Imagine you're a single woman, living on your own in London, and then one night you come home from your best friend's raucous hen night and your husbaImagine you're a single woman, living on your own in London, and then one night you come home from your best friend's raucous hen night and your husband is waiting for you. Would you freak out? What if, just as you're getting used to this husband (who is definitely your husband according to your phone, friends, and family), he goes up into the attic and another husband descends in his place?
What proceeds is a parade of husbands, men who Lauren (our protagonist) could have met and married had things gone just a little differently. Some husbands she sends back to the attic immediately, while others she tries out for a while. And the husbands have a ripple effect on different aspects of her life, from the furnishings in her flat to her job and relationships with family and friends. Will Lauren find the perfect husband eventually?
The Husbands was a highly entertaining vacation read: hilarious and highly implausible and yet, with some essential truth at its core. (If you believe there's one soul mate out there for everyone, this may not be the book for you.)
There were a few situations where Lauren's choices were cringe-inducing. I reread most of the book, after reading The Husbands, to refresh my memory and skipped some sections because I just couldn't go there again: (view spoiler)[ pretty much the entire Felix relationship, the attempted reunion with Carter, drugging Amos and bullying Zach back into the attic (hide spoiler)].
Read for the 2025 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge: Prompt #37: Two books with the same title (1)...more
Oof. I loved Eowyn Ivey's previous novels, with their Alaskan setting, lyric writing, and hints of magic. When I heard her latest being touted as a BeOof. I loved Eowyn Ivey's previous novels, with their Alaskan setting, lyric writing, and hints of magic. When I heard her latest being touted as a Beauty & the Beast retelling, I couldn't wait.
The setting and writing were still spot on, but the whole "beast" thing is just weird. And not a good weird. Birdie, one of the main characters (along with her 6-year-old daughter Emmaleen) is just... I don't even know if I have words. She's a very damaged young woman, but the carelessness with which she treats everyone around her, especially her daughter, is just horrifying.
Other reviewers have examined the many disturbing aspects of the story, so I'm going to leave it at that.
Read for the 2025 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge: Prompt #19: A highly anticipated read of 2025...more
I love a good retelling. Nikki Marmery takes the Jewish myth of , first wife of Adam, and tells her side of not just that story, but other JudeoI love a good retelling. Nikki Marmery takes the Jewish myth of , first wife of Adam, and tells her side of not just that story, but other Judeo-Christian myths as Lilith struggles her way through the centuries trying to right the wrongs started by Adam and Jehovah in the Garden of Eden. You know, that whole subjugation of women thing. The one that's still happening.
Read for Popsugar Reading Challenge 2025 Prompt #5: A book with a snake on the cover or in the title...more
For centuries, Penny's hometown has been famous for its sleep products. Now it has evolved into a metropolis with a surging population. The locals, inFor centuries, Penny's hometown has been famous for its sleep products. Now it has evolved into a metropolis with a surging population. The locals, including Penny, who grew up here, are used to seeing outsiders roaming around in sleepwear. Penny sips on her now-cold coffee. The bitter caffeine seems to mute the background noise and cool the air around her. The extra charge for two Calm Syrup pumps is worth it. She pulls out her job prep questions and rereads the last one, which she has been struggling with. Q. Which dream and dreammaker won the Grand Prix at the 1999 Dream of the Year Awards by a unanimous vote? a. "Crossing the Pacific Ocean as a Killer Whale" by Kick Slumber b. "Living as My Parents for a Week" by Yasnoozz Otra c. "Floating in Space Gazing Down at Earth" by Wawa Sleepland" d. "Teatime with a Historical Figure" by Doje e. "An Infertile Couple's Dream Foretelling the Birth of Triplets" by Babynap Rockabye
I don't think "healing fiction" is my jam. So pointless. So twee.
The one storyline I was slightly interested in (view spoiler)[Maxim, the nightmare producer, seems to be interested in Penny and jealous of her interest in Bancho who makes dreams for animals (hide spoiler)] gets dropped. The character never shows up again.
