Judah's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 26 Nov 2024 04:17:30 -0800 60 Judah's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Strain (The Strain #1) 6294174 672 Guillermo del Toro 0061893900 Judah 4 3.56 2009 The Strain (The Strain #1)
author: Guillermo del Toro
name: Judah
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2009/08/11
date added: 2024/11/26
shelves: ooooooh-scary, series-to-remember-to-finish, apocalypse-wow
review:

]]> The Dog Stars 16124244 337 Peter Heller Judah 3 apocalypse-wow, nook 4.16 2012 The Dog Stars
author: Peter Heller
name: Judah
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2012/10/02
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: apocalypse-wow, nook
review:
I'll give it 3.5 stars. Not bad at all, there are quite a few nicely subtle emotional moments, but... it just kind of doodles along. Which isn't a bad thing, per se, just a thing. I think I may have enjoyed it more if I just sat down and read it, as opposed to dragging it out for a month, reading bits here and there.
]]> <![CDATA[The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)]]> 15810910
Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost. But that was before a rebellion upended his life. And once the powder smoke settled, he was left in charge of a demoralized force clinging tenuously to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.

To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must win the hearts of her men and lead them into battle against impossible odds.

The fates of both these soldiers and all the men they lead depend on the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has been sent by the ailing king to restore order. His military genius seems to know no bounds, and under his command, Marcus and Winter can feel the tide turning. But their allegiance will be tested as they begin to suspect that the enigmatic Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to ignite a meteoric rise, reshape the known world, and change the lives of everyone in its path.]]> 513 Django Wexler 0451465105 Judah 0 to-read 4.03 2013 The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)
author: Django Wexler
name: Judah
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Nestlings 65212029 Nat Cassidy is at his razor-sharp best again with his horror novel Nestlings, which harnesses the creeping paranoia of Rosemary's Baby and the urban horror of 'Salem's Lot, set in an exclusive New York City residential building.

Ana and Reid need a break. The horrifically complicated birth of their first child has left Ana paralyzed, bitter, and struggling―with mobility, with her relationship with Reid, with resentment for her baby. Reid dismisses disturbing events and Ana’s deep unease and paranoia, but he can't explain the needle-like bite marks on their baby.]]> 293 Nat Cassidy 1250265258 Judah 0 to-read 3.81 2023 Nestlings
author: Nat Cassidy
name: Judah
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Witchwood Crown (The Last King of Osten Ard, #1)]]> 31185918 New York Times-bestselling Tad Williams� ground-breaking epic fantasy saga of Osten Ard begins an exciting new cycle! � Volume One of The Last King of Osten Ard

The Dragonbone Chair, the first volume of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, was published in hardcover in October, 1988, launching the series that was to become one of the seminal works of modern epic fantasy. Many of today’s top-selling fantasy authors, from Patrick Rothfuss to George R. R. Martin to Christopher Paolini credit Tad with being the inspiration for their own series.

Now, twenty-four years after the conclusion of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Tad returns to his beloved universe and characters with The Witchwood Crown, the first novel in the long-awaited sequel trilogy, The Last King of Osten Ard.

Thirty years have passed since the events of the earlier novels, and the world has reached a critical turning point once again. The realm is threatened by divisive forces, even as old allies are lost, and others are lured down darker paths. Perhaps most terrifying of all, the Norns—the long-vanquished elvish foe—are stirring once again, preparing to reclaim the mortal-ruled lands that once were theirs....]]> 733 Tad Williams 069819148X Judah 0 to-read 4.17 2017 The Witchwood Crown (The Last King of Osten Ard, #1)
author: Tad Williams
name: Judah
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Monstrilio 62888191 A literary horror debut about a boy who transforms into a monster, a monster who tries to be a man, and the people who love him in every form he takes

Grieving mother Magos cuts out a piece of her deceased eleven-year-old son Santiago’s lung. Acting on fierce maternal instinct and the dubious logic of an old folktale, she nurtures the lung until it gains sentience, growing into the carnivorous little Monstrilio she keeps hidden within the walls of her family’s decaying Mexico City estate. Eventually, Monstrilio begins to resemble the Santiago he once was, but his innate impulses—though curbed by his biological and chosen family’s communal care—threaten to destroy this fragile second chance at life.

A thought-provoking meditation on grief, acceptance, and the monstrous sides of love and loyalty, Gerardo Sámano Córdova blends bold imagination and evocative prose with deep emotional rigor. Told in four acts that span the globe from Brooklyn to Berlin, Monstrilio offers, with uncanny clarity, a cathartic and precise portrait of being human.]]> 336 Gerardo Sámano Córdova 1638930368 Judah 0 to-read 4.11 2023 Monstrilio
author: Gerardo Sámano Córdova
name: Judah
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dangerous Spirits: The Windigo in Myth and History]]> 22164018 224 Shawn C. Smallman 1772030325 Judah 0 to-read 3.72 2014 Dangerous Spirits: The Windigo in Myth and History
author: Shawn C. Smallman
name: Judah
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Only Good Indians 52180399 The creeping horror of Paul Tremblay meets Tommy Orange’s There There in a dark novel of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.]]> 305 Stephen Graham Jones 1982136456 Judah 0 to-read 3.68 2020 The Only Good Indians
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: Judah
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Summer Sons 53290204
As Andrew searches for the truth of Eddie’s death, he uncovers the lies and secrets left behind by the person he trusted most, discovering a family history soaked in blood and death. Whirling between the backstabbing academic world where Eddie spent his days and the circle of hot boys, fast cars, and hard drugs that ruled Eddie’s nights, the walls Andrew has built against the world begin to crumble, letting in the phantom that hungers for him.]]> 372 Lee Mandelo 125079028X Judah 0 to-read 3.80 2021 Summer Sons
author: Lee Mandelo
name: Judah
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Into the Drowning Deep (Rolling in the Deep, #1)]]> 34523174
Now, a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves. But the secrets of the deep come with a price.]]> 448 Mira Grant 0316379409 Judah 0 to-read 3.94 2017 Into the Drowning Deep (Rolling in the Deep, #1)
author: Mira Grant
name: Judah
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/04/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)]]> 8663600 288 Suzanne Collins 0545317800 Judah 4 3.95 2010 Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Judah
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2021/02/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating]]> 8303977 Neohelix albolabris —a common woodland snail.

While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence on her nightstand. As a result, she discovers the solace and sense of wonder that this mysterious creature brings and comes to a greater understanding of her own confined place in the world.

Intrigued by the snail’s molluscan anatomy, cryptic defenses, clear decision making, hydraulic locomotion, and mysterious courtship activities, Bailey becomes an astute and amused observer, providing a candid and engaging look into the curious life of this underappreciated small animal.

Told with wit and grace, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a remarkable journey of survival and resilience, showing us how a small part of the natural world illuminates our own human existence and provides an appreciation of what it means to be fully alive.]]> 208 Elisabeth Tova Bailey 1565126068 Judah 0 to-read 4.15 2010 The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating
author: Elisabeth Tova Bailey
name: Judah
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Station Eleven 21792828 An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.]]> 354 Emily St. John Mandel Judah 5 apocalypse-wow, favorites 4.13 2014 Station Eleven
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Judah
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/12/23
shelves: apocalypse-wow, favorites
review:

]]> Spungunion 50044808
This is the story of Deke Larch, a widowed trucker who has lost everything and is struggling to find his place in a world and the person who took it from him. That journey puts him in touch with strange characters and bizarre places. Deke had always felt like he operated on the fringe of society, but he really had no idea...his journey will teach him that monsters are interpretive and sometimes what we think we want is not what we seek at all.

Spungunion is a story about grief and loss, about lonely roads and lost souls, about failure to let go and falling when you finally do. It's about livin' and dyin' and how sometimes the difference between is very slight.]]> 106 John Boden 1621052982 Judah 0 to-read 4.27 Spungunion
author: John Boden
name: Judah
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/11/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Worm and His Kings (The Worm and His Kings, #1)]]> 55120033
Only after the disappearances of several other impoverished women does Monique hear the rumors. A taloned monster stalks the city’s underground and snatches victims into the dark.

Donna isn’t missing. She was taken.

To save the woman she loves, Monique must descend deeper than the known underground, into a subterranean world of enigmatic cultists and shadowy creatures. But what she finds looms beyond her wildest fears—a darkness that stretches from the dawn of time and across the stars.]]> 116 Hailey Piper 057877979X Judah 0 to-read 3.71 2020 The Worm and His Kings (The Worm and His Kings, #1)
author: Hailey Piper
name: Judah
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/11/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1)]]> 50892360 The first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.

A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun

In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.

Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.]]> 454 Rebecca Roanhorse 1534437673 Judah 0 to-read 4.17 2020 Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1)
author: Rebecca Roanhorse
name: Judah
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/10/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver]]> 43131602 From one of the world’s most renowned cave divers, a firsthand account of exploring the earth’s final frontier: the hidden depths of our oceans and the sunken caves inside our planet

More people have died exploring underwater caves than climbing Mount Everest, and we know more about deep space than we do about the depths of our oceans. From one of the top cave divers working today—and one of the very few women in her field�Into the Planetblends science, adventure, and memoir to bring readers face-to-face with the terror and beauty of earth’s remaining unknowns and the extremes of human capability.

