUy2QhOI/s320/202408844.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paladin's Faith by T. Kingfisher<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202408844-paladin-s-faith" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Paladin’s Faith</b></a> is a fourth book in <i>The Saint of Steel</i> fantasy romance series by T.
Kingfisher. It follows the paladins of a dead god who try to find their place
in a world where they are no longer needed, set in the same world as the <i>Clocktaur
War</i> duology, though a few decades later.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Shane is a
paladin abandoned by two gods, which has given him a huge inferiority complex
and a fear of getting everyone around him killed. He’s ordered to protect Marguerite
Florian, a spy who is trying to locate an artificer who has created a device
that’ll potentially disrupt the economy of the entire world. She’s a
resourceful woman with few compunctions about her work and how she gets it done,
which doesn’t always sit well with Shane. Naturally, a romance ensues, albeit slowly,
as one of them fears he’s not good enough and the other doesn’t really have a need
for a romance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Despite the
interesting premise, this is by far the weakest book in the series. The entire
first half of the rather long book is basically filler events, with a token
attempt made to locate the artificer. The romance doesn’t go anywhere. Things
pick up on the latter half, but what was supposed to be the driving force of
the plot takes a back seat when a new storyline appears, and is all but
forgotten. It’s Shane’s story, and it’s a good one, but it doesn’t really mesh
with the romance. That the pair ends up together in the end is because this is
a romance, and the book would’ve been fine without. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On top of
the weak story, this lacks the charm and delightful whimsy of the earlier
books. Marguerite doesn’t make a very interesting romantic heroine and while
Shane has his moments, he’s not much of a romantic hero either. Side characters
exist to fill the pages, but I suspect their story will come later. And not
a single gnol made an appearance. The epilogue promises an interesting story to
come though, and even though this was a disappointment, I’ll definitely read
on.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-62570942487460476592023-12-08T11:43:00.000+02:002023-12-08T11:43:45.594+02:00The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol. 4 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVC7BhzlFNW7qen_FxB80_WOr4-mkriMEBc5kYCHPyCp70jcmmyJYVreSzltdkpDF3NpSfYDgEEHcQY6suaDLWE_7TNg-w0IOFD1X4l3yqZlRYkT-X3mSCfqOZeX8ONPvEx0aatEisQHVHqI_gM0qQ2R-kr3r-g4YcIhJinLjTYU29XER1_P0iWVVQLX0/s2374/200801789.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVC7BhzlFNW7qen_FxB80_WOr4-mkriMEBc5kYCHPyCp70jcmmyJYVreSzltdkpDF3NpSfYDgEEHcQY6suaDLWE_7TNg-w0IOFD1X4l3yqZlRYkT-X3mSCfqOZeX8ONPvEx0aatEisQHVHqI_gM0qQ2R-kr3r-g4YcIhJinLjTYU29XER1_P0iWVVQLX0/s2374/200801789.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2374" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVC7BhzlFNW7qen_FxB80_WOr4-mkriMEBc5kYCHPyCp70jcmmyJYVreSzltdkpDF3NpSfYDgEEHcQY6suaDLWE_7TNg-w0IOFD1X4l3yqZlRYkT-X3mSCfqOZeX8ONPvEx0aatEisQHVHqI_gM0qQ2R-kr3r-g4YcIhJinLjTYU29XER1_P0iWVVQLX0/s320/200801789.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Husky & His White Cat Shizun vol 4 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The series
has advanced to its <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200801789-the-husky-and-his-white-cat-shizun" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>fourth volume</b></a> and I believe this is the best one yet (which
I said of the previous volume too). The <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-husky-and-his-white-cat-shizun-vol.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>previous one</b></a> left Chu Wanning
