Night Shine

Book Title: Night Shine

Author: Tessa Gratton

Date Started: August 21st 2020

Date Completed: August 26th 2020

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Two Star

Final Rating: Two Stars

Review:

◆ Thanks to the author for this eBook copy for review ◆

I loved another of Gratton's novels, The Queens of Innis Lear, when I read it a few years ago and while I can see the stylistic similarities, Night Shine was not for me in the end. I was unsure to begin with but gave it a good chance, and then another, and another; I kept pushing through to halfway, but when I got to that midway point and felt like my original concerns were still very much at the forefront of my reading experience, I decided to move on to something else.

I know that my biggest problem with this book was the protagonist. 'Nothing' was just... not enough to lead it. She's flat and detached, overly theatrical at times when she's supposed to be saving the day out of nowhere, and totally inconsistent. She feels like a ten-year-old and that doesn't develop through the first 50% of the book at all, and it's honestly uncomfortable when all the other characters feel so much more mature and have a great deal of power over her. She also doesn't seem to understand the hierarchies or magic system of her own world past 'demons exist' which makes it impossible for us to.

While I do applaud the LGBT+ inclusion in Night Shine, I am left feeling conflicted about its representation. Kirin, the crown prince, gets his bodyguard to pretend he's a woman while they're away from the castle (that's not a spoiler, it's in the first chapter) - the book seems to imply that Kirin is transgender (more than somewhere else on the spectrum) but continues to refer to the character as 'he' for as much as I read. I honestly would've felt happier if Kirin was referred to as 'she' in the prose, even if the characters had a hard time switching from the male pronouns.

Furthermore, the relationships between Nothing, Kirin and Sky (the bodyguard) straight-up confused me; if it's supposed to be a love triangle, okay, or a three-way situation, fine, but I couldn't work out what the hell it was. And, again, when Nothing feels so much younger and candid than the men it's confusing and a little uncomfortable for me when she seems to be totally at the whim of these boys who feel older and more mature (it's less about her being immature, and more about the emotional power status the men have over her seemingly without her knowing). None of this is helped by the fact that from the very first page both Nothing and Sky have this absolute blind faith and idolistic love in this prince that we have never met and yet are supposed to immediately fall in love with.

I've read a few other people say that they didn't understand the story, and I kind of agree. I love the quest structure and the fairytale-esque style (it's very Snow Queen, East of the Sun West of the Moon, maybe even a little Bluebeard), but the actual goal of the story is so scrambled (and the protagonist doesn't seem to have one herself but is buffeted along a tide of what other people want) that it was hard to follow the purpose of scenes and events. The writing style, I have no problem with. In fact, I really like the dreamy detached narration, I just found it hard to picture what it was narrating. The story just takes a long time to get going and then moves in stops and starts. As I said, I only got halfway through the book and, while many things had happened, it felt like next to nothing had actually progressed in the story.

I don't really understand why this is being marketed as a queer Howl's Moving Castle. Because it has a witch and a curse in it? There's a lot more to Diana Wynne Jones' book than that. I also think that, while the LGBT+ representation is prevalent, it's pinned most strongly to secondary characters that feel less like they're supporting the protagonist's the story and more like they're put on display (I'm aware of the hints that Nothing herself might get a queer romance, but if there's not a strong direction for that halfway through a book where the story's already grinding, I'm not totally sure I'd enjoy it if/when it did happen).

The Dragon Republic

Book Title: The Poppy War

Author: R. F. Kuang

Series: The Poppy War #1

Date Started: August 14th 2020

Date Completed: August 21st 2020

Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Adventure

Quality Rating: Five Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

◆ Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this eBook copy for review ◆

I enjoyed The Poppy War, but Kuang upped her game very fast into one of the most impressive high fantasy war novels I've ever read. It handles a very dark and complex story with the maturity, imagination and heart that few writers I've come across even come close to.

It's maybe a little misleading to just summarise this book as a war story because it feels much more like a fantasy adventure, but it is ultimately a mix of politics vs. strategy vs. action. And it's all grey area, with morality you have to learn as you go, which is so engaging. I feel like I'm playing a game of chess just reading it, trying to work out who to root for and trust. It's doubly effective when you have such a compelling and flawed character as Rin at the centre, making those tough decisions and having to live through the consequences. The magic system also works perfectly with it; I sometimes forgot I was reading a fantasy novel because the shamanism is layered so well into the worldbuilding and is totally believable.

