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Book Review: In the Shadow of the Fall, by Tobi Ogundiran

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I won a copy of Tobi Ogundiran‘s novella In the Shadow of the Fall.

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Ashâke is an acolyte in the temple of Ifa, yearning for the day she is made a priest and sent out into the world to serve the orisha. But of all the acolytes, she is the only one the orisha refuse to speak to