Jill Heinerth—the first person in history to dive deep into an Antarctic iceberg and leader of a team that discovered the ancient watery remains of Mayan civilizations—has descended farther into the inner depths of our planet than any other woman. She takes us into the harrowing split-second decisions that determine whether a diver makes it back to safety, the prejudices that prevent women from pursuing careers underwater, and her endeavor to recover a fallen friend’s body from the confines of a cave. But there’s beauty beyond the danger of diving, and while Heinerth swims beneath our feet in the lifeblood of our planet, she works with biologists discovering new species, physicists tracking climate change, and hydrogeologists examining our finite freshwater reserves.



Written with hair-raising intensity,Into the Planetis the first book to deliver an intimate account of cave diving, transporting readers deep into inner space, where fear must be reconciled and a mission’s success balances between knowing one’s limits and pushing the envelope of human endurance.]]> 288 Jill Heinerth 0062691546 Judah 0 to-read 4.03 2019 Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver
author: Jill Heinerth
name: Judah
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/10/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Devourers 27245999
From these documents spills the chronicle of a race of people at once more than human yet kin to beasts, ruled by instincts and desires blood-deep and ages-old. The tale features a rough wanderer in seventeenth-century Mughal India who finds himself irrevocably drawn to a defiant woman—and destined to be torn asunder by two clashing worlds. With every passing chapter of beauty and brutality, Alok’s interest in the stranger grows and evolves into something darker and more urgent.]]> 306 Indra Das 110196751X Judah 0 to-read 3.74 2016 The Devourers
author: Indra Das
name: Judah
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/09/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wolf Land 42175984
Aside from a quaint amusement park, the small town of Lakeview offers little excitement for Duane, Savannah, and their friends. They’re about to endure their ten-year high school reunion when their lives are shattered by the arrival of an ancient, vengeful evil.

The werewolf.

The first attack leaves seven dead and four wounded. And though the beast remains on the loose and eager to spill more blood, the sleepy resort town is about to face an even greater terror. Because the four victims of the werewolf’s fury are changing. They’re experiencing unholy desires and unimaginable cravings. They’ll prey on the innocent and the depraved. They’ll settle old scores and act on their basest desires. Soon, they’ll plunge the entire town into nightmare.

Lakeview is about to become Wolf Land.



FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.]]> 304 Jonathan Janz 1787581527 Judah 1 3.87 2015 Wolf Land
author: Jonathan Janz
name: Judah
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2015
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2020/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The City We Became (Great Cities, #1)]]> 42074525
Every city has a soul. Some are as ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York City? She's got five.

But every city also has a dark side. A roiling, ancient evil stirs beneath the earth, threatening to destroy the city and her five protectors unless they can come together and stop it once and for all.]]> 437 N.K. Jemisin Judah 0 currently-reading 3.83 2020 The City We Became (Great Cities, #1)
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Judah
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/08/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Sleep (The Shining, #2)]]> 17406532 Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam� that children with the “shining� produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining� power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.�

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of devoted readers of The Shining and satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.]]> 658 Stephen King Judah 4 ooooooh-scary 4.31 2013 Doctor Sleep (The Shining, #2)
author: Stephen King
name: Judah
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2020/08/08
date added: 2020/08/08
shelves: ooooooh-scary
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy, #2)]]> 6352142
Renewing their vicious attacks on the coast, the Red-Ship Raiders leave burned-out villages and demented victims in their wake. The kingdom is also under assault from within, as treachery threatens the throne of the ailing king. In this time of great danger, the fate of the kingdom may rest in Fitz’s hands—and his role in its salvation may require the ultimate sacrifice.]]> 675 Robin Hobb Judah 0 currently-reading 4.31 1996 Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy, #2)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Judah
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/04
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Deep 42201962 Yetu holds the memories for her people.

Her people, the wajinru � water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slavers � live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one. Save the historian.

Yetu remembers for all the wajinru, and the memories � painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so she flees to the surface, escaping the memories and the expectations and the responsibilities � and discovers a world the wajinru left behind long ago.

Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past � and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identities � and own who they really are.

Inspired by the hit song by clipping. (comprised of Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes), The Deep will resonate long after the last page is turned.]]> 166 Rivers Solomon 1534439862 Judah 0 3.78 2019 The Deep
author: Rivers Solomon
name: Judah
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2020/07/02
date added: 2020/07/02
shelves:
review:

]]> The Song of Achilles 11250317
Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.]]> 352 Madeline Miller 1408816032 Judah 0 4.38 2011 The Song of Achilles
author: Madeline Miller
name: Judah
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2020/06/22
date added: 2020/06/22
shelves:
review:

]]> The Lesser Dead 20893407 The secret is, vampires are real and I am one.

The secret is, I’m stealing from you what is most truly yours and I’m not sorry�

New York City in 1978 is a dirty, dangerous place to live. And die. Joey Peacock knows this as well as anybody—he has spent the last forty years as an adolescent vampire, perfecting the routine he now enjoys: womanizing in punk clubs and discotheques, feeding by night, and sleeping by day with others of his kind in the macabre labyrinth under the city’s sidewalks.

The subways are his playground and his highway, shuttling him throughout Manhattan to bleed the unsuspecting in the Sheep Meadow of Central Park or in the backseats of Checker cabs, or even those in their own apartments who are too hypnotized by sitcoms to notice him opening their windows. It’s almost too easy.

Until one night he sees them hunting on his beloved subway. The children with the merry eyes. Vampires, like him…or not like him. Whatever they are, whatever their appearance means, the undead in the tunnels of Manhattan are not as safe as they once were.

And neither are the rest of us.]]> 368 Christopher Buehlman 0425272613 Judah 4 4.02 2014 The Lesser Dead
author: Christopher Buehlman
name: Judah
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/07
date added: 2020/06/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Storykiller 21487533 287 Kelly Thompson 0991649230 Judah 0 currently-reading 3.59 2014 Storykiller
author: Kelly Thompson
name: Judah
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/04/02
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)]]> 43618653 464 Robin Hobb Judah 0 currently-reading 4.32 1995 Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Judah
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/03/11
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Enchiridion 24615 64 Epictetus 0486433595 Judah 0 to-read 4.20 125 Enchiridion
author: Epictetus
name: Judah
average rating: 4.20
book published: 125
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Night Circus 9361589
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.]]> 506 Erin Morgenstern Judah 0 currently-reading 4.00 2011 The Night Circus
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Judah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/02/12
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)]]> 25499718
WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?]]> 608 Adrian Tchaikovsky 1447273281 Judah 5 4.29 2015 Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)
author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Judah
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/12/27
shelves:
review:

]]> Where the Crawdads Sing 36809135
But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.]]> 384 Delia Owens 0735219117 Judah 0 to-read 4.35 2018 Where the Crawdads Sing
author: Delia Owens
name: Judah
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/12/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)]]> 29774026 A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.]]> 848 Samantha Shannon Judah 0 general-fantasy 4.15 2019 The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)
author: Samantha Shannon
name: Judah
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2019/11/12
date added: 2019/11/12
shelves: general-fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Steel Remains (A Land Fit for Heroes, #1)]]> 40010131 404 Richard K. Morgan Judah 0 3.99 2008 The Steel Remains (A Land Fit for Heroes, #1)
author: Richard K. Morgan
name: Judah
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2019/11/12
date added: 2019/11/12
shelves: dark-fantasy-new-weird-dystopia
review:

]]> Vicious (Villains, #1) 40874032 A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.]]> 402 Victoria E. Schwab Judah 0 to-read 4.17 2013 Vicious (Villains, #1)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Judah
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/11/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Maresi (The Red Abbey Chronicles, #1)]]> 28818217
Then one day Jai tangled fair hair, clothes stiff with dirt, scars on her back arrives on a ship. She has fled to the island to escape terrible danger and unimaginable cruelty. And the men who hurt her will stop at nothing to find her.

Now the women and girls of the Red Abbey must use all their powers and ancient knowledge to combat the forces that wish to destroy them. And Maresi, haunted by her own nightmares, must confront her very deepest, darkest fears.

A story of friendship and survival, magic and wonder, beauty and terror, Maresi will grip you and hold you spellbound.]]> 246 Maria Turtschaninoff 1419722697 Judah 2 3.74 2014 Maresi (The Red Abbey Chronicles, #1)
author: Maria Turtschaninoff
name: Judah
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2019/10/09
shelves:
review:

]]> The Changeling 31147267
Thus begins Apollo’s odyssey through a world he only thought he understood, to find a wife and child who are nothing like he’d imagined. His quest, which begins when he meets a mysterious stranger who claims to have information about Emma’s whereabouts, takes him to a forgotten island, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever.