What I think jars most people about these books is how graphic and grim and violent they can be, but there (so far) hasn't been a moment where I feel like it's not being taken seriously. The killing and the hurting and the terror aren't indulgent or used for excitement, and arguably not always even plot devices; it's treated with the maturity and depth needed. There were a few points in this book where my stomach turned when things nearly crossed too far for me, but actually Kuang plays the balance well.

A little sidenote for me is that Kuang writes exactly the kind of romance I love; where it doesn't have to be said between the two people or even to the reader because it's clear they care deeply for the other person. The fact that it's rooted in friendship is another element I adore and think frames it so well in a novel like this, where the character's personal lives aren't necessarily the main focus but inevitably affect their motivations and decision-making.

I absolutely loved The Dragon Republic, and if the next book jumps up in intensity and/or emotional involvement then I predict tears. Seriously, how much is The Burning God, the final book in this series, going to kill me?

Wicked Fox

Book Title: Wicked Fox

Author: Helen Oyeyemi

Series: Gumiho #1

Date Started: August 9th 2020

Date Completed: August 13th 2020

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Three Stars

Review:

Wicked Fox was a lot of fun. To start with, I really enjoyed reading a fantasy novel set in Korea with strong ties to Korean mythology; I mean that's enough for me, I'm sold. As expected, there were a lot more Young Adult influences mixed in there too which I wasn't as much of a fan of, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the book altogether.

The book feels like a well-written fanfiction - which I don't mean as a critique but rather a heads up on the genre and direction of play. And not an obnoxious one either because we all love some indulgent angsty flirting every now and then. I wasn't mad about the initial high school drama situation (it's just not my thing) but once the adventure/mystery side kicked in I fell into it and read the last two-thirds of the book in a day.

There was a good balance of myth and modernisation for an urban fantasy as well; it didn't feel like the real folklore was shoved into the gaps of contemporary society or vice versa. And I loved - loved - the Korean culture and that Cho was happy to fill the text with the Korean names and titles etc. I really like it when books do that, firstly because it really immerses you in the world, but also because it's gently educational! I'm an intermediate Korean speaker and there were new slang words and food names and mythological creatures that I'd never come across before which made the whole experience all the richer. I also think Cho does a good job of leaving hints and/or explanations for readers who won't know what the names refer to so it's accessible for all.

Something that I've thought about since finishing the book are the relationships; there are some really interesting ones. And I like that Cho allows there to be complicated dynamics between characters, but still puts care into distinguishing what's manipulation and what's a human mistake. Look, contemporary romance-based stories just aren't my jam, and I think in part because I have bad associations with unhealthy relationships (romantic and otherwise) being romanticised in some books I read as a teenager. Cho gets the balance and tone exactly right, and that's so good to read.

It was so nice to read something like this, and I hope it opens the way for more fiction in this vein (not everything has to be set in the US or a medieval-style English magic school (despite popular belief, we really don't have that many of them)). Wicked Fox was very enjoyable and I might pick up the sequel if I'm feeling in the mood for it, though I will also commend Cho for writing a story that wraps itself up perfectly well on its own.

Gingerbread

Book Title: Gingerbread

Author: Helen Oyeyemi

Date Started: August 2nd 2020

Date Completed: August 9th 2020

Genres: Magical Realism, Contemporary

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

◆ Thanks to NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

I don't pretend to always fully understand what the author is trying to say with magical realism, but I do enjoy reading it. I would probably need to write a dissertation to fully work out what's actually going on in Gingerbread (which I would actually be up for) but, in this review, I'm instead going to focus on the experience of just reading it for pleasure because I feel like that should be praised too.

Gingerbread is a very dreamy book, as you would expect from magical realism, but it had a narrative that I could follow. Often magical realist stories sometimes leave this out in favour of making their point, but I personally find it harder to follow (and/or care about) something that isn't rooted in a character's experience. As it is, Oyeyemi perfectly balances the narrative with her speculative observations and creations. As a retelling, this book perfectly understands the wicked and clever tone of the original fairytale and adapts it into something bittersweet and thoughtful when combined with contemporary perspectives and issues to explore.