Read for Popsugar Reading Challenge 2025 Prompt #23: A book that is considered healing fiction ...more
Why haven't I read more Ursula K. Le Guin? I know that I read The Tombs of Atuan for a a juvenile lit class, but otherwise, I can't remember reading aWhy haven't I read more Ursula K. Le Guin? I know that I read The Tombs of Atuan for a a juvenile lit class, but otherwise, I can't remember reading any of her books. I decided to start with Rocannon's World, her very first novel and the beginning of the "Hainish Cycle," all set in the same future where the League of All Nations unites various humanoid civilizations from across the universe. (The Left Hand of Darkness is the most well-known book from the cycle, but I like to read series in order, even when they're not chronological.
Rocannon's World is a fascinating mixture of sci-fi and fantasy (Le Guin apparently said she was influenced by Norse mythology while writing this first novel). Gaverel Rocannon, an ethnologist, is the only scientist left alive after an attack on the planet he's been studying. As he tries to track down the group that killed his friends and co-workers, he takes an epic trip across the planet accompanied by and encountering various intelligent life forms along the way. There's a very Tolkienesque feel to this futuristic tale. Le Guin sucked me into the world in barely over 100 pages. I'm excited to read the rest of the novels in the cycle. ...more
Everyone knows that Medusa was a monster and Perseus was a hero, right?
I’m wondering if you still think of her as a monster. I suppose it depends on Everyone knows that Medusa was a monster and Perseus was a hero, right?
I’m wondering if you still think of her as a monster. I suppose it depends on what you think that word means. Monsters are, what? Ugly? Terrifying? Gorgons are both these things, certainly, although Medusa wasn’t always. Can a monster be beautiful if it is still terrifying? Perhaps it depends on how you experience fear and judge beauty.
I wasn't expecting so many different storylines that comprise the backstories of the major players: Athene, Perseus and his mother Danae, Cassiope & Andromeda, etc. It all works for the most part, although it's a bit jarring at the beginning. Ms. Haynes shows us how much there is to unpack in Greek mythology: sexism, cruelty, and a ton of rape. I mean, I knew Zeus was an asshole, but this really brings it to light. Now I need to reread the "original" versions.
This is not where Bridge is supposed to be. Story of her life. But here especially, standing on the threshold of her dead mother's home--this most hauThis is not where Bridge is supposed to be. Story of her life. But here especially, standing on the threshold of her dead mother's home--this most haunted of houses. Reality is not real, her mom used to say. Your perception is a lie your mind tells you. It's only that Jo's brain told her grander and more dangerous lies than most people's--that the world was more than it was--and for a time after they got back from being on the run, Bridge believed it too. "It's not your fault," her therapist, Monica, told her repeatedly. She was a little kid, seven years old; her mom had a brain tumor that made her delusional, and she brought Bridge into her dreamworld for a little while. She was better afterward, didn't mention it for years and years, but then she got sick again, and it all came rushing back. The absurd, desperate fantasy. And now she is dead.
Bridge, which takes its title from both the main character (Bridget Kittinger-Harris) and her neuroscientist mother's (Joanna "Jo" Kittinger) belief that she's found a bridge to other realities through a "dream worm," is the third Lauren Beukes novel I've read. All three have a certain feel, involving serial killers with a sci-fi/supernatural element (time-travel, inter-dimensionality, parallel-lives), suspenseful atmosphere, and some brutal horror ick factors. If you've read Ms. Beukes before, you know that Bridge's mom wasn't just delusional because of a brain tumor, but you also know to expect the unexpected.