This captivating retelling of a classic fairy tale imaginatively explores parental obsession, spousal love, and the secrets that make strangers out of the people we love the most. It’s a thrilling and emotionally devastating journey through the gruesome legacies that threaten to devour us and the homely, messy magic that saves us, if we’re lucky.]]> 431 Victor LaValle 0812995945 Judah 0 urban-fantasy, ooooooh-scary 3.75 2017 The Changeling
author: Victor LaValle
name: Judah
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/10/08
shelves: urban-fantasy, ooooooh-scary
review:

]]> Wool (Silo, #1) 17164655 Wool is more than a self-published ebook phenomenon―it’s the new standard in classic science fiction.

In a ruined and toxic future, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo’s rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside.

His fateful decision unleashes a drastic series of events. An unlikely candidate is appointed to replace him: Juliette, a mechanic with no training in law, whose special knack is fixing machines. Now Juliette is about to be entrusted with fixing her silo, and she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants have never dared to whisper. Uprising.

A New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller, as well as Kindle Book Review’s 2012 Indie Book of the Year, Wool is truly a blockbuster.]]> 511 Hugh Howey 1476733953 Judah 3 apocalypse-wow 4.15 2012 Wool (Silo, #1)
author: Hugh Howey
name: Judah
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2013/11/19
date added: 2019/08/29
shelves: apocalypse-wow
review:

]]> Gold Fame Citrus 24612148
For the moment, the couple’s fragile love, which somehow blooms in this arid place, seems enough. But when they cross paths with a mysterious child, the thirst for a better future begins.

Immensely moving, profoundly disquieting, and mind-blowingly original, Watkins’s novel explores the myths we believe about others and tell about ourselves, the double-edged power of our most cherished relationships, and the shape of hope in a precarious future that may be our own.]]> 339 Claire Vaye Watkins 1594634238 Judah 0 to-read 3.29 2015 Gold Fame Citrus
author: Claire Vaye Watkins
name: Judah
average rating: 3.29
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/06/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Last 41814339 For fans of high-concept thrillers such as Annihilation and The Girl with All the Gifts, this breathtaking dystopian psychological thriller follows an American academic stranded at a Swiss hotel as the world descends into nuclear war—along with twenty other survivors—who becomes obsessed with identifying a murderer in their midst after the body of a young girl is discovered in one of the hotel’s water tanks.

Jon thought he had all the time in the world to respond to his wife’s text I miss you so much. I feel bad about how we left it. Love you. But as he’s waiting in the lobby of the L’Hotel Sixieme in Switzerland after an academic conference, still mulling over how to respond to his wife, he receives a string of horrifying push notifications. Washington, DC has been hit with a nuclear bomb, then New York, then London, and finally Berlin. That’s all he knows before news outlets and social media goes black—and before the clouds on the horizon turn orange.

Now, two months later, there are twenty survivors holed up at the hotel, a place already tainted by its strange history of suicides and murders. Those who can’t bear to stay commit suicide or wander off into the woods. Jon and the others try to maintain some semblance of civilization. But when the water pressure disappears, and Jon and a crew of survivors investigate the hotel’s water tanks, they are shocked to discover the body of a young girl.

As supplies dwindle and tensions rise, Jon becomes obsessed with investigating the death of the little girl as a way to cling to his own humanity. Yet the real question can he afford to lose his mind in this hotel, or should he take his chances in the outside world?]]> 353 Hanna Jameson 150119884X Judah 0 3.66 2019 The Last
author: Hanna Jameson
name: Judah
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2019/05/30
date added: 2019/05/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride]]> 6033525
In this gripping narrative, Daniel James Brown sheds new light on one of the most infamous events in American history. Following every painful footstep of Sarah's journey with the Donner Party, Brown produces a tale both spellbinding and richly informative.]]> 352 Daniel James Brown 0061348104 Judah 0 non-fiction 4.24 2009 The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
author: Daniel James Brown
name: Judah
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at: 2019/05/16
date added: 2019/05/16
shelves: non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird]]> 32021226 Vulture.

Floating on six-foot wings, turkey vultures use their keen senses of smell and sight to locate carrion. Unlike their cousin the black vulture, turkey vultures do not kill weak or dying animals; instead, they cleanse, purify, and renew the environment by clearing it of decaying carcasses, thus slowing the spread of such dangerous pathogens as anthrax, rabies, and botulism. The beauty, grace, and important role of these birds in the ecosystem notwithstanding, turkey vultures are maligned and underappreciated; they have been accused of spreading disease and killing livestock, neither of which has ever been substantiated.

Although turkey vultures are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes harming them a federal offense, the birds still face persecution. They’ve been killed because of their looks, their odor, and their presence in proximity to humans. Even the federal government occasionally sanctions “roost dispersals,� which involve the harassment and sometimes the murder of communally roosting vultures during the cold winter months.

Vulture follows a year in the life of a typical North American turkey vulture. By incorporating information from scientific papers and articles, as well as interviews with world-renowned raptor and vulture experts, author Katie Fallon examines all aspects of the bird’s natural history: breeding, incubating eggs, raising chicks, migrating, and roosting. After reading this book you will never look at a vulture in the same way again.]]> 248 Katie Fallon 1611689716 Judah 0 to-read 4.08 2017 Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird
author: Katie Fallon
name: Judah
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/05/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Mask for the General 3033734 201 Lisa Goldstein 055305239X Judah 0 to-read 3.65 1987 A Mask for the General
author: Lisa Goldstein
name: Judah
average rating: 3.65
book published: 1987
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/03/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Underground Railroad 30555488
In Whitehead's ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor--engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora and Caesar's first stop is South Carolina, in a city that initially seems like a haven. But the city's placid surface masks an insidious scheme designed for its black denizens. And even worse: Ridgeway, the relentless slave catcher, is close on their heels. Forced to flee again, Cora embarks on a harrowing flight, state by state, seeking true freedom.

Like the protagonist of Gulliver's Travels, Cora encounters different worlds at each stage of her journey--hers is an odyssey through time as well as space. As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the unique terrors for black people in the pre-Civil War era, his narrative seamlessly weaves the saga of America from the brutal importation of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman's ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share.]]> 320 Colson Whitehead 0385542364 Judah 0 4.04 2016 The Underground Railroad
author: Colson Whitehead
name: Judah
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2019/02/16
date added: 2019/02/16
shelves: race-religion-socio-fiction-and-non
review:

]]> East of West #1 21944259 41 Jonathan Hickman 1106933230 Judah 4 3.85 East of West #1
author: Jonathan Hickman
name: Judah
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/02/14
shelves: comics, dark-fantasy-new-weird-dystopia
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Black Leopard, Red Wolf (The Dark Star Trilogy, #1)]]> 40524312
Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a hunter: "He has a nose," people say. Engaged to track down a mysterious boy who disappeared three years earlier, Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes together to search for the boy. The band is a hodgepodge, full of unusual characters with secrets of their own, including a shape-shifting man-animal known as Leopard.

Drawing from African history and mythology and his own rich imagination, Marlon James has written an adventure that's also an ambitious, involving read. Defying categorization and full of unforgettable characters, Black Leopard, Red Wolf explores the fundamentals of truths, the limits of power, the excesses of ambition, and our need to understand them all.]]> 620 Marlon James 0735220174 Judah 0 to-read 3.42 2019 Black Leopard, Red Wolf (The Dark Star Trilogy, #1)
author: Marlon James
name: Judah
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Power 29751398 The Power the world is a recognizable place: There's a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; and a tough London girl from a tricky family. But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power: They can cause agonizing pain and even death. With this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets.]]> 341 Naomi Alderman 0670919985 Judah 0 3.75 2016 The Power
author: Naomi Alderman
name: Judah
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2019/01/27
date added: 2019/01/27
shelves: race-religion-socio-fiction-and-non, apocalypse-wow, didnt-finish
review:
On the "I didn't finish it, but I'll probably try it again at some point down the road" list.
]]> <![CDATA[The Red Threads of Fortune (Tensorate, #2)]]> 33099586 The Red Threads of Fortune is one of a pair of unique, standalone introductions to JY Yang's Tensorate Series, which Kate Elliott calls "effortlessly fascinating." For more of the story you can read its twin novella The Black Tides of Heaven, available now.

Fallen prophet, master of the elements, and daughter of the supreme Protector, Sanao Mokoya has abandoned the life that once bound her. Once her visions shaped the lives of citizens across the land, but no matter what tragedy Mokoya foresaw, she could never reshape the future. Broken by the loss of her young daughter, she now hunts deadly, sky-obscuring naga in the harsh outer reaches of the kingdom with packs of dinosaurs at her side, far from everything she used to love.