to recover from being dead for five years, so the reader could expect a time jump
in this one. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The volume starts
with briefly telling what Mo Ran did during those five years. He’s taken to
heart to become a man worthy of his Shizun and has spent the years travelling,
cultivating, and helping people where he can. He’s built a heroic reputation
for himself, not that he cares, and grown up quite a bit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Chu Wanning
wakes up in a good bodily and mental health, and he remembers everything that happened
in the underworld when Mo Ran saved him. He’s also ready to admit his feelings
for Mo Ran, but only to himself. He’s struggling with lust for the first time
in his life too, having practiced cultivation method that forbids sex. The
strange dreams that are flashbacks of a life he never lived don’t help. And as
always, he never speaks of any of this to anyone, and definitely not to Mo Ran.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Mo Ran is
having the exact same problems, made worse by his memories from the previous
life. But he knows he isn’t worthy of his Shizun and tries to keep his hands to
himself, tormented by his memories of how he behaved before.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But the
story keeps throwing the two together in various ways. Mo Ran grows to realise
that it’s love he feels for his Shizun, not having really experienced the
emotion before. And Chu Wanning starts to give in to his needs and coming to
terms with it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s a
story of two tormented people who simply refuse to communicate with each other,
which would make things much simpler. While the author deliberately drags it
on, it still manages to be interesting and entertaining throughout, with one of
the best sex scenes so far. There wasn’t much of a plot beyond the romance—not
a single monster attacked or ghost needed vanishing, and the mastermind after
Mo Ran didn’t make a move—but it didn’t need more. The end wasn’t a cliffhanger
as such, but it promises conflict to come in the next volume. It’ll be an agony
to wait again. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-79138545911375515222023-12-01T12:34:00.001+02:002023-12-01T12:34:55.408+02:00Heaven Official's Blessing vol. 8 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5mgEr_AS_5po0aWaWJ4CPR3tWLf4mcH-5WEaMYjxKIKNPIcHb3dI3wnmDUgjm5Wy4y6iyfXUlWO_UyySudJLlzadp1bo8XL6oR3yXIE0PZ93jpgJxVLSgXOWYoxPJ5L9bjt8201LOSJBkqzT-5Mtzy1SfqvxolJxNlQs1r5QovFPM6SFyeDUqsGcd58/s1500/199142179.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><b>4/5 stars on Goodreads</b><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5mgEr_AS_5po0aWaWJ4CPR3tWLf4mcH-5WEaMYjxKIKNPIcHb3dI3wnmDUgjm5Wy4y6iyfXUlWO_UyySudJLlzadp1bo8XL6oR3yXIE0PZ93jpgJxVLSgXOWYoxPJ5L9bjt8201LOSJBkqzT-5Mtzy1SfqvxolJxNlQs1r5QovFPM6SFyeDUqsGcd58/s1500/199142179.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5mgEr_AS_5po0aWaWJ4CPR3tWLf4mcH-5WEaMYjxKIKNPIcHb3dI3wnmDUgjm5Wy4y6iyfXUlWO_UyySudJLlzadp1bo8XL6oR3yXIE0PZ93jpgJxVLSgXOWYoxPJ5L9bjt8201LOSJBkqzT-5Mtzy1SfqvxolJxNlQs1r5QovFPM6SFyeDUqsGcd58/s320/199142179.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heaven Official's Blessing by MoXiang Tong Xiu<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It’s the
end of the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199142179-heaven-official-s-blessing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Heaven Official’s Blessing</b></a>, and it didn’t go out with a bang. It was
like a wistful thought that left the reader longing for more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The volume
has the last eight chapters, which take about 45% of the book, and several
short stories from various points in the lives of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng. There’s
the final battle with White No-Face, which dominates the narrative, and the aftermath.