And so when Bridge and her BFF Dom (a gender-nonconforming Puerto Rican warm hug of a human being) start cleaning up the chaos of Jo's house and find something strangely familiar to Bridge, of course Bridge is going down the rabbit hole. Because maybe her mom was right all along. Maybe all Bridge's memories of being other versions of herself weren't her imagination. (Okay, you know they weren't and I absolutely loved seeing the different worlds out there. Also, shame on me for taking 155 pages to realize that (view spoiler)[ Bridge and Dom aren't in our reality. (hide spoiler)] I mean, (view spoiler)["Lifebook" instead of Facebook (hide spoiler)] should have clued me in on page 11, but it took (view spoiler)[ "They're filming it for YouTube, which is like YouVid, but with no moderating or fact-checking. Total free-for-all," and "Do you know they have a new cold war going on, along with multiple pandemics?" OMG, we are in the darkest timeline. (hide spoiler)])
Told entirely in third person POV (except Jo's diary excerpts and a few emails), the focus shifts between Bridge, Dom, and a few other characters, keeping the story fluid, but not confusing. And because this is Lauren Beukes novel, there is a "bad guy" stalking victims, this time through multiple realities (view spoiler)[ and female! (hide spoiler)], but it may take a little while to identify the killer. (There's also a douchey dude, reminiscent of Jonno in Broken Monsters.)
4.5 stars rounded up, because I was enthralled, despite a few minor quibbles, and because of Dom....more
Take Izzy Spellman from The Spellman Files or Roxane Weary from The Last Place You Look, give her a twin sister who is good at everything, including mTake Izzy Spellman from The Spellman Files or Roxane Weary from The Last Place You Look, give her a twin sister who is good at everything, including magic, and hand her a case at the magical high school where her sister teaches. If you're picturing Hogwarts, adjust that to something closer to the school in The Secret Place, but in California.
Ivy (our hot mess female private eye) is approached by the headmaster of Osthorne Academy for Young Mages. The health teacher, Sylvia Capley, was found dead in the library during the school's welcome-back dinner. The NMIS (National Mage Investigative Service) ruled her death a suicide or a self-inflicted spell gone wrong. Ms. Torres, the headmaster, disagrees. Since Ivy already knows about the existence of Osthorne, she seems like an ideal investigator. Except that seeing her estranged sister exacerbates Ivy's little drinking problem and sends her down the rabbit-hole of what her life could have been like if she had magic, too.
Through interviewing staff and students, Ivy begins to discover all the little secrets and relationships that are standard for a boarding school, and to learn who could have been powerful enough to kill Ms. Capley and motivated to do so. If staff and students assume that Ivy also has magic training, what's the harm in that? Except that Ivy finds herself drawn to one of the teachers, who may be upset when he realizes she's been deceiving him. And Ivy may not be able to defend herself if she gets too close to the truth.
Although it borrows tropes from several different genres, this mash-up is entirely unique and the characters are much more than caricatures. The mystery, the magic, the self-examination...it all worked for me. ...more
If the bread hadn't burned, this would be a very different story. If the cook's son hadn't come home late the night before, if the cook hadn't known hIf the bread hadn't burned, this would be a very different story. If the cook's son hadn't come home late the night before, if the cook hadn't known he was hanging around that lady playwright, if she hadn't lain awake fretting for his immortal soul and weeping over the future fates of possible grandchildren, if she hadn't been tired and distracted, then the bread would not have burned and the calamities that followed might have belonged to some other house than Casa Ordoño, one some other street than Calle de Dos Santos.
Luzia is a scullion, a kitchen girl past the age when she should have married, an orphan of questionable lineage (the questionable part being the Jewish heritage that was dangerous in 16th century Spain), with nothing of value except magical powers passed through her mother's side of the family. She uses these to make her difficult life a little easier.
Her aunt had taught her the words, pulled from letters written in countries far across the sea, but the tune was always Luzia's. The songs just came into her head, the notes making a pleasant buzz on her tongue -- to double the sugar when there was no money for more, to start the fire when the embers had gone cold, to fix the bread when the top had burned so badly. Small ways to avert small disasters, to make the long days of work a little more bearable.