On the trail of a massive naga that threatens the rebellious mining city of Bataanar, Mokoya meets the mysterious and alluring Rider. But all is not as it seems: the beast they both hunt harbors a secret that could ignite war throughout the Protectorate. As she is drawn into a conspiracy of magic and betrayal, Mokoya must come to terms with her extraordinary and dangerous gifts, or risk losing the little she has left to hold dear.]]> 213 Neon Yang 0765395398 Judah 0 currently-reading 3.84 2017 The Red Threads of Fortune (Tensorate, #2)
author: Neon Yang
name: Judah
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/01/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Black Tides of Heaven (Tensorate, #1)]]> 33099588 The Black Tides of Heaven is one of a pair of standalone introductions to Neon Yang's Tensorate Series. For more of the story you can read its twin novella The Red Threads of Fortune

Mokoya and Akeha, the twin children of the Protector, were sold to the Grand Monastery as children. While Mokoya developed her strange prophetic gift, Akeha was always the one who could see the strings that moved adults to action. While his sister received visions of what would be, Akeha realized what could be. What's more, he saw the sickness at the heart of his mother's Protectorate.

A rebellion is growing. The Machinists discover new levers to move the world every day, while the Tensors fight to put them down and preserve the power of the state. Unwilling to continue to play a pawn in his mother's twisted schemes, Akeha leaves the Tensorate behind and falls in with the rebels. But every step Akeha takes towards the Machinists is a step away from his sister Mokoya. Can Akeha find peace without shattering the bond he shares with his twin sister?]]> 236 Neon Yang 076539541X Judah 5 3.70 2017 The Black Tides of Heaven (Tensorate, #1)
author: Neon Yang
name: Judah
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2019/01/07
date added: 2019/01/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rules of Magic (Practical Magic, #0.2)]]> 34037113 Find your magic

For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.

Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.

The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.]]> 369 Alice Hoffman Judah 0 to-read 3.98 2017 The Rules of Magic (Practical Magic, #0.2)
author: Alice Hoffman
name: Judah
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/11/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Paragenesis: Stories from the Dawn of Wraeththu]]> 9380280
Based on the world created by Storm Constantine for her Wraeththu novels, the stories in this collection are set in the very early days of Wraeththu history. Struggling to come to terms with their new condition, fighting to survive amid the hostile humans who remain, and the often equally-hostile hara of other tribes, Wraeththu must learn quickly how to master their powerful abilities or succumb to the same fate that destroyed humanity.

With an introduction by TV producer Brad Carpenter, who is working on a TV mini-series inspired by the Wraeththu novels, and stories from ten writers, many of whom are well-known within Wraeththu fandom, and including a new story from Storm herself, Paragenesis expands upon the mythology of the novels, telling the stories of the prime movers whose lives altered the fate of Wraeththu for ever and the hara whose tenacity and strength helped shape the future of their race.

Featuring stories by Storm Constantine, Wendy Darling, Christopher Coyle, Fiona Lane, Maria Leel, Martina Luise Pachali, Gwyn Harper, Suzanne Gabriel, Kristi Lee and Andy Bigwood. With cover by Ruby and interior illustrations by Ruby, Danielle Lainton and Andy Bigwood.

Full Contents:

Paragenesis by Storm Constantine; The First by Wendy Darling; A Sickle Blade by Christopher Coyle; The Dawn of Hope by Suzanne Gabriel; The Burned Boy by Gwyn Harper; Building Immanion by Martina Luise Pachali; Specimen 16 by Andy Bigwood; You Can Never Go Back by Christopher Coyle; Conservation of Momentum by Fiona Lane; Song of the Sulh by Maria J Leel; The Rune-Throwing by Kristi Lee; Something's Coming by Wendy Darling; Pro Lucror by Storm Constantine.

Bonus articles: The Future of our Dark, Delirious Imaginings by Wendy Darling; Early Wraeththu Inspirations by Storm Constantine.]]> 368 Storm Constantine 1904853730 Judah 0 didnt-finish 4.24 2010 Paragenesis: Stories from the Dawn of Wraeththu
author: Storm Constantine
name: Judah
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2018/10/09
date added: 2018/10/09
shelves: didnt-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1)]]> 46756 Oryx and Crake is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future. Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey–with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake–through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining.]]> 389 Margaret Atwood Judah 0 to-read, apocalypse-wow 4.01 2003 Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1)
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Judah
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/10/09
shelves: to-read, apocalypse-wow
review:

]]> H is for Hawk 18803640
When her father dies and she is knocked sideways by grief, she becomes obsessed with the idea of training her own goshawk. She buys Mabel for £800 on a Scottish quayside and takes her home to Cambridge. Then she fills the freezer with hawk food and unplugs the phone, ready to embark on the long, strange business of trying to train this wildest of animals.

Destined to be a classic of nature writing, "H is for Hawk" is a record of a spiritual journey - an unflinchingly honest account of Macdonald's struggle with grief during the difficult process of the hawk's taming and her own untaming. At the same time, it's a kaleidoscopic biography of the brilliant and troubled novelist T. H. White, best known for "The Once and Future King." It's a book about memory, nature and nation, and how it might be possible to try to reconcile death with life and love.]]> 300 Helen Macdonald 0224097008 Judah 0 memoir-biography 3.73 2014 H is for Hawk
author: Helen Macdonald
name: Judah
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2018/10/09
date added: 2018/10/09
shelves: memoir-biography
review:

]]> Circe 35959740
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love.]]> 393 Madeline Miller 0316556343 Judah 0 to-read 4.22 2018 Circe
author: Madeline Miller
name: Judah
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/10/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust, #1)]]> 34128219
Malcolm's father runs an inn called the Trout, on the banks of the river Thames, and all of Oxford passes through its doors. Malcolm and his dæmon, Asta, routinely overhear news and gossip, and the occasional scandal, but during a winter of unceasing rain, Malcolm catches wind of something new: intrigue.

He finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust--and the spy it was intended for finds him.

When she asks Malcolm to keep his eyes open, Malcolm sees suspicious characters everywhere; Lord Asriel, clearly on the run; enforcement agents from the Magisterium; an Egyptian named Coram with warnings just for Malcolm; and a beautiful woman with an evil monkey for a dæmon. All are asking about the same thing: a girl--just a baby--named Lyra.

Lyra is the kind of person who draws people in like magnets. And Malcolm will brave any danger, and make shocking sacrifices, to bring her safely through the storm.]]> 449 Philip Pullman 0375815309 Judah 5 4.11 2017 La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust, #1)
author: Philip Pullman
name: Judah
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2018/09/30
date added: 2018/09/30
shelves:
review:

]]> The Age of Miracles 12401556 The Age of Miracles tells the haunting and beautiful story of Julia and her family as they struggle to live in a time of extraordinary change.

On an ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia awakens to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising developments in herself, and in her personal world: divisions widening between her parents; strange behavior by her friends; the pain and vulnerability of first love; a growing sense of isolation; and a surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker paints a breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an ever-evolving world.]]> 294 Karen Thompson Walker 0812983602 Judah 0 apocalypse-wow 3.66 2012 The Age of Miracles
author: Karen Thompson Walker
name: Judah
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2018/08/08
date added: 2018/08/08
shelves: apocalypse-wow
review:

]]> The Flood (Blackwater, #1) 467103
Elinor Dammert's arrival will forever change the town and the wealthy and powerful Caskey family.

James, who dotes on Elinor like a second daughter...

Sister, who pines for Elinor’s strength and independence...

Oscar, who loves Elinor and determines to build a life with her...

And matriarch Mary-Love, perhaps the only person in Perdido with an inkling of Elinor’s true power and purpose.

For Elinor is more than she appears, and she brings to Perdido—and to the Caskeys—a deadly, inexplicable otherness from which no one can ever be safe.]]> 189 Michael McDowell 0380814897 Judah 0 to-read 3.78 1983 The Flood (Blackwater, #1)
author: Michael McDowell
name: Judah
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1983
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/07/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Country of Ice Cream Star 22350219
In the ruins of a future America, fifteen-year-old Ice Cream Star and her nomadic tribe live off the detritus of a crumbled civilization. Theirs is a world of children; before reaching the age of twenty, they all die of a strange disease they call Posies--a plague that has killed for generations. There is no medicine, no treatment; only the mysterious rumor of a cure.

When her brother begins showing signs of the disease, Ice Cream Star sets off on a bold journey to find this cure. Led by a stranger, a captured prisoner named Pasha who becomes her devoted protector and friend, Ice Cream Star plunges into the unknown, risking her freedom and ultimately her life. Traveling hundreds of miles across treacherous, unfamiliar territory, she will experience love, heartbreak, cruelty, terror, and betrayal, fighting to protect the only world she has ever known.

A postapocalyptic literary epic as imaginative as The Passage and as linguistically ambitious as Cloud Atlas, The Country of Ice Cream Star is a breathtaking work from a writer of rare and unconventional talent.]]> 592 Sandra Newman 0062227092 Judah 0 currently-reading 3.57 2014 The Country of Ice Cream Star
author: Sandra Newman
name: Judah
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/06/24
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Bestial 11691574
BENEATH THE DIM LIGHT OF A FULL MOON, MADNESS REIGNS. . . .

