I am a lover of Sherlock Holmes retellings, and I love them even more when they take place in a sci-fi or fantasy setting. I am very lucky that there I am a lover of Sherlock Holmes retellings, and I love them even more when they take place in a sci-fi or fantasy setting. I am very lucky that there have been several in recent years. However, this isn't one of my favorites, I'm sad to say. The writing is strong; the author is clearly talented and imaginative. The chronic illness representation is excellent. My struggle with this is that it really is a very, very close retelling of Study in Scarlet, with a dash of BBC Sherlock thrown in at the end - and that means I've read this story before, and I already knew exactly what the expect the entire time. The characters and plot just didn't diverge enough. I liked the worldbuilding, such as it was - but because the story hewed so closely to the original Doyle, it didn't get to really dive into that in any real way.
I think this author has promise, and if this has sequels, those may be enjoyable to explore, but I hope the author allows themselves to take inspiration from Doyle and not pull so closely from the source text. When I want the original Sherlock Holmes, I read the original Sherlock Holmes; I hope for more variety from retellings.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC; all opinions are my own....more
Wow, this was a really captivating horror novel! I haven't read Baker's other works, as I believe they're YA and I don't read a lot of YA, but I may nWow, this was a really captivating horror novel! I haven't read Baker's other works, as I believe they're YA and I don't read a lot of YA, but I may need to change my mind about that if this is how strong a writer she is. This was atmospheric, creepy (also really, really gory, which is not something I actually enjoy, so heads up if you are like me and don't love lots of gore), and so strongly rooted in the 2020-2021 COVID setting that I felt like I was back in that awful, uncertain time. Baker is an excellent writer, to force my headspace back into those days.
Cora is a young Chinese-American woman who struggles with obsessive-compulsive tendencies around cleanliness. Her sister, with whom she had a complicated relationship, was horrifically murdered and Cora's life was derailed, and she has ended up as a crime scene cleaner during the COVID pandemic in NYC. The story is driven by Cora's anxieties and disconnection from Chinese culture, her difficult relationship with different family members and her hesitation to let people into her life. It's a fascinating away to introduce readers unfamiliar with the Hungry Ghost festival and the traditions and rituals it entails, while also heightening the tension as Cora begins to encounter two inexplicable things at once: all the dead bodies she's being called to clean up are Asian women as of late, and a terrifying figure is lurking in the shadows and eating chunks out of her coffee table.
I love horror driven by social forces, and horror that explores if humans or monsters are the real monsters. This book does both beautifully. I kept having to set it down and walk away because it was too tense and too creepy and I needed a break. That's a pretty high recommendation from me. Cora is a fascinating character, and her two friends, other crime scene cleaners, are great foils for her. There were some things in the book that didn't work for me. As noted, I don't really love gory books, and this was super gory. I can't really dock it for that, though; that's what this book was, and me not liking it is a personal thing. However, I felt like the last quarter of the book was rushed, with some major things happening that didn't feel necessary for the story. It also had some pacing issues occasionally, getting a little bogged down.
Overall, I did love this. I waited to write my review for several days after finishing, because I was still mulling over all of the themes and impacts of the book. It may not be perfect, but I still think it's a fantastic read that people should pick up.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC for review; all opinions are my own....more
Another delightful outing for Russell and Holmes! The 19th in the series, this book introduces us to the black sheep of Russell's family, her Uncle JaAnother delightful outing for Russell and Holmes! The 19th in the series, this book introduces us to the black sheep of Russell's family, her Uncle Jack, her father's brother. While he's an important figure in Russell's life, as we soon learn, he also has his own, previously unknown connection to Holmes as well. This book explores the history of the so-called Irish Crown Jewels and their theft in the early 20th century, the recent-in-the-book Irish War of Independence and its effects in the immediate years after, and (briefly, but interestingly!) the breed history of the Irish Wolfhound. It's a very Irish-focused book, on the whole!