But then Luzia's mistress, Valentina, realizes what the little maid can do and tries to use these powers to raise her own social status. Soon Victor de Paredes, the luckiest man in Madrid, wants Luzia to be his entry in a contest to become King Philip's new champion. He assigns his servant Santángel to train Luzia in both courtly manners and competitive miracles, but Santángel is no ordinary man and Luzia is not the simple maid she appears to be. Will they be forced to be pawns in the machinations of their social superiors, or will they each find a way to live on their own terms?
I love the fairy tale tone to this mash-up of historical fiction and fantasy. I love Leigh Bardugo's complex, flawed characters, the way she reveals what has already happened, what could have been, and what will be, her intricate ways of turning phrases. This novel isn't perfect, but it's a solid 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for originality....more
This review is specifically for the audiobook version read by Martin Jarvis.
Erm...Good Omens is one of those rare cases where the film (or small screeThis review is specifically for the audiobook version read by Martin Jarvis.
Erm...Good Omens is one of those rare cases where the film (or small screen) adaptation is actually better than the book. (But when David Tennant and Michael Sheen are involved, can there be another outcome?)
While I enjoyed listening to the 10+ hour audiobook (mostly) during a road trip with my 16-year-old who watched the Amazon adaptation with me several years ago, it just dragged on too much. The book version contains too much detail within the characters' minds that just bogs down the story.
Watch the excellent film adaptation and skip the book version (audio or otherwise) unless you're dying to hear every minute detail of each character's life. ...more
In a city swollen by refugees but still mostly at peace, or at least not yet openly at war, a young man met a young woman in a classroom and did not sIn a city swollen by refugees but still mostly at peace, or at least not yet openly at war, a young man met a young woman in a classroom and did not speak to her. For many days. His name was Saeed and her name was Nadia and he had a beard, not a full beard, more a studiously maintained stubble, and she was always clad from the tips of her toes to the bottom of her jugular notch in a flowing black robe. Back then people continued to enjoy the luxury of wearing more or less what they wanted to wear, clothing and hair wise, within certain bounds of course, and so these choices meant something.
And so begins a story which is both small and large: the story of two people trying to survive in a world torn apart by politics and war, trying to hold on to morsels of love and happiness they find, wrapped up within the story of a world completely changed by the global discovery of doors that connect diverse locations on the planet, doors that allow refugees to escape harrowing circumstances without having to make long, dangerous journeys (although what they find on the other side of the door might not be much safer, just different).
The first half of the novel tells the story of Saeed and Nadia's romance in the midst of a city in turmoil, as militants perpetrate acts of violence and the government tries to maintain control. Eventually conditions in their unnamed city become worse than their fear of the unknown and they travel through one of these mysterious doors and later another and then another, "natives" of various areas reacting to refugees as "natives" too often do. (All of this leads to interesting examinations of what it means to be "native" in various parts of Europe and North America.)
Through these relocations, Saeed and Nadia find themselves reacting differently to the challenges of change and impermanency. Will they be able to maintain their relationship or are they bound to go their separate ways?
All of this is told in an interesting narrative voice: both distanced and intimate, filled with long sentences and very little dialogue. Interspersed with Nadia and Saeed's story are little cameos by other travelers between doors, some refugees and other migrating for other reasons. I find this big little novel charming and thought-provoking and heart-breaking. (It was another recommendation from the same library co-worker who recommended The Keep. I'm going to keep listening to her.)
...everyone migrates, even if we stay in the same houses our whole lives, because we can't help it. We are all migrants through time. ...more
A stunning supernatural thrillerhorrifying gore fest set in Siberia, where a film crewdesperate film-maker/grifter (and his British best bro/cameramA stunning supernatural thrillerhorrifying gore fest set in Siberia, where a film crewdesperate film-maker/grifter (and his British best bro/cameraman who he owes money) is covering an elusive ghost story abouttrying to come up with a pitch centered around the Kolyma Highway, a road built on top of the bones of prisoners of Stalin's gulag.