As night descends on Cincinnati, the city braces for hell on The populace mutates into huge, snarling monsters that devour everyone they see and act upon their most base desires. Planes fall from the sky. Highways are clogged with abandoned cars, and buildings explode and topple. The city burns.

And when daylight comes at last, the same monsters return to human form, many driven insane by atrocities committed against friends and families. . . .

Only four survivors are immune to the a smooth-talking thief who lives by the code of the Old West; a bank teller who’s put her past behind her; a wealthy, disillusioned housewife; and a desperate teenaged runaway. Together they form an unlikely quartet that must find a way to stop the apocalypse before the next full moon.]]> 304 William D. Carl 1451646852 Judah 1
Young, possibly gay, man who after being raped by his father, turns to a life of homosexual prostitution? Check. (someone watched My Own Private Idaho one time too many, I think)

Strong Black Woman who made it out of the "hood?" Check. Double check even... she actually refers to herself as a Strong Black Woman.

Ruggedly Handsome Man with a criminal edge, but a heart of kind-of-gold? Check.

Anything even vaguely resembling originality? No Check.

I can't believe an E-ink tree died for this book to be published.]]> 3.71 2008 Bestial
author: William D. Carl
name: Judah
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2008
rating: 1
read at: 2012/10/14
date added: 2018/05/22
shelves: nook, ooooooh-scary, waste-of-paper
review:
I'm confused as to how other reviewers found this book to be "original," as it's anything BUT original. If the characters or plot were any more stock, they'd make an excellent base for a soup.

Young, possibly gay, man who after being raped by his father, turns to a life of homosexual prostitution? Check. (someone watched My Own Private Idaho one time too many, I think)

Strong Black Woman who made it out of the "hood?" Check. Double check even... she actually refers to herself as a Strong Black Woman.

Ruggedly Handsome Man with a criminal edge, but a heart of kind-of-gold? Check.

Anything even vaguely resembling originality? No Check.

I can't believe an E-ink tree died for this book to be published.
]]> <![CDATA[The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth, #3)]]> 31817749
The Moon will soon return. Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or something worse will depend on two women.

Essun has inherited the power of Alabaster Tenring. With it, she hopes to find her daughter Nassun and forge a world in which every orogene child can grow up safe.

For Nassun, her mother's mastery of the Obelisk Gate comes too late. She has seen the evil of the world, and accepted what her mother will not admit: that sometimes what is corrupt cannot be cleansed, only destroyed.

The remarkable conclusion to the post-apocalyptic and highly acclaimed trilogy that began with the multi-award-nominated The Fifth Season.]]> 416 N.K. Jemisin Judah 0 4.32 2017 The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth, #3)
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Judah
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2018/01/07
date added: 2018/01/07
shelves: race-religion-socio-fiction-and-non, apocalypse-wow
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Vorrh (The Vorrh Trilogy, #1)]]> 16071377 The Vorrh, a daring debut that Alan Moore has called “a phosphorescent masterpiece� and “the current century's first landmark work of fantasy.”�

Next to the colonial town of Essenwald sits the Vorrh, a vast—perhaps endless—forest. It is a place of demons and angels, of warriors and priests. Sentient and magical, the Vorrh bends time and wipes memory. Legend has it that the Garden of Eden still exists at its heart. Now, a renegade English soldier aims to be the first human to traverse its expanse. Armed with only a strange bow, he begins his journey, but some fear the consequences of his mission, and a native marksman has been chosen to stop him. Around them swirl a remarkable cast of characters, including a Cyclops raised by robots and a young girl with tragic curiosity, as well as historical figures, such as writer Raymond Roussel, heiress Sarah Winchester, and photographer Edward Muybridge. While fact and fiction blend, the hunter will become the hunted, and everyone’s fate hangs in the balance under the will of the Vorrh.]]> 485 Brian Catling 0957142714 Judah 0 to-read, own-but-haven-t-read 3.46 2012 The Vorrh (The Vorrh Trilogy, #1)
author: Brian Catling
name: Judah
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/11/12
shelves: to-read, own-but-haven-t-read
review:

]]> Hekla's Children 30724961
When a body is found in the same ancient woodland where they disappeared, it is first believed to be one of the missing children, but is soon identified as a Bronze Age warrior, nothing more than an archaeological curiosity. Yet Nathan starts to have horrific visions of the students, alive but trapped. Then Olivia reappears, desperate that the warrior's body be returned to the earth. For he is the only thing keeping a terrible evil at bay.]]> 400 James Brogden 1785654381 Judah 4 ooooooh-scary 3.56 2017 Hekla's Children
author: James Brogden
name: Judah
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/11/12
date added: 2017/11/12
shelves: ooooooh-scary
review:

]]> Bird Box 21413955 294 K.J. Steele 1611881862 Judah 0 3.95 2015 Bird Box
author: K.J. Steele
name: Judah
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/07/19
shelves:
review:

]]> Blackwing (Raven's Mark, #1) 33916060 The republic faces annihilation, despite the vigilance of Galharrow's Blackwings. When a raven tattoo rips itself from his arm to deliver a desperate message, Galharrow and a mysterious noblewoman must investigate a long dead sorcerer's legacy. But there is a conspiracy within the citadel: traitors, flesh-eaters and the ghosts of the wastelands seek to destroy them, but if they cannot solve the ancient wizard's paradox, the Deep Kings will walk the earth again, and all will be lost.

The war with the Eastern Empire ended in stalemate some eighty years ago, thanks to Nall's 'Engine', a wizard-crafted weapon so powerful even the Deep Kings feared it. The strike of the Engine created the Misery - a wasteland full of ghosts and corrupted magic that now forms a No Mans Land along the frontier. But when Galharrow investigates a frontier fortress, he discovers complacency bordering on treason: then the walls are stormed, and the Engine fails to launch. Galharrow only escapes because of the preternatural magical power of the noblewoman he was supposed to be protecting. Together, they race to the capital to unmask the traitors and restore the republic's defences. Far across the Misery a vast army is on the move, as the Empire prepares to call the republic's bluff.

]]> 360 Ed McDonald 0399587799 Judah 0 to-read 4.09 2017 Blackwing (Raven's Mark, #1)
author: Ed McDonald
name: Judah
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/07/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Our Memory Like Dust 32794648 Why do we tell stories? To hold on to what has been loved and lost, to create new myths, to explain and teach in ways that seep into memory.
Shakiso Collard leads the evacuation from Benghazi as jihadis overwhelm the refugee camp where she works. On arrival in Paris, she is betrayed by her boss, Oktar Samboa, and watches in despair as those she illegally helped escape are deported back to the warzones of Libya.
Elsewhere, Farinata Uberti � strongman CEO of Rosneft, the world’s largest energy company � arrives in London after triggering a violent insurrection in Tanzania to destroy a potential rival in the oil market. In the Sahara, an air convoy on its way to deliver billions of dollars of drugs and weapons to Ansar Dine jihadis crashes and is lost.
A year later, having spent months in hiding, Shakiso travels to West Africa. She is there to lead the relief effort that are hoping to stop the 200 million refugees fleeing war and environmental collapse heading for a fortified and fragmented Europe.
As the myths of these millions seeking new lives across the Mediterranean intrude into reality, Shakiso is drawn into the brutal clandestine fight against Rosneft’s domination of European energy supplies being conducted by the mysterious Simon Adaro. And, deep within the disorienting Harmattan storms of the desert, a group of jihadis have gone in search of the crashed convoy of planes - and a terror that could overwhelm them all.]]> 0 Gavin Chait 1473527228 Judah 0 to-read 3.45 Our Memory Like Dust
author: Gavin Chait
name: Judah
average rating: 3.45
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/07/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Court of Broken Knives (Empires of Dust, #1)]]> 32469783
In the richest empire the world has ever known, the city of Sorlost has always stood, eternal and unconquered. But in a city of dreams governed by an imposturous Emperor, decadence has become the true ruler, and has blinded its inhabitants to their vulnerability. The empire is on the verge of invasion � and only one man can see it.

Haunted by dreams of the empire’s demise, Orhan Emmereth has decided to act. On his orders, a company of soldiers cross the desert to reach the city. Once they enter the Palace, they have one mission: kill the Emperor, then all those who remain. Only from ashes can a new empire be built.

The company is a group of good, ordinary soldiers, for whom this is a mission like any other. But the strange boy Marith who walks among them is no ordinary soldier. Marching on Sorlost, Marith thinks he is running away from the past which haunts him. But in the Golden City, his destiny awaits him � beautiful, bloody, and more terrible than anyone could have foreseen.]]> 470 Anna Smith Spark 0008204063 Judah 0 to-read 3.42 2017 The Court of Broken Knives (Empires of Dust, #1)
author: Anna Smith Spark
name: Judah
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/07/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Natural History of Dragons (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #1)]]> 12974372 You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon's presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one's life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .

All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world's preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.

Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.]]> 334 Marie Brennan 0765331969 Judah 3 general-fantasy 3.83 2013 A Natural History of Dragons (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #1)
author: Marie Brennan
name: Judah
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2017/05/09
date added: 2017/05/09
shelves: general-fantasy
review:

]]> The Scarlet Gospels 23014674
The Scarlet Gospels takes readers back many years to the early days of two of Barker's most iconic characters in a battle of good and evil as old as The long-beleaguered detective Harry D'Amour, investigator of all supernatural, magical, and malevolent crimes faces off against his formidable, and intensely evil rival, Pinhead, the priest of hell.

Barker devotees have been waiting for The Scarlet Gospels with bated breath for years, and it's everything they've begged for and more. Bloody, terrifying, and brilliantly complex, fans and newcomers alike will not be disappointed by the epic, visionary tale that is The Scarlet Gospels . Barker's horror will make your worst nightmares seem like bedtime stories. The Gospels are coming. Are you ready?

Readers can get more Pinhead from the direct to video Judgment movie coming February 2018.]]> 361 Clive Barker 1250055806 Judah 0 3.47 2015 The Scarlet Gospels
author: Clive Barker
name: Judah
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2017/04/06
date added: 2017/04/06
shelves: ooooooh-scary, to-finish-at-some-point
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Inheritance Trilogy (Inheritance, #1-3.5)]]> 21481566
In this omnibus edition of N.K. Jemisin's brilliantly original award-winning fantasy series, a young woman becomes entangled in a power struggle of mythic proportions.

A REALM OF GODS AND MORTALS.
Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle.]]> 1462 N.K. Jemisin 0316334006 Judah 4 4.24 2014 The Inheritance Trilogy (Inheritance, #1-3.5)
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Judah
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2017/04/06
date added: 2017/04/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, #2)]]> 26228034 410 N.K. Jemisin Judah 0 4.27 2016 The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, #2)
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Judah
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/04/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unsettlers: In Search of the Good Life in Today's America]]> 30024726
The radical search for the simple life in today’s America.

On a frigid April night, a classically trained opera singer, five months pregnant, and her husband, a former marine biologist, disembark an Amtrak train in La Plata, Missouri, assemble two bikes, and pedal off into the night, bound for a homestead they've purchased, sight unseen. Meanwhile, a horticulturist, heir to the Great Migration that brought masses of African Americans to Detroit, and her husband, a product of the white flight from it, have turned to urban farming to revitalize the blighted city they both love. And near Missoula, Montana, a couple who have been at the forefront of organic farming for decades navigate what it means to live and raise a family ethically.

A work of immersive journalism steeped in a distinctively American social history and sparked by a personal quest, The Unsettlers traces the search for the simple life through the stories of these new pioneers and what inspired each of them to look for -- or create -- a better existence. Captivating and clear-eyed, it dares us to imagine what a sustainable, ethical, authentic future might actually look like.]]> 336 Mark Sundeen 1594631581 Judah 0 to-read 3.75 2017 The Unsettlers: In Search of the Good Life in Today's America
author: Mark Sundeen
name: Judah
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[My Soul to Keep (African Immortals, #1)]]> 41536 My Soul to Keep traps Jessica between the desperation of immortals who want to rob her of her life and a husband who wants to rob her of her soul. With deft plotting and an unforgettable climax, this tour de force reminiscent of early Anne Rice will win Due a new legion of fans.]]> 346 Tananarive Due 006105366X Judah 0 to-read 4.16 1997 My Soul to Keep (African Immortals, #1)
author: Tananarive Due
name: Judah
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (The Vampire Chronicles, #12)]]> 23267873
It is through this spirit, previously considered benign for thousands of vampire years and throughout the Vampire Chronicles, that we come to be told the hypnotic tale of a great sea power of ancient times; a mysterious heaven on earth situated on a boundless continent--and of how and why, and in what manner and with what far-reaching purpose, this force came to build and rule the great legendary empire of centuries ago that thrived in the Atlantic Ocean.

And as we learn of the mighty, far-reaching powers and perfections of this lost kingdom of Atalantaya, the lost realms of Atlantis, we come to understand its secrets, and how and why the vampire Lestat, indeed all the vampires, must reckon so many millennia later with the terrifying force of this ageless, all-powerful Atalantaya spirit.]]> 480 Anne Rice 0385353790 Judah 0 to-read 3.70 2016 Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (The Vampire Chronicles, #12)
author: Anne Rice
name: Judah
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/11/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Jatta 8485019 464 Jenny Hale 1443102776 Judah 0 to-read 4.14 2009 Jatta
author: Jenny Hale
name: Judah
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/10/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Memory of Sky (Great Ship, #4)]]> 18765940 624 Robert Reed 1607014262 Judah 0 didnt-finish 3.38 2014 The Memory of Sky (Great Ship, #4)
author: Robert Reed
name: Judah
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2016/07/25
date added: 2016/07/25
shelves: didnt-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Evening's Empire: A History of the Night in Early Modern Europe (New Studies in European History)]]> 12000895 448 Craig Koslofsky 0521896436 Judah 0 to-read 3.52 2011 Evening's Empire: A History of the Night in Early Modern Europe (New Studies in European History)
author: Craig Koslofsky
name: Judah
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/03/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 1Q84 (1Q84, #1-3) 10357575 The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.

A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark.� A world that bears a question.� Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.

As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.

A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s � 1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.]]> 944 Haruki Murakami 0307593312 Judah 0 to-read 3.94 2009 1Q84 (1Q84, #1-3)
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Judah
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Chosen 1475239 512 Ricardo Pinto 0312872089 Judah 2 3.61 1999 The Chosen
author: Ricardo Pinto
name: Judah
average rating: 3.61
book published: 1999
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2016/02/01
shelves: dark-fantasy-new-weird-dystopia
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)]]> 19161852
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.

Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.]]> 468 N.K. Jemisin Judah 5
Beyond that, the characters are all fully fleshed out and interesting (as is usually the case for Jemisin), the "magic" system is intriguing and the physical world itself is wonderfully crafted.

Can't recommend it enough... I'll be pushing this one on my friends. And random strangers.]]> 4.29 2015 The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Judah
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2016/01/21
date added: 2016/01/21
shelves: apocalypse-wow, favorites, race-religion-socio-fiction-and-non
review:
Jemisin's work is generally quite enjoyable, even when it's sometimes dark (this one's definitely dark)... but with this opening of a new trilogy it feels like she's hit her stride as an artist of words and stories. Touching on social issues with a deft hand and eye and then throwing in a one-sentence game-changer that had me literally stop and go "Whoa, wait, what?" (and then I had to go back and rethink earlier chapters)

Beyond that, the characters are all fully fleshed out and interesting (as is usually the case for Jemisin), the "magic" system is intriguing and the physical world itself is wonderfully crafted.

Can't recommend it enough... I'll be pushing this one on my friends. And random strangers.
]]> <![CDATA[The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance, #1)]]> 6437061 427 N.K. Jemisin 0316043915 Judah 0 3.88 2010 The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance, #1)
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Judah
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Winds of Khalakovo (Lays of Anuskaya, #1)]]> 9601072 Alternate cover edition for 9781597802185

Among inhospitable and unforgiving seas stands Khalakovo, a mountainous archipelago of seven islands, its prominent eyrie stretching a thousand feet into the sky. Serviced by windships bearing goods and dignitaries, Khalakovo’s eyrie stands at the crossroads of world trade. But all is not well in Khalakovo. Conflict has erupted between the ruling Landed, the indigenous Aramahn, and the fanatical Maharraht, and a wasting disease has grown rampant over the past decade. Now, Khalakovo is to play host to the Nine Dukes, a meeting which will weigh heavily upon Khalakovo’s future.