Whereas the last book was a departure in form and style, this book was a return to the adventure format, though there isn't really a ton of actual mystery to be solved here. The topic implies that there is, but in truth, many of the characters have the answers that are being sought and just reveal things over time. While this doesn't have a strong mystery focus, and moves away from the quieter, introspective character study of Lantern's Dance, it does hew closely to an adventure format, which makes sense given the character of Jack Russell and his own personal background. It's a very fast-paced story, moving swiftly from beat to beat as it carries us along to find the Irish Crown Jewels. A majority of the characters we meet are real people (if sometimes unmoored in time, as the author herself admits in her note at the end), which brings home the historical elements of this historical mystery. One thing Laurie R King always does so well is present these elements of history to us in a way that makes me, at least, immediately go to look things up and learn more about the topic. This book was no exception.
I did have some critiques for this book, however, though I did enjoy it a great deal. I thought it was repetitive in some places, for example. We have 3 POVs in this book (Russell, Holmes, and Jack), and often two characters will be together while another character is off somewhere else, leading to moments where we have a scene with two of the characters, and later those characters provide a recap of the on-page scene to the third character who wasn't present. It's usually kept rather short, but it still wasn't really necessary. I continue to lament that the one thing I want in the series since book 10 STILL hasn't happened (JUST LET MYCROFT AND MARY FIGHT), though it was hinted at in a truly tantalizing fashion here. I also found some of the character motivations slightly unbelievable, particularly with Jack, leaving me to feel like there is more going on than was really explored or even hinted at.
Nonetheless, this was just an enjoyable, relaxing, and familiar read. I continue to return to these books over and over because they're comfortable and fun and I love seeing what will happen next. King has mentioned some possibilities for her next Russell books in her newsletter, and there is one in particular that I do hope she gets to write in the next few years - hopefully I'll get to write a review for that book at some point!
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book; all opinions are my own....more
4.5 stars rounded up. I was very excited for a novel-length Mossa and Pleiti book, even if it was a short novel, and it paid off quite well. The sligh4.5 stars rounded up. I was very excited for a novel-length Mossa and Pleiti book, even if it was a short novel, and it paid off quite well. The slightly longer length gives the author more time to explore the worldbuilding, the themes, and the characters, which was very much needed. While the previous two books in the series technically feel a bit more tightly written (in part because they're novellas, and they need to be), I greatly appreciated the breathing room that this book had, allowing us to really sit with the events of the book and what the characters were going through in a way that we haven't been able to do before.
Pleiti is off on another adventure, but this time Mossa isn't with her. This leads to a really lovely exploration of Pleiti as an investigator, trying to apply Mossa's techniques to a situation involving claims of academic fraud and increasing threats against a scholar. It is always a delight to see the "Watson" try to be the "Holmes", but what I truly loved about this particular iteration of the idea is that there is a realization that Pleiti needs to be Pleiti, and her own training is equally useful to an investigation, if in a different way than one might think. I really loved this outcome for Pleiti, and seeing her continue to grow is one of the best parts of this series. And while Mossa is largely not present for half of the book, her absence is certainly felt, and the weight of her character is never forgotten. The reunion between the two, and the mix of emotions about the situation, was very well-handled.
(I also loved that this was in many ways an homage to Hound of the Baskervilles, although not in the way one might expect.)
The mystery itself is solid, though slower than the other books because it has more time to be explored. The worldbuilding really gets to expand in this book, as we go to another university and see the reputation and rivalry that the universities have with each other, as well as the tensions between the Classicists and Modernists. We learn more about the different platforms of Jupiter and the cultures that those platforms have. We also see more of the impact of the events from the first book, in a way that has some promise as the series progresses.