What I expected: an atmospheric thriller that centered around the history of the Kolyma Highway. The town of Akhust, along the Kolyma, is the coldest inhabited place on the planet, and I knew from the book blurb that they find it empty...all the inhabitants just vanished, leaving their doors open and dinner on the table.
What I got: about 75 pages of that...ish...before it turned into a non-stop action gore fest where pretty much everyone dies at the hands/jaws/antlers of supernatural beasts. We get all the characters' backstories (tortured obvs) which is apparently supposed to make them well-rounded before their gruesome injuries and deaths.
There's an old woman walking the highway, praying for the spirits of those who died making the highway. She's basically unrelated to the rest of the plot and just serves as a break from the gut-wrenching horror of the rest of the crew being chased south by ghost wolves, giant elk people, and a malicious forest spirit called a parnee.
I stayed up late read the second half because I didn't want this story taking up space in my head for another night. If you like your spooky stories blood-drenched and vaguely explained, this might be the book for you. It was not for me.
I brought this home for my 13-year-old after he finished reading the entire Harry Potter series for probably the fourth time (not counting the time I I brought this home for my 13-year-old after he finished reading the entire Harry Potter series for probably the fourth time (not counting the time I read it to him).
His reaction halfway through:
[image]
And at the end:
[image]
So I was curious and he didn't want to discuss before I read it, because
[image]
So...The Ickabog, which Ms. Rowling apparently wrote before Harry Potter, but then polished up and released a chapter at a time during lockdown, starts off very cute, in a land called Cornucopia, where the towns are all food themed and everyone has alliterative names. The king is vain and stupid, easily persuaded by his lazy, selfish friends. You see where this is going, right?
It's a cautionary tale about totalitarian governments and collusion as the path of least resistance. While the tone and subject matter don't always match up, a 13 y.o. and a 44 y.o. both found it entertaining (albeit slightly predictable). I especially enjoy that the printed edition includes artwork by children (ages 7-12, some of it really impressive). ...more
Simon was just way too much for me in this book. It all works out eventually, but there is way too much drama (and a weird biting fetSo. much. angst.
Simon was just way too much for me in this book. It all works out eventually, but there is way too much drama (and a weird biting fetish and crying and forehead bumping) for me. Simon struggles with everything: whether he should get his wings removed, whether he can handle being around mages when he has no magic, whether he should break up with Baz (who is still ridiculously perfect). At least Simon and Baz are somewhat distracted from all their relationship issues by a mysterious Simon look-alike who claims to be the real Chosen One.
Agatha is back home after the events of Wayward Son, working part time at her father's magical medical office. She ends up involved with her dad's new intern and the Watford goats...who get their own very intense back story.
Luckily for my enjoyment level of this book, Penelope and Shepherd are totally amazing. Penny's need to solve everyone's problems really is severely tested by Shepherd's deal with a demon (which is not exactly how he initially described it). This was by far my favorite plot line.
While I really enjoyed some of the world building in this series, I'm happy to be done with it. ...more
The story of Angrboda, the witch who gave birth to three "monsters" (Hel, Fenrir, and Jormungard) fathered by Loki fascinates me. All of their fates sThe story of Angrboda, the witch who gave birth to three "monsters" (Hel, Fenrir, and Jormungard) fathered by Loki fascinates me. All of their fates seem so terribly unfair. Ms. Gornichec found the family fascinating enough to write an entire novel exploring their story, blending Angrboda with another witch named Gullveig (or Heid) who runs afoul of the gods, is burned three times, and has her heart removed for good measure.