There are some emotional scenes and most storylines are wrapped up.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">There’s the
happily ever after too, but the romance didn’t quite deliver the emotions I
hoped for after following it this long. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng keep their thoughts so tightly guarded that the reader is barely allowed a glimpse even at
the end. The extra stories help a little, but without them, the ending would’ve
been a slight disappointment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">That said,
I’ve enjoyed the journey. After everything that has happened, Xie Lian was much
like he was at the beginning, only happier and more powerful. And the reader
can be sure that his love story with Hua Cheng will last the eternity. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-72526842414409942312023-11-22T09:57:00.000+02:002023-11-22T09:57:56.540+02:00Born to Be Badger by Shelly Laurenston: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLziQpOHDfJxxVOJmSwdj7AMa3HbF8W4uGQxrX5tni621DN66K3FRr7n_XilAM9ose6pMjTcqsUdDpeeNc8lo8Kpl9zOXBaNpOwr_cj6d33kp-ASdF61M6ZKsC5M0EK6QY7Mx3qKMQhM9cbgMrZJ7ffPBScfNieB8F59LCc_J8nIW_d2WuOeS8SVs9d7U/s400/123412692.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><b>4/5 stars on Goodreads</b><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLziQpOHDfJxxVOJmSwdj7AMa3HbF8W4uGQxrX5tni621DN66K3FRr7n_XilAM9ose6pMjTcqsUdDpeeNc8lo8Kpl9zOXBaNpOwr_cj6d33kp-ASdF61M6ZKsC5M0EK6QY7Mx3qKMQhM9cbgMrZJ7ffPBScfNieB8F59LCc_J8nIW_d2WuOeS8SVs9d7U/s400/123412692.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLziQpOHDfJxxVOJmSwdj7AMa3HbF8W4uGQxrX5tni621DN66K3FRr7n_XilAM9ose6pMjTcqsUdDpeeNc8lo8Kpl9zOXBaNpOwr_cj6d33kp-ASdF61M6ZKsC5M0EK6QY7Mx3qKMQhM9cbgMrZJ7ffPBScfNieB8F59LCc_J8nIW_d2WuOeS8SVs9d7U/s320/123412692.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Born to Be Badger by Shelly Laurenston<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123412692-born-to-be-badger" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Born to Be Badger</b></a> is the fifth book in the <i>Honey Badger Chronicles</i> that follow a group of
basketball playing honey badger shifters who moonlight as thieves, killers and rabble
rousers. They’re borderline sociopaths and a reader can never be sure how they
react in any given situation (other than with violence.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In this
book, the playoffs that brought the girls to New York in the first place are
still going on, but while it’s mentioned several times, not a single game is
played. Instead, the group learns of a new poison that might be the only thing
in the world that can kill them. Not that it worries them long. The story
progresses to a violent ambush and a declaration of war among shifters. All in
a day’s work for the girls.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The
romantic (sub)plot is between Tock </span><span class="formatted"><span lang="EN-GB">Meyerson-Jackson</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">, the bomb expert of the group (not that she blows anything up in this book), and Shay Malone, a tiger shifter footballer. Like in
previous books, the romance is sort of in the background, isn’t terribly romantic or emotional, and
kind of just happens. There’s no inner monologues or other indications about
why they like one another, let alone love, so it’s mostly about attraction and
lust until it isn’t. The best interactions by far and scenes where both
characters come to life are when they deal with Shay’s daughter Dani. In the
end, she’s as good a reason as any for the two to become a pair.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Like always,
the cast of characters is large and the reader never really knows who is
important. Some appear for a scene, others clearly have elaborate backstories
and might show up again. Some are characters from author’s earlier series that
were given more than necessary airtime, but since I haven’t read those books,
their appearance and tendency to take over wasn’t so much nostalgic as it was
annoying.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Still, I
would’ve like if the main pair was given as much space and as good descriptions
as the guests. Now it wasn’t until half-way to the book that I realized that
Tock is Black and Shay—the guy with Irish name—is Asian. Maybe earlier books
brought that up, but I can’t remember things from that far. Their ethnicity
doesn’t play a role in the story, but details like this are what bring these