One thing other reviewers have commented on, and which did strike me more than ever while reading, is the work that Older is doing with language. Older imagines a world in which language from Earth has evolved and changed, with different languages mingling together to create a new standard language. There were bits of this in previous books, but because this book is longer, it is much more present in the narrative. I didn't find it distracting or overwhelming, but there were occasions where I'd pause to look up the meaning of a word, since it came from a language I don't know. I thought it was well-done, as there are plenty of context clues, and you can certainly figure out what is being said even if you don't know the exact meaning of the word. But it is more present in this book than in other ones, as a heads up.
I continue to enjoy this series very much, and am grateful that Older keeps returning to these characters and this world. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC; all views are my own....more
3.5 stars rounded up. Always an enjoyable read, but I was disappointed that some of the interpersonal conflict was wrapped up in a paragraph at the en3.5 stars rounded up. Always an enjoyable read, but I was disappointed that some of the interpersonal conflict was wrapped up in a paragraph at the end without delving further into it. Nonetheless, very fun....more
4.5 stars rounded up. A Drop of Corruption is one of my most anticipated books for 2025 and yes, I am sitting here going - oh no, did I make a mistake4.5 stars rounded up. A Drop of Corruption is one of my most anticipated books for 2025 and yes, I am sitting here going - oh no, did I make a mistake by getting an eARC and reading it before 2025 has even begun?? Thankfully, rereading exists! I thoroughly enjoyed this and it continues to make me excited about this series as a whole.
I want to get the "negative" out of the way first. I think, in some ways, the character work was sloppier in this book than I would have liked. There are two external pressures on Din that are raised early in this book, and I don't really think they were well-integrated into the overall story. They were a bit of a surprise, when I started the book - I wouldn't have said they were really projected at all in the first book - and the execution and ultimate resolution were, in my opinion, clunky. Also, I recognize this is partly because I never really enjoy this in books, but: there was an inclusion of sex in this book that felt very unnecessary; I don't think it added to anything to our understanding of Din, and it honestly felt like it was there because Serious Fantasy Has Sex. (It was not explicit scenes by any means, though. But it felt like a diversion rather than anything that drove our understanding of Din and his struggles.) I thought some of the Ana elements were better integrated, however, adding to the overall mystery of the series. Finally, someone needs to either take away RJB's exclamation point key or edit him a little further on that front.
With that out of the way...
I LOVED THIS BOOK. I think Robert Jackson Bennett is building something really interesting with this world and his themes. This book dives a lot further into the worldbuilding of the Empire of Khanum and the leviathans that fuel so much of how this world functions. In this book, we move from the outer walls of the Empire to a nearby country that is promised to join the Empire in the future and, in the meantime, serves as the site of the Empire's experimental science lab, if you will, for dealing with leviathan corpses. A probable murder has occurred, bringing Din and Ana to this distant realm. Because of the location and the importance of the experimental site, we really get to learn more about the workings of the Empire and its fear-yet-reliance on the leviathans. Seeing the Empire and its people in part through the eyes of a country that despises and resents them brings some new perspectives on the work of Din, Ana, and the different Sublimes that we meet. While this dove into so much, it left me with more questions that I hope future books explore. I am especially curious about one particular element given RJB's author's note. We also learn much more about grafts and the augmentations that people take that are derived from leviathan blood. There was one bombshell at the end that I thought was very well set-up (I was able to see it coming) that has a lot of implications for the world and where the next books in this series go.
What about the mystery, though, since this is a sci-fantasy mystery (and yes, I will argue till I'm blue in the face that this is a SCI-fantasy, not just a fantasy!)? I ADORED the mystery. I think it was incredibly well-done. It pivots from the mystery that is promised in the description rather quickly, and rightly so. As someone who has read a lot of Sherlock Holmes mysteries and Golden Age of Crime mysteries, there are very few mystery tropes that I haven't just read, but read many, many interpretations of. So starting with your classic locked room trope and then pivoting was a smart choice, I think, for people like me who've read it a thousand times and thus have a thousand potential solutions rattling in our brain. The mystery remains well-centered as a mystery, never devolving into a thriller (though this book is quite tense in moments!), and one of the things that I admire about this mystery is that it adheres to the rules of Fair Play. As a Sherlock Holmes fan, I've read many pastiches where lots of adventure happens, but the detective ends up gathering all the important clues off-screen, where the reader never sees it, and so the mystery gets wrapped up but the reader has no way of playing along. This book has plenty of adventure (SO TENSE IN MOMENTS), but it never forgets that, at its core, it is a mystery, and one of the joys of a mystery is trying to solve it. I am very happy to say that I did solve this mystery prior to the reveal, and it was a very satisfying feeling, putting all the pieces together. I have no idea if it was TOO easy to solve, because I read so many mysteries that it's hard to surprise me, but I did actually enjoy the entire experience, regardless.
