Cleopatra's Shadows

 Book Title: Cleopatra's Shadows

Author: Emily Holleman

Series: Fall of Egypt #1

Date Started: February 27th 2022

Date Completed: April 16th 2022

Genres: Historical

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

It was really nice to see a retelling in this area of history, and especially nice to follow the lesser-known sisters of Cleopatra and their stories in the run-up to their sister's ascension. Cleopatra's Shadows was an enjoyable read that I'm surprised doesn't have more traction with the growing subgenre of ancient history retellings.

While it feels pretty level with its tensions throughout the book looking back, I didn't mind that things didn't twist and turn unpredictably; the events were believable and the conflict and tension came from that. I've seen some people seem disappointed with the conclusion, perhaps because the fictionalising is so engaging for the rest of the book, the finale conflicted with that when it was based on history which is so rarely structured like a story.

It also made me realise how little I know about Egyptian history (I was obsessed with their mythology as a child), and how deeply tied it is with Greek mythology and culture. You always think of Rome and Egypt's relationship, but not necessarily much earlier in history. Holleman's ability to bring little fragments of discovery to the reader's attention, even if they're there for the fictionalised narrative, is what's so valuable about exploring history in this way.

I really enjoyed the book and found bother sisters compelling. It was an accessible and engaging fictionalised version of the history, and a good addition to the cornucopia of ancient history retellings.

Gallant

 Book Title: Gallant

Author: V.E. Schwab

Date Started: February 9th 2022

Date Completed: February 20th 2022

Genres: Horror, Adventure

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Three Star

Final Rating: Three Stars

Review:

◆ Thanks to NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

I found this honestly pretty underwhelming. I'm really glad Schwab is growing and developing her stories into what she's always wanted to write, and I support her journey in that. Her new stuff is just less my thing, and that's okay - the gothic ghostliness is fun I just personally don't often click with it. I will say, though, that there was a lot of internal monologuing, spookiness and pretty writing and not a lot of anyone doing anything until the end.

Gallant is a class in doing a Ghosty House 101. It's not so much a mystery because there's no real reveal (it dips more into fantasy than thriller), but if you love a Gothic ghost story you're looking in the right place. Looking back at it, it really reminded me of Coraline, Mexican Gothic and a handful of other Gothic stories - and maybe that's why I wasn't a massive fan. It ticked all the boxes but didn't really provide anything else.

And, while I appreciated having a mute protagonist, the book didn't really do much with it. And it doesn't have to - normalised representation is good too - but it felt like there was wasted potential in a story that delves so much into fantastical possibilities. Or, failing that, even just thinking about it more past that sometimes people ignore her because they can't read sign language.

Overall, I think I may start giving Schwab's ghost stories a pass; I've tried a handful now and they're just not my thing. Very much support her growth as an author, but I think pushing myself to read stuff that I'm just not interesting isn't worth it - life's too short!

The Dragon's Promise

 Book Title: The Dragon's Promise

Author: Elizabeth Lim

Series: Six Crimson Cranes #2

Date Started: February 27th 2022

Date Completed: February 9th 2022

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Historical

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Star

Final Rating: Five Stars

Review:

◆ Thanks to NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

This duology has been a joy to read; the stunning fantasy, the complex characters, the vividly immersive adventure. It has quickly become one of my favourite series of all time and I can't wait to get some pretty hardcovers to go on my shelves (anyone know how to get the US editions to the UK because I'm in love) and read more of Lim's work.

I adore the Asian mythology weaved into what is in its own rite a wonderfully exciting and magical fantasy adventure. As I gushed about when I read Six Crimson Cranes, the fairy tale of The Wild Swans is my favourite fairy tale of all time, so to see it reimagined with full respect to the original as well as boundless imagination to its potential to expand is always a delight when I come across it. And, while the main homage to that fairy tale was wrapped up at the end of the last book, there are still elements dotted throughout The Dragon's Promise, where we get to dive even deeper (pun absolutely intended) into the Asian fairy tales and folklore that inspire a lot of this book's narrative.

Something that is often hit or miss for me is the romance in fantasy adventures; The Dragon's Promise got it perfect for me. I loved how Lim let her characters be tempted by the cliches we're so used to (hiding the truth from significant others, sacrificing themselves completely needlessly, being generally idiotic because 'I care about you too much,') and then had them consciously realise that's dumb and move on to do better. The characters are then so much more tactile, they have healthy relationships even when they're strained, and they recognise the consequences of their actions - that's good storytelling folks!