"They say a witch used to live in these woods, a long long time ago,� she began. And this is what the little girl would tell her children and what they would tell their children long after the ones who came before were gone. “They say an old witch lived in the east, in Iron Wood. And there, she bore the wolves who chase the sun and moon. They say she went to Asgard and was burned three times upon a pyre and three times she was reborn before she fled. They say she loved a man with scarred lips and a sharp tongue; a man who gave her back her heart and more. They say she loved a woman too, a sword-wielding bride of the Gods; as bold as any man and fiercer still. They say she wandered, giving aid to those who needed it most, healing them with potions and spells. They say she stood her ground against the fires of Ragnarok, until the very end, until she was burned a final time. All but her heart reduce to ashes once more. But others say she lives yet.�
Basically, the Norse gods are assholes, in case you hadn't noticed, and this novel just drives that point home by humanizing some of their victims. (Loki doesn't get off lightly here, but he does have some sympathetic moments.)
Divided into two parts (before and after Angrboda's children are taken from her), both started too slowly for my taste, but built up interest as they progressed. More bluntly, I was alternately a little bored and completely gutted. Condensing parts of the story (especially the extensive banter between Angrboda and Loki) would have helped with the pacing.
Overall, a worthwhile read if you're interested in Norse mythology -- a good companion piece to Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology...more
Unfortunately, Sally Owens couldn't hold on to love and everyone knew it. She'd been the victim of her family's curse, not once but twice. She was quiUnfortunately, Sally Owens couldn't hold on to love and everyone knew it. She'd been the victim of her family's curse, not once but twice. She was quite young when she first married, a forbidden act that ended badly. Her husband Michael, a school friend and the father of her girls, had been a local boy and the first to ask her out; he was cursed with an untimely death, a victim of bad luck and bad weather, struck by lightning. Sally didn't speak for a year after his death, but she tried again with her second husband, Gary Hallet, a man she could depend on until he'd passed on a few years after their marriage. Gary had been afflicted with a childhood congenital heart condition that had finally caught up to him, but Sally was convinced his death had to be activated by the family curse, for Gary had always seemed to be as healthy as he was strong. (page 6)
Let me just unpack all my baggage right here. Because I've been along for this entire ride, including reading Practical Magic at least twice and the prequels as they were released.
First of all, Alice Hoffman killed off Gary. GARY! (Aidan Quinn's movie version was far superior to Book Gary, but still.) Not only that, but was it actually the curse? I mean, a congenital heart condition? And it took a couple years?
Second, this is the stupidest curse ever. Sally gets screwed over twice, but her sister Gillian manages to escape it by getting married in a courthouse and refusing to have it recorded (why bother???), refusing to wear a wedding ring, and living in different sections of a duplex, even though they sleep together most nights. HOW DO YOU TRICK A CURSE? WHO EXACTLY IS CARRYING IT OUT? Sally and Gillian's great aunt Jet lost her first love but was able to "trick" the curse by meeting up with her secret boyfriend once a month for SIXTY YEARS. But then Sally's younger daughter Kylie finally says "I love you" to her best friend (who's secretly been more than that for years, and which they've hidden from everyone despite not even knowing about the curse. Really?) and he gets hit by a car the next day. REALLY???? The curse is completely inconsistent and, at this point, just used as a plot device for Ms. Hoffman to do whatever she wants.
Third, all that exposition rehashing what happened in Practical Magic (and The Rules of Magic and Magic Lessons), that's easily half of the first 50 pages and a quarter of the entire book. Seriously. (Okay, I didn't actually keep a running total, but it's a feel fact.) And not just once. Every time Jet's first love, Levi Willard, is mentioned (by full name), we get reminded that of who he is and how he died. (It's like Ms. Hoffman realizes that she's crammed too many characters into these books and/or she has to remind herself who they all are.) The only other thing that happens in that first fifty pages is that Jet hears the death-watch beetle, ties up all her loose ends, and dies...for no apparent reason. But before she does, she discovers a way to break the curse.