I also want to add here that while I am somewhat critical of some of the character development, especially for Din, I think one of the areas where this book (and Tainted Cup) shines is in its secondary characters. I adore Din and Ana, of course - but Malo had my whole heart in this book, and there are two characters we meet later, connected to the Shroud, that I also found really fascinating. Whatever my feelings are about some of the conflicts given to Din in this book, I still think a lot of the character work was excellent.
Finally, I want to spare a moment for the atmosphere of this book. One of the things that I love about this series is its unflinching look at some of the uglier bits of running a society - and I genuinely mean ugly, as this book takes a look at the preservation of bodies, a run down and falling apart infrastructure, and a rather disgusting swamp. Fantasy often focuses on some of the nicer, more beautiful elements, and I can appreciate a book that looks at the opposite. It also continues the themes from the first book, of looking at the underbelly of running a society - the people who do the dirty work of maintenance, in this case the maintenance of justice, whatever that might look like.
Here's how I'll sum up my enjoyment of this book: upon finishing it, I babbled at my poor, patient partner about some of the themes that I thought were intriguing in this book, and then promptly started the book from the beginning once more. I don't think this was as strong as The Tainted Cup in several ways, but I think it still says something that I immediately wanted to read it again. I really love this series, and I find myself desperately hoping that it isn't just a trilogy (I want at least five books), because all the things I want this series to explore and answer cannot possibly be contained in just three books. I am very grateful to NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book; all opinions are my own....more
I don't read too many thrillers, so maybe this was derivative or basic for all I know, but I had a good time with it. Easy to read, a good popcorn booI don't read too many thrillers, so maybe this was derivative or basic for all I know, but I had a good time with it. Easy to read, a good popcorn book. All the sex drama got a little tiring after a while, though, so I am docking it for that....more
3.5 stars. One of my issues with the earlier books in this series was the plots were wildly convoluted at times. The later books fixed that issue and 3.5 stars. One of my issues with the earlier books in this series was the plots were wildly convoluted at times. The later books fixed that issue and got a little more streamlined and clean. This book, however, returns to a more convoluted formula. Also, the description for this book is WILDLY inaccurate. It covers some of the points, but makes some things out to be way more relevant to the story than they actually are. Still, a good time, absolutely fun brain candy. And the romance between Charlotte and Ash wasn't as annoying in this book!...more
A thoughtful exploration of the contradictions and paradoxes that have arisen in modern scholarship related to concepts of settler colonialism, withouA thoughtful exploration of the contradictions and paradoxes that have arisen in modern scholarship related to concepts of settler colonialism, without condemning the desire for injustices to be righted....more
3.75 stars. Good ol' frothy fun. This mimicked, in some ways, the structure of some Golden Era mystery novels (especially Ngai Marsh), where the major3.75 stars. Good ol' frothy fun. This mimicked, in some ways, the structure of some Golden Era mystery novels (especially Ngai Marsh), where the majority of the book is just a sleuth interviewing suspects. Not always my favorite choice, to be honest, but I liked how the interviews were occasionally interspersed with flashbacks, revealing that (view spoiler)[our protagonists know more than they're letting on. (hide spoiler)] The romance is still annoying and drawn out between Charlotte and Ingram; there's miscommunication trope, and then there is miscommunication trope that lasts FOUR BOOKS. Also, the resolution to some of the bigger plot elements was way too quick. But I really just read these books as brain candy, and it was fun, so there it is....more