And that's not mentioning Shiori as the heroine herself. Lim runs a pretty concise masterclass of how to write an active protagonist. Taking into account the fantasy elements and the fact Shiori has magic at her fingertips, it is still her active decisions that move the story forward, which makes it all the more exciting and Shirori all the more impressively brave and beloved.

This whole book was just so satisfying because it acknowledged and took elements from all of Shiori's adventures (has it really only been two books?) to impact her actions in the finale. She really has learnt a hundred lessons, and she really has changed because of it. In only two books, Shiori and her companions feel like such real human beings (and a variety of other magical creatures) to me. I think it was a perfect ending - and yet I don't want it to be the ending. Here's hoping Lim sends some new characters our way to fall in love with soon.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

 Book Title: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

Author: Axie Oh

Date Started: February 2nd 2021

Date Completed: February 13th 2021

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Three Stars

Review:

◆ Thanks to NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

I'm a big fan of Asian mythology, and I'm so excited to see more being published. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a welcome addition to the growing collection of Young Adult fantasy retellings, though I did personally find it a bit too heavy on the instalove tropes of its age range to be wholly engrossing.

It sits comfortably in the YA category, however at times almost felt Middle Grade; the characters behave sort of weirdly (reacting too much or not enough), and were generally a lot more intent on minor things that fell into their path than their actual overarching goal and needs. I loved the rare bits where we explored (and had described to us) the spirit world under the sea and the various gods, spirits and demons that reside there. I feel like that was something that could've really enriched the story, had it been utilised more than setting the scene. I also would've liked that to have informed Mina's development more than her instalove storyline (both for her love interest and the friends that become very intimate when they hated her not so long before).

I was a little confused as to what the story was aiming towards for most of the book. The plot was mostly Mina following around other people, visiting the Sea God's palace every now and then and then getting thrown into dangerous situations. As mentioned, the protagonist's quest didn't seem that pressing for the most part which led to this sort of mish-mash of a load of side quests that were sort of having an impact on the main narrative, but only conveniently. Really, Oh was focused on making the characters involving, and while the whole ensemble was really sweet and had potential for those iconic 'bands of brothers' (whatever the non-male-centric version is), it was all a bit rushed to be able to buy into that.

All being said, the last chunk of the book was fantastic. I saw the twist coming but it was still clever and satisfying, and it felt like the most planned part as lots of little things from across the book were demystified in ways that really rewarded Mina's patience (she didn't do that much actively throughout the book, but patience is still a virtue). I look forward to reading more from Axie Oh, just with the hopes that there'll be a little bit more time for depth to the characters and their relationships in the future.

The Children of Jocasta

 Book Title: The Children of Jocasta

Author: Natalie Haynes

Date Started: December 16th 2021

Date Completed: January 31st 2022

Genres: Historical, Mythology

Quality Rating: Five Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Five Stars

Review:

I love Natalie Haynes, and Antione is my favourite play full stop (let alone Greek Tragedy), so a retelling of the Oedipus cycle was always going to score well for me. Ironically, Antigone isn't painted especially well but how nice to see her sister Ismene, who is so belittled and overlooked in the originals, take centre stage along with their mother. The Children of Jocasta was definitely slow to start off, but then it became impossible to put down.

This book definitely goes down the 'logical explanation' route of retellings, and both loses and gains assets by doing so. There's less of the wonder and righteousness for me, but there was more humanity and of course acknowledgement of the women's stories - however less divine or 'exciting' they may be. What I really loved was how Haynes retold the story, allowing for a bittersweet ending and a more fleshed out narrative than the few fragments of primary research literature have allowed us.

Something that I often find with classical retellings is that writers really like to exaggerate the depressing tragedy and often overlook the moments of magic and love that any human being experiences even in the worst of circumstances. I don't think many people would argue that the Oedipus cycle isn't one of the most depressing out there. But there's a balance that makes these stories timeless, and that's the thing a lot of modern authors don't seem to get. Natalie Haynes does, and it sets her above the rest.