When an elemental spirit attacks an incoming windship, murdering the Grand Duke and his retinue, Prince Nikandr, heir to the scepter of Khalakovo, is tasked with finding the child prodigy believed to be behind the summoning. However, Nikandr discovers that the boy is an autistic savant who may hold the key to lifting the blight that has been sweeping the islands. Can the Dukes, thirsty for revenge, be held at bay? Can Khalakovo be saved? The elusive answer drifts upon the Winds of Khalakovo...]]> 449 Bradley P. Beaulieu Judah 0 3.32 2011 The Winds of Khalakovo (Lays of Anuskaya, #1)
author: Bradley P. Beaulieu
name: Judah
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2016/01/18
date added: 2016/01/18
shelves: dark-fantasy-new-weird-dystopia, didnt-finish
review:

]]> The Gilda Stories 1063142 The Gilda Stories is a very lesbian American odyssey. Escaping from slavery in the 1850s Gilda's longing for kinship and community grows over two hundred years. Her induction into a family of benevolent vampyres takes her on an adventurous and dangerous journey full of loud laughter and subtle terror.]]> 252 Jewelle Gomez 093237994X Judah 4 3.94 1991 The Gilda Stories
author: Jewelle Gomez
name: Judah
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1991
rating: 4
read at: 2016/01/18
date added: 2016/01/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac]]> 22320471 A dark, fantastical, multi-generational tale about a family whose patriarch is consumed by the hunt for the mythical, elusive sasquatch he encountered in his youth

Eli Roebuck was nine years old when his mother walked off into the woods with "Mr. Krantz," a large, strange, hairy man who may or may not be a sasquatch. What Eli knows for certain is that his mother went willingly, leaving her only son behind. For the rest of his life, Eli is obsessed with the hunt for the bizarre creature his mother chose over him, and we watch it affect every relationship he has in his long life--with his father, with both of his wives, his children, grandchildren, and colleagues. We follow all of the Roebuck family members, witnessing through each of them the painful, isolating effects of Eli's maniacal hunt, and find that each Roebuck is battling a monster of his or her own, sometimes literally. The magical world Shields has created is one of unicorns and lake monsters, ghosts and reincarnations, tricksters and hexes. At times charming, as when young Eli meets the eccentric, extraordinary Mr. Krantz, and downright horrifying at others, The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac is boldly imaginative throughout, and proves to be a devastatingly real portrait of the demons that we as human beings all face.]]> 400 Sharma Shields 162779199X Judah 3 3.62 2015 The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac
author: Sharma Shields
name: Judah
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2016/01/03
date added: 2016/01/03
shelves:
review:

]]> The Historian 288557
Late one night in 1972, as a 16-year-old girl, she discovers a mysterious book and a sheaf of letters in her father's library -- a discovery that will have dreadful and far-reaching consequences, and will send her on a journey of mind-boggling danger. While seeking clues to the secrets of her father's past and her mother's puzzling disappearance, she follows a trail from London to Istanbul to Budapest and beyond, and learns that the letters in her possession provide a link to one of the world's darkest and most intoxicating figures. Generation after generation, the legend of Dracula has enticed and eluded both historians and opportunists alike. Now a young girl undertakes the same search that ended in the death and defilement of so many others -- in an attempt to save her father from an unspeakable fate.]]> 676 Elizabeth Kostova 0316154547 Judah 0 didnt-finish 3.69 2005 The Historian
author: Elizabeth Kostova
name: Judah
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/11/08
shelves: didnt-finish
review:
Another one that was well written, but dragged on...and on...and on.
]]> Serena 2815590
Rash's masterful balance of violence and beauty yields a riveting novel that, at its core, tells of love both honored and betrayed.]]> 371 Ron Rash 0061470856 Judah 0 to-read 3.54 2008 Serena
author: Ron Rash
name: Judah
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/09/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Above the Waterfall 20587589
Becky, a park ranger, arrives in this remote patch of North Carolina hoping to ease the anguish of a harrowing past. Searching for tranquility amid the verdant stillness, she finds solace in poetry and the splendor of the land.

A vicious crime will plunge both sheriff and ranger into deep and murky waters, forging an unexpected bond between them. Caught in a vortex of duplicity, lies, and betrayal, they must navigate the dangerous currents of a tragedy that turns neighbor against neighbor—and threatens to sweep them all over the edge.]]> 252 Ron Rash 0062349317 Judah 0 to-read 3.51 2014 Above the Waterfall
author: Ron Rash
name: Judah
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/09/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hollow City (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, #2)]]> 12396528 September 3, 1940. Ten peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters. And only one person can help them � but she’s trapped in the body of a bird.

The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they hope to find a cure for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. And before Jacob can deliver the peculiar children to safety, he must make an important decision about his love for Emma Bloom.

Hollow City draws readers into a richly imagined world of telepathy and time loops, of sideshows and shapeshifters. Like its predecessor, this second novel in the Peculiar Children series blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.]]> 399 Ransom Riggs 1594746125 Judah 4 young-adult, urban-fantasy 4.00 2014 Hollow City (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, #2)
author: Ransom Riggs
name: Judah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2014/06/29
date added: 2015/05/29
shelves: young-adult, urban-fantasy
review:

]]> Bird Box (Bird Box, #1) 18498558 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780062259653

Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it's time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children's trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

Interweaving past and present, Bird Box is a snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page.]]> 262 Josh Malerman Judah 3 apocalypse-wow, ooooooh-scary 4.02 2014 Bird Box (Bird Box, #1)
author: Josh Malerman
name: Judah
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2015/05/19
date added: 2015/05/19
shelves: apocalypse-wow, ooooooh-scary
review:

]]> Her Fearful Symmetry 6202342
When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt, only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers--with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another.

The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery in London. They come to know the building's other residents. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Marjike, Martin's devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth's elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt's neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including--perhaps--their aunt, who can't seem to leave her old apartment and life behind.

Niffenegger weaves a captivating story in Her Fearful Symmetry about love and identity, about secrets and sisterhood, and about the tenacity of life--even after death.]]> 406 Audrey Niffenegger 0224085611 Judah 3 3.27 2009 Her Fearful Symmetry
author: Audrey Niffenegger
name: Judah
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/04/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rook (The Checquy Files, #1)]]> 10836728
So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her.

She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Chequy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain. She also discovers that she possesses a rare, potentially deadly supernatural ability of her own.

In her quest to uncover which member of the Chequy betrayed her and why, Myfanwy encounters a person with four bodies, an aristocratic woman who can enter her dreams, a secret training facility where children are transformed into deadly fighters, and a conspiracy more vast than she ever could have imagined.

Filled with characters both fascinating and fantastical, The Rook is a richly inventive, suspenseful, and often wry thriller that marks an ambitious debut from a promising young writer.]]> 504 Daniel O'Malley 0316098795 Judah 0 to-read 4.10 2012 The Rook (The Checquy Files, #1)
author: Daniel O'Malley
name: Judah
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Alloy of Law (Mistborn, #4)]]> 13538824
Yet even with these advances, the magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for those attempting to establish order and justice.

One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn, who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will. After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax must now put away his guns and assume theduties incumbent upon the head of a noble house--until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.]]> 392 Brandon Sanderson 0765368544 Judah 0 to-read 4.24 2011 The Alloy of Law (Mistborn, #4)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Judah
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/03/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation]]> 534753 Fun Home

First published in 1999, Exile & Pride established Eli Clare as one of the leading writers on the intersections of queerness and disability. With this critical tenth-anniversary edition, the groundbreaking publication secures its position as essential to the history of queer and disability politics, and, through significant new material that boldly interrogates and advances the original text, to its future as well. Clare’s writing on his experiences as a genderqueer activist/writer with cerebral palsy permanently changed the landscape of disability politics and queer liberation, and yet Exile & Pride is much too great in scope to be defined by even these two issues. Instead it offers an intersectional framework for understanding how our bodies actually experience the politics of oppression, power, and resistance. At the heart of Clare’s exploration of environmental destruction, white working-class identity, queer community, disabled sexuality, childhood sexual abuse, coalition politics, and his own gender transition is a call for social justice movements that are truly accessible for everyone.

Blending prose and theory, personal experience and political debate, anger and compassion, Exile & Pride provides a window into a world where our whole selves in all their complexity can be loved and accepted.

An award-winning poet and essayist, Eli Clare is also the author of The Marrow’s Telling.]]> 147 Eli Clare 0896086054 Judah 0 to-read 4.37 1999 Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation
author: Eli Clare
name: Judah
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/02/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Book of the Crowman (Black Dawn #2)]]> 17154807
It is the Bright Day, a time long generations hence, when a peace has descended across the world.

The search for the shadowy figure known only as the Crowman continues, as the Green Men prepare to rise up against the forces of the Ward.

The world has been condemned. Only Gordon Black and The Crowman can redeem it.]]> 468 Joseph D'Lacey Judah 1 didnt-finish
Quite simply, I'm tired of the villainous lisping homosexual trope. (tripe) In the first book, most of the major events centered around gay rape or something similar, and it was revealed that the two main antagonists are gay. I stuck it out anyways, as I enjoyed the story. I couldn't do so with the second book.

We get it. Homosexuals are the representation/embodiment of the culture of corruption that is humanities downfall.

One star. Simple as that.]]> 4.02 2014 The Book of the Crowman (Black Dawn #2)
author: Joseph D'Lacey
name: Judah
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2014
rating: 1
read at: 2015/02/24
date added: 2015/02/24
shelves: didnt-finish
review:
Well written, fun premise.... so why only one star?

Quite simply, I'm tired of the villainous lisping homosexual trope. (tripe) In the first book, most of the major events centered around gay rape or something similar, and it was revealed that the two main antagonists are gay. I stuck it out anyways, as I enjoyed the story. I couldn't do so with the second book.

We get it. Homosexuals are the representation/embodiment of the culture of corruption that is humanities downfall.

One star. Simple as that.
]]> The Great Zoo of China 21535767 Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

It is a secret the Chinese government has been keeping for forty years.

They have found a species of animal no one believed even existed. It will amaze the world.

Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing discovery within the greatest zoo ever constructed.

A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see its fabulous creatures for the first time.