4.75 stars. This was such a surprise- it was an amazing examination of fascism and deconstruction from a toxic, destructive, hateful ideology. The syn4.75 stars. This was such a surprise- it was an amazing examination of fascism and deconstruction from a toxic, destructive, hateful ideology. The synopsis was interesting enough- hence why I got it in my Illumicrate subscription many months ago- but what the book ACTUALLY is is so much more than the synopsis. I loved these awful characters and their awful choices and all the ways they were trying to do the right thing, both when they were still in their more brainwashed state and as they painfully, slowly, began to rethink everything they knew to be true. Kyr is a messy, terrible person, but I also loved Avi, who is just... nasty and vengeful and so badly broken and shaped by Gaea. This is a book that will stick with me, and I'm so happy to have a special edition on my shelves....more
3.75 stars rounded up. I continue to enjoy Kitasei's works while wishing there was a little extra something in them. In this case, I loved the first 73.75 stars rounded up. I continue to enjoy Kitasei's works while wishing there was a little extra something in them. In this case, I loved the first 70% and the story it was telling, and I really loved the worldbuilding and the aliens. They were really cool and interesting and kept my attention. But at about the 70% mark, everything started to rush and we switched to getting told a lot of things rather than experiencing them, and it hurt the emotional impact of various things. And then the book just sort of ended. I think Kitasei has a lot of really good ideas, is very creative, and has some strong writing chops, but she's still developing as an author and has some clear flaws in her work. But I think she's absolutely worth reading and coming back to, because she can only grow....more
4.5 stars roundedup. And she sticks the landing! A really fantastic end to a consistently great series. While the entire series explores the impact of4.5 stars roundedup. And she sticks the landing! A really fantastic end to a consistently great series. While the entire series explores the impact of faith and religion, I really feel like those themes go hard in this book, as we take the ongoing issues of Malini and the expectation that she burn by the priests of her empire and bring in the eldritch horror of the yaksa, the gods of Priya's people, and more fully explores how alien they are, their origin, and how they function in this world. I loved the question throughout the book of - what do you do when your gods are just as bad as the empire that crushed you underfoot? What happens when they're WORSE? The conflict that Priya deals with in this book is utterly captivating, and really elevates this series above other, more basic rebellion fantasy series. I loved the look at what choices people will make when all their choices are bad, and how people survive while trying to keep their morals and ethics intact - or not.
I also think that the relationship between Malini and Priya is one of the best in the enemies-to-lovers space. The author at no point disregards the very real reasons these two characters have to distrust each other, and doesn't ignore the issues of power imbalance throughout the series. I do think that some things were tied up too neatly, when they came back together in this book, but given how much was going on in the book, it didn't surprise me too much. Also, even though this is a sapphic fantasy, I didn't read this series for the romance, so. I don't really care that I think one of the main tensions between these two from the previous book was wrapped up too neatly. I did like the ultimate ending these two were given; I was concerned about the direction this would go, but I needn't have been; Suri wrote it very well, without making things too easy or pat.
And Bhumika remains amazing. She has consistently been my favorite throughout the series, and while she had some bits that really dragged, I still loved her and everything about her. I think one of the things that I love best about this series, too, is that even though Priya and Malini are undoubtedly the main characters, Suri has put so much effort into making her secondary characters into very, very real people. Bhumika might share main character status, to an extent, with Priya and Malini, so it makes sense that she is beautifully drawn. But Rukh, Sima, Rao, Jeevan, Raziya, Varsha, Ganam, Sahar... even if some of them don't get POV chapters, they are fully realized characters, with motivations and emotions and their own lives that we get a sense of, even if we don't see them.
I am so glad this series ended strongly. I am excited to purchase this book when it comes out. Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC; all opinions are my own....more
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