stories alive.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Compared to
earlier books, the story advanced in a rather straightforward way. Like always,
events and violence sort of spring up, and the plot happens in the background,
moved by forces that aren’t shown, and the girls simply react to events. But
side-plots were kept to minimum, and we sort of finally know who killed Shay’s father,
so that’s progress. The ending promises more violence to come. I don’t really
read this series for the romances, so I found this entertaining in a totally bonkers
way. I’ll likely read more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I received
a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090873157700458251.post-2579934080883547942023-11-03T10:43:00.000+02:002023-11-03T10:43:13.626+02:00System Collapse by Martha Wells: review<meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"></meta>
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<meta content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-VB1glnWD6Zy5O41aHT1Jr3Whd7_NuVB939NBzikZunuPh4DX0QtZsjqAlZkwtdkGV_cWI1cYITWfFjYALkycKSgIXb31C5Xmv89CSyYnIFDzVQ4NxRaiFtvgLmFATmSWwIPBXWkcnaeArSkbblYvZ7BQS6QMjE6sIHfAE5ylyZHwaaOgTcRpMn6I4w/s2400/75319056.jpg" name="twitter:image"></meta><b>5/5 stars on Goodreads</b><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-VB1glnWD6Zy5O41aHT1Jr3Whd7_NuVB939NBzikZunuPh4DX0QtZsjqAlZkwtdkGV_cWI1cYITWfFjYALkycKSgIXb31C5Xmv89CSyYnIFDzVQ4NxRaiFtvgLmFATmSWwIPBXWkcnaeArSkbblYvZ7BQS6QMjE6sIHfAE5ylyZHwaaOgTcRpMn6I4w/s2400/75319056.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-VB1glnWD6Zy5O41aHT1Jr3Whd7_NuVB939NBzikZunuPh4DX0QtZsjqAlZkwtdkGV_cWI1cYITWfFjYALkycKSgIXb31C5Xmv89CSyYnIFDzVQ4NxRaiFtvgLmFATmSWwIPBXWkcnaeArSkbblYvZ7BQS6QMjE6sIHfAE5ylyZHwaaOgTcRpMn6I4w/s320/75319056.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">System Collapse by Martha Wells<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75319056-system-collapse" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>System Collapse</b></a> is the seventh MurderBot diaries book and it continues right after the
events of the fifth book, <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2021/04/network-effect-by-martha-wells-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Network Effect</b></a> (book six, <a href="https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2021/04/fugitive-telemetry-by-martha-wells.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Fugitive Telemetry</b></a>, was a skip back in time). SecUnit, ART the highly autonomic
AI ship (or Asshole Research Transport), and their humans are still orbiting
the planet that suffered from alien contamination. This time they’re trying to
convince the colonists to evacuate—or at least not to accept the offer made by
one of the horrid corporations, Barish-Estranza, as that would lead to slavery
for them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The story
starts with SecUnit being in a funk of some sort, but it keeps <i>redacting</i>
the explanation, like it often does with memory files it doesn’t want to handle.
But the reader soon figures out it’s suffering from some sort of episode that
is compromising it and its ability to make decisions, which isn’t good in a
highly volatile situation where everyone relies on its ability to react fast. It
takes a while before it’s ready to share with the reader what’s wrong with it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">SecUnit
needs to pull itself together though, when it accompanies two of ART’s humans
and Ratthi to an isolated colony they knew nothing about, hoping they get there
before Barish-Estranza. They don’t. It’s time for SecUnit to save the day again,
with the most SecUnit way so far.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This was a
great book. SecUnit’s struggle to understand what is going on with its systems
was real and relatable. The cast was small and things were kept tight, and
while there were some action scenes, they didn’t take over. I had some trouble
remembering who was who at the beginning, as no handy hints were given to the
reader; I especially struggled to remember who Three was. But it didn’t matter
for long. The ending was good, as SecUnit finally figured out what it wants to
do next and who with. I simply must have more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I received
a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><link href="http://www.susannashore.com" rel="author"></link></p>
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0