Among them is Dr. Cassandra Jane ‘CJ� Cameron, a writer for National Geographic and an expert on reptiles.

The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will be struck with wonder at these beasts, that they are perfectly safe, and that nothing can go wrong.

Of course it can’t�

GET READY FOR ACTION ON A GIGANTIC SCALE.]]> 393 Matthew Reilly 1476749558 Judah 1 waste-of-paper
(and please save any complaints about spoilers regarding the dragons. There's a tail on the cover and you see one --guess what? It's bus-sized-- within the first few pages.)

**Edit**

I took away the second star. As I continued plowing through the book, it became SO very redundant and cliche that I just couldn't take it. OOooh, Melty Face growled at her from a foot in front of her face! (EXCLAMATION POINT!) OOOOoooooh, something blew up! OOOoooh, someone got their head bitten off. Blah blah blah. (and my language choices here are pretty much in line with how the writing in this goes. He's very fond of using exclamation points outside of conversation, Mr Reilly is.)]]> 3.75 2014 The Great Zoo of China
author: Matthew Reilly
name: Judah
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2014
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2015/01/29
shelves: waste-of-paper
review:
I'm being really generous and giving this two stars simply because it has dragons throwing cars at people. C'mon... IT'S DRAGONS THROWING CARS AT PEOPLE. It's tempting to take away one of said stars for the most annoying thing an author can do is done repeatedly here: tell me something over and over and over and over. We do *not* need to be reminded every third page that the dragons are the size of horses/city buses/airliners (depending on what kind they are). If you feel the need to remind us constantly of this, at least do us the favor of finding something else to compare sizes with.

(and please save any complaints about spoilers regarding the dragons. There's a tail on the cover and you see one --guess what? It's bus-sized-- within the first few pages.)

**Edit**

I took away the second star. As I continued plowing through the book, it became SO very redundant and cliche that I just couldn't take it. OOooh, Melty Face growled at her from a foot in front of her face! (EXCLAMATION POINT!) OOOOoooooh, something blew up! OOOoooh, someone got their head bitten off. Blah blah blah. (and my language choices here are pretty much in line with how the writing in this goes. He's very fond of using exclamation points outside of conversation, Mr Reilly is.)
]]> <![CDATA[The Killing Moon (Dreamblood, #1)]]> 11774272 THE CITY BURNED BENEATH THE DREAMING MOON

In the ancient city-state of Gujaareh, peace is the only law. Upon its rooftops and among the shadows of its cobbled streets wait the Gatherers - the keepers of this peace. Priests of the dream-goddess, their duty is to harvest the magic of the sleeping mind and use it to heal, soothe...and kill those judged corrupt.

But when a conspiracy blooms within Gujaareh's great temple, the Gatherer Ehiru must question everything he knows. Someone, or something, is murdering innocent dreamers in the goddess's name, and Ehiru must now protect the woman he was sent to kill - or watch the city be devoured by war and forbidden magic.]]> 428 N.K. Jemisin 0356500764 Judah 5 3.94 2012 The Killing Moon (Dreamblood, #1)
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Judah
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2015/01/25
date added: 2015/01/25
shelves: favorites, general-fantasy, nook
review:

]]> Fallocaust (Fallocaust, #1) 20823031 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B00IGV5BCC


Over two hundred and thirty years ago the Fallocaust happened, killing almost everything that lived and creating what is now known as the greywastes. A dead wasteland where cannibalism is a necessity, death your reality, and life before the radiation nothing but pictures in dog-eared magazines.

Reaver is a greywaster, living in a small block controlled by a distant ruler said to have started the Fallocaust. He is a product of the savage world he was raised in and prides himself on being cold and cruel. Then someone new to his town catches his eye, someone different than everyone else. Without knowing why he starts to silently stalk him, unaware of where it will lead him.

Author's Note: Fallocaust has now been edited by a professional editor. The second edition is now live as of May 18th 2014.]]> 829 Quil Carter Judah 2 didnt-finish, apocalypse-wow 4.15 2014 Fallocaust (Fallocaust, #1)
author: Quil Carter
name: Judah
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2015/01/23
shelves: didnt-finish, apocalypse-wow
review:
While I couldn't finish this (I only got about 30 pages in) I'm still giving it two stars. Why? Because I think once the author hones his craft a bit more, he'll do some good work. The premise here is intriguing/appealing, but the language skills (the general flow and style/feel) are lacking. I'd love to read this if he had written it five (or however many) years down the road, when he had more experience.
]]> The Necromancer's House 17674968
“You think you got away with something, don’t you? But your time has run out. We know where you are. And we are coming.�
The man on the screen says this in Russian.
“Who are you?�
The man smiles, but it’s not a pleasant smile.
The image freezes.
The celluloid burns exactly where his mouth is, burns in the nearly flat U of his smile. His eyes burn, too.
The man fades, leaving the burning smiley face smoldering on the screen.
“Oh Christ,� Andrew says.
The television catches fire.

Andrew Ranulf Blankenship is a handsome, stylish nonconformist with wry wit, a classic Mustang, and a massive library. He is also a recovering alcoholic and a practicing warlock, able to speak with the dead through film. His house is a maze of sorcerous booby traps and escape tunnels, as yours might be if you were sitting on a treasury of Russian magic stolen from the Soviet Union thirty years ago. Andrew has long known that magic was a brutal game requiring blood sacrifice and a willingness to confront death, but his many years of peace and comfort have left him soft, more concerned with maintaining false youth than with seeing to his own defense. Now a monster straight from the pages of Russian folklore is coming for him, and frost and death are coming with her.]]> 410 Christopher Buehlman 0425256650 Judah 0 to-read 3.72 2013 The Necromancer's House
author: Christopher Buehlman
name: Judah
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/01/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Between Two Fires 13543121
Is it delirium or is it faith? She believes she has seen the angels of God. She believes the righteous dead speak to her in dreams. And now she has convinced the faithless Thomas to shepherd her across a depraved landscape to Avignon. There, she tells Thomas, she will fulfill her mission to confront the evil that has devastated the earth, and to restore to this betrayed, murderous knight the nobility and hope of salvation he long abandoned.

As hell unleashes its wrath, and as the true nature of the girl is revealed, Thomas will find himself on a macabre battleground of angels and demons, saints, and the risen dead, and in the midst of a desperate struggle for nothing less than the soul of man.]]> 432 Christopher Buehlman 1937007863 Judah 0 to-read 4.20 2012 Between Two Fires
author: Christopher Buehlman
name: Judah
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/01/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Perfect Peace 6969591
When the seventh child of the Peace family, named Perfect, turns eight, her mother Emma Jean tells her bewildered daughter, “You was born a boy. I made you a girl. But that ain’t what you was supposed to be. So, from now on, you gon� be a boy. It’ll be a little strange at first, but you’ll get used to it, and this’ll be over after while.�

From this point forward, Perfect’s life becomes a bizarre kaleidoscope of events—while the rest of his family is forced to question everything they thought they knew about gender, sexuality, unconditional love, and fulfillment.]]> 352 Daniel Black 0312582676 Judah 0 to-read 4.29 Perfect Peace
author: Daniel Black
name: Judah
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/12/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5)]]> 985870
Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys’s claim to Westeros forever.

Meanwhile, to the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone—a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

From all corners, bitter conflicts reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.]]> 1016 George R.R. Martin 0002247399 Judah 0 4.22 2011 A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Judah
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2011/10/22
date added: 2014/12/09
shelves: general-fantasy, to-finish-at-some-point
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mirror Empire (Worldbreaker Saga, #1)]]> 20646731
In the frozen kingdom of Saiduan, invaders from another realm are decimating whole cities, leaving behind nothing but ash and ruin.

As the dark star of the cataclysm rises, an illegitimate ruler is tasked with holding together a country fractured by civil war, a precocious young fighter is asked to betray his family and a half-Dhai general must choose between the eradication of her father’s people or loyalty to her alien Empress.

Through tense alliances and devastating betrayal, the Dhai and their allies attempt to hold against a seemingly unstoppable force as enemy nations prepare for a coming together of worlds as old as the universe itself.

In the end, one world will rise � and many will perish.]]> 540 Kameron Hurley 0857665553 Judah 3

Definitely not a waste of time, I didn't regret having read it and even really enjoyed a lot of it, but it misses the mark at some points.]]> 3.47 2014 The Mirror Empire (Worldbreaker Saga, #1)
author: Kameron Hurley
name: Judah
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2014/12/02
date added: 2014/12/02
shelves: dark-fantasy-new-weird-dystopia
review:
Recommended, but mixed feelings. There's a lot of good stuff in this to be sure (the world-building, the magic system) but there are also some failings.... mainly in the form of Zezili. Perhaps she will become a less one-dimensional character in future chapters, but in this one she's kind of the female version of everything I dislike in many mainstream male characters. At times, it can also be hard to follow *what* exactly is happening.


Definitely not a waste of time, I didn't regret having read it and even really enjoyed a lot of it, but it misses the mark at some points.
]]>