Fourth, another quarter plus of the novel is background information (often unnecessary) for characters (old and new) and random facts about witchcraft, history, and literature that interrupt the flow of the narrative. For example, on page 155, Sally is about to knock on a door. It takes her until page 172 to complete the knock. Why? Because first we need to jump back to how she ended up being chosen to knock, how Gillian restrains herself from having a bathroom romp with a bartender, the ENTIRE LIFE STORY of the person whose door she's knocking on, including a list of all NINETEEN OF HIS PRISON TATTOOS. And this happens throughout the entire book. So. much. rambling.
Fifth, mostly because of the pacing, there is almost zero tension in the book. Unimportant things (like knocking on a door) take forever, but anything high stakes is over almost at once. (view spoiler)[ Tom Lockland, descendant of the Tom Lockland in Magic Lessons, unleashes a plague curse on Thornfield that is supposed to kill every single person in the village. Within 20 pages, the Owens family has it all wrapped up and dusted. Sally shaves her head and loses her magic, but it's not like she wanted it anyway. (hide spoiler)] You know they're going to end the curse because that's the whole point of the book and it's not at all a surprise that (view spoiler)[ Franny dies -- drowns herself with Maria Owens's Grimoire -- to do it. (hide spoiler)]
So, I'm disappointed. This was mostly a good series, but this last installation feels self-indulgent, overly-padded, inconsistent, and just too long....more
It took me a little while to warm to this story. (It's entirely possible that my heart is two sizes too small.)
[image]
In the beginning, Linus Baker's It took me a little while to warm to this story. (It's entirely possible that my heart is two sizes too small.)
[image]
In the beginning, Linus Baker's life is dismal. He works as a social worker in the enormous DICOMY (Department In Charge Of Magical Youth, loosely based on Canadian child welfare departments that stole indigenous children from their families throughout the 20th century): His small wooden desk was almost at the center of the room: Row L, Desk Seven in a room comprising 26 rows with fourteen desks in each row. There was barely any space between the desks. A skinny person would have no trouble getting by, but one who carried a few extra pounds around the middle (few being the operative word, of course)? If they'd been allowed to have personal knickknacks on their desks, it'd probably end in disaster for someone like Linus. But seeing as how that was against the rules, he mostly ended up bumping into them with his wide hips and apologizing hastily at the glares he received. It was one of the reasons he usually waited until the room was mostly empty before he left for the day. That and the fact he'd recently turned forty, and all he had to show for it was a tiny house, a crusty cat that would probably outlive everyone, and an ever-expanding waistline his doctor had poked and prodded with a strange amount of glee while bloviating about the wonders of dieting.
His boss is a terrible, negative woman with a sycophantic assistant, both of whom know Linus must have done something terrible to earn a summons to see "Extremely Upper Management." His neighbor is a grouchy old woman who hates Linus's cat, is sure he'll be fired soon, and offers to set Linus up with her accountant grandson who "does have a tendency toward rampant alcoholism." The nameless city in which Linus lives his lonely life seems to be permanently grey and rainy. It's all so over-the-top terrible.
Linus is given a special assignment by Extremely Upper Management: to investigate a highly unusual "orphanage" on an island, where six magical youths live with caretakers who may not themselves be entirely "human." It's up to Linus to decide whether the inmates of this island are a danger to themselves or others, but he may find a lot more than he expected. (Oh, you know it's all going to be saccharinely sweet and heartwarming.)
Somewhere along the way, I started picturing all the characters as actual caricatures and the story as an animated movie, which made it all more palatable. As animations, the thin characters can be pencil thin, while Linus can be perfectly pear-shaped. The monstrous children can be simultaneously monstrous and adorable. The color scheme can magically change from shades of grey to technicolor as Linus leaves the dreary city behind and sees the ocean for the first time in his miserable little life. The time period can remain purposely ambiguous (maybe the 1960s? because record players, typewriters, etc.) and certain parts of the story can defy the laws of physics.
And those monstrous children? They are hilarious and charming af. (Nothing ahead is really a spoiler, as the GR book synopsis reveals the identities of the six children as "a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist.")