I also absolutely love the directions Oyeyemi has taken the Hansel and Gretel story. Some are more explicit (literal (well, magical realist) gingerbread houses, characters called Gretel, or with fake names relating to the story) than others. Magical realism is, of course, the perfect place to play around with themes and metaphors, and Gingerbread has a field day with it. The book looks at the supposed 'sweetness' of gingerbread with links it to sexuality as being alluring/wickedly seductive; parents being (emotionally) dependent on children vs. abandoning them in the world to fend for themselves; the female-female relationships between different generations (be it mother/daughter, aunt/niece, mentor/student) which is derived from the relationship Gretel has with the witch that she has to use to escape. And so much more - as I said, I could fill a dissertation with it - and it's all fascinating even on the surface level I was noticing it without trying to analyse.

And I'm sure there is a lot that has gone over my head. I would imagine there's a lot to say about Black heritage and dismissed cultural belonging that I'm excited to look into now that I've finished the book. Side note that it was also wonderfully refreshing to have such a diversity of characters - even before you get to Black protagonists, having diversely named parents at the school was noticeably different to a lot of things I read, and damn great.

I've been meaning to get around to reading a Helen Oyeyemi book for years now, ever since Boy Snow Bird started being talked about, and I really should've started earlier. The themes Oyeyemi explores, the beauty with which she explores them, and all within the framework of reimagining fairytales is exactly the kind of thing that I love.

The Poppy War

Book Title: The Poppy War

Author: R. F. Kuang

Series: The Poppy War #1

Date Started: July 27th 2020

Date Completed: August 2nd 2020

Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Adventure

Quality Rating: Five Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

◆ Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this eBook copy for review ◆

I'd heard very good things about The Poppy War, and while I wasn't as blown away as I expected to be, I have high hopes for where this series will go - because that's some good epic fantasy right there. The first half felt very familiar (not in a bad way) of the genre, and then things started to go in their own direction from there into one of the darkest adventures I've read in a long while.

Look, in hindsight, this book is essentially all set up for the rest of the series, but it feels like its own story as you're reading it - things just escalate way out of control by the end and our heroine is faced with a much bigger problem than what she started with. I am honestly looking forward to what's coming slightly more than I would say I enjoyed this book, just because I could kind of tell where we were going until the last quarter. I think the sequels are really going to offer something exciting and unpredictable.

There were points where I wondered if The Poppy War needed to be as gruesome and graphic as it was. The book starts off pretty neutral and slowly descends into dark, and then horrible, and then absolutely abhorrent events. But where the story ends up (and presumably where the series will go) ends up explaining itself. The weight of the atmosphere did need to be established gradually, and Kuang does a good job of setting our perspective up and then throwing us into the deep end along with Rin.

If you've read my reviews before or know my tastes, you'll know I loved stories inspired by mythology - especially Asian mythology - and while Chinese (and potentially some Sino-Japanese in there too?) is not what I'm most familiar with, this was right up my street. And it should be said that you really don't have to have any previous awareness of it; both the historical and mythologically-inspired aspects are well explained while being naturally integrated into Rin's story.

One of the things I read (I think from the author) about this book was that it was almost like Avatar: The Last Airbender for adults - and there was a point in the middle of this book where I was like that's totally it. The world is rich, the politics are grey and the spirit-world/magic-system is one thing, but the real heart is always the characters. The Poppy War is intrinsically about Rin, but the ensemble that comes in and out around her are what flesh out everything she's up against. And I do have to mention, I thought Rin was a bit morally challenged for a lot of this book and wasn't fully behind the idea that we as the audience should support everything she did, but Kuang does eventually acknowledge that it's more complicated than that. It's not often you get to see a character you care for but disagree with on a number of fronts take centre stage, and that's super engaging to read.

Harper Voyager has been awesome and approved this whole series for me on NetGalley, so I'm going to be diving back into this world very soon ahead of the final book's release in November. So far, while I'm still waiting to be fully blown away, I am very hopeful and excited about where Rin is going to take her quest now that the stakes are so much more complicated than she first thought.