Her afterwords are always so good. Haynes has such an engaging and witty tone, such an understanding of the role Classics has in our modern society - its failings as well as its strengths. I do ultimately prefer her non-fiction to her fiction just because of this marvellous tone she achieves (I wish I could write like that), but The Children of Jocasta is still far and away one of the best classical retellings out there at the moment. Natalie Haynes is the modern face of Classicism that I was so sorely missing when I studied the subject in sixth form, and is undeniably one of the reasons I have continued to learn more as an adult.

I imagine you would probably get more out of the book if you're familiar with the original stories - that's not a strict rule as Haynes weaves together a couple of different versions of the story and retells it in her own way. But I have seen a chunk of other people saying they would've preferred to know the original myth, and I can see why. A lot of the enjoyment for me came from the dramatic irony and understanding of the characters before their fates befell them - and the gentle, nuanced way Haynes adapted little details probably felt so empowering because I understood as a reader how they differ and improve on the classical tale.

The Secret Commonwealth

 Book Title: The Secret Commonwealth

Author: Philip Pullman

Series: The Book of Dust #2

Date Started: December 28th 2021

Date Completed: January 16th 2022

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure

Quality Rating: Five Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Star

Final Rating: Five Stars

Review:

How well this series has aged. The Book of Dust, particularly in The Secret Commonwealth, is complex but so accessible. I'm always amazed by how Pullman can communicate such complicated systems, politics and emotions in a genuine and understandable way regardless of who's reading.

This book is a masterclass not in writing sequels but in revisiting an existing character's journey in a new way. Many of the themes from His Dark Materials are present, but the narrative is different; Lyra's goal has changed, her world has moved on, but most importantly we remember everything and everyone that has come before but they aren't shoehorned into this one for the sake of gratuitous references. And so everything is allowed to feel new. I often talk about books that serendipitously find you at exactly the right time. The Secret Commonwealth is absolutely one of those, as well as being another series that has grown up with me as I have grown and just happens to deal with my crises when I am faced with them.

Narrative-wise, of course there's the big world-changing plot here but, as always with Pullman's writing, there's an additional emotional story going on about how we seem to lose conviction as we grow older (that one hit home hard) despite the fact we seem to have more agency and knowledge at our fingertips. As we're able to reach for things further away, the further they seem to drift. There's also the wider socio-political refugee crisis that Pullman doesn't shy away from, and the growing indoctrination of bad religious practice, how politics become less about helping communities of people and more about propelling one or two to power. And, on the internal level, there's the exploration of how our troubles and concerns feel small and insignificant so we hide them away, and how so many others face their mirror, and the ripples caused by ignoring them as problems. All of this is underneath the story - and the story is thrilling enough without having to read into it. But I'm amazed at how Pullman can put so much depth and layers in, and with so much conviction.

The Secret Commonwealth has all the wonder and whimsy of the original series, colliding with the morality and mess of adulthood. I love how Pullman tied it back to La Belle Sauvage - though that book, while enjoyable, felt a little random at the time, it all makes sense now. Our understanding of the now-older characters and the politics established empowers us to be able to read the subtext intuitively. In many ways, Pullman has deliberately and consciously avoided the downfall of many sequels who fill their pages with bringing back old beloved characters for cameos but ultimately having to tell their story in the same parameters of perspective they did before. By establishing these new characters, allowing us to grow to love them and understand how their stories interact with Lyra's, our heroine is faced with a completely new challenge with new allies and new perspectives that she has to come to understand. That's how you write a sequel.

The Vegetarian

 Book Title: The Vegetarian

Author: Han Kang

Translator: Deborah Smith

Date Started: December 17th 2021

Date Completed: December 28th 2021

Genres: Contemporary, Magical Realism

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

The Vegetarian is perhaps the most well-known novel to come out of South Korea in recent years, at the top of many reading lists and recommended relentlessly - as it should be. But, oof, it's a heavy one.

I'd read a short story by Han Kang before, and while I remember enjoying it I couldn't say I could recall it very well. What I do remember was her writing style (translated by Deborah Smith), and the imagery of this novel brought it back to me as being both beautiful and shocking.

I thought that the parts of the book were perhaps separate stories for a bit due to the lack of names until I realised they're of course the same family unit. This is in some way deliberate though; even those connected have absolutely unique experiences and perspectives. The difference in gendered experiences is obviously the biggest gap here.

I actually find this book hard to talk about because it hit me on a very personal level, and yet some parts of it remain frustratingly elusive. It is one of those books that throws you into a void for a little bit after finishing, and perhaps that's a good thing.