Linus struggled to find his voice. "You're...you..." She frowned. "Of course I'm me. Who else would I be?" He shook his head, managing to clear the cobwebs before latching on to a name. "You're a gnome." She blinked owlishly at him. "Yes. I am. I'm Talia." She bent over and picked up a small shovel that had been laying on the grass next to her. "Are you Mr. Baker? If you are, we've been expecting to you. If not, you're trespassing, and you should leave before I bury you here in my garden. No one would ever know because the roots would eat your entrails and bones." She frowned again. "I think. I've never buried anyone before. It would be a learning experience for both of us."
Lucy was suddenly there beside him, causing Linus to jump in his seat. "Oh dear," he said. "Mr. Baker," Lucy said sweetly. "Can I get you something to drink? Juice, perhaps? Tea?" He leaned forward and dropped his voice. "The blood of a baby born in a cemetery under a full moon?" "Lucy," Mr. Parnassus warned. Lucy stared at Linus. "Whatever you want, I can give you," he whispered. Linus coughed weakly. "Water. Water is fine." "One water coming right up!" He reached up, grabbing an empty glass set next to Linus's plate. He took it to the sink, climbing up on his stool. He stuck his tongue out in concentration (through the gap where his two front teeth used to be) as he turned on the tap. Once the glass was full, he held it with both hands as he climbed down from his stool. He spilled nary a drop as he handed it over to Linus. "There," he said. "You're welcome! And I'm not even thinking about banishing your soul to eternal damnation or anything!" "Thank you," Linus managed to say. "That's very kind of you."
Overall, this was a 3.5 star read for me, rounded up because I recognize my own Grinchiness, and because I would absolutely watch the animated film version.
Overall, this has been a great series. (Although this is the end for now, with questions answered and loose ends tied up, Ms. Cogman says she will likOverall, this has been a great series. (Although this is the end for now, with questions answered and loose ends tied up, Ms. Cogman says she will likely write more IL stories in the future.) However, it took a direction in these last couple books that I didn't see coming and which got a little too fantasy for my taste. (view spoiler)[ A dragon, a fae, and a book-hoarding human started the Library, get all power-hungry, then start manifesting as shadow ghosts and controlling Librarians like black-eyed puppets. Srsly? (hide spoiler)] I was having a better time watching Irene and her companions (especially Peregrine Vale, one world's version of Sherlock Holmes) solve mysteries and retrieve books. If a continuation of the series has more of that (view spoiler)[ now that the Library is rid of evil influences (hide spoiler)], I will be delighted. ...more
Yikes! This (apparently) penultimate installment is my least favorite of the series so far. The first half drags, despite the constant action. Said acYikes! This (apparently) penultimate installment is my least favorite of the series so far. The first half drags, despite the constant action. Said action mostly consists of various combinations of Irene, Kai, Vale, and Irene's new Fae apprentice, Catherine* (mostly often by twosies) running around escaping assassination attempts by a mysterious villain, known as "The Professor." I like the Moriarty vibe, but it feels like a lot of headless chicken action. The introduction of Kai's dickish older brother doesn't do anything for me either.
The plot finally starts to pick up steam past the 200 page mark when the gang (finally with some direction) attend "The Grand Technological Exhibition" (in disguise, of course, with Vale doing his Sherlockian thing) to try to get some answers.
There's also a link to this breathtaking location:
[image]
[image]
And then there's the "big reveal" (which I've seen coming since Book 1), which is both hilarious and very fitting because (view spoiler)[ Vale figures it out and leaves Irene and Alberich flabbergasted. I mean, it is as if someone told Harry Potter that Voldemort was his father while Voldemort was all up in his brain. (hide spoiler)]
Overall, the ending has a DaVinci Code vibe that I really don't like, including an epilogue that feels really out of mood for the series. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to the final book...and hoping it doesn't disappoint.
*I do love that my name is chosen by a book-loving, glasses-wearing, wannabe-Librarian (or maybe just librarian) Fae. ...more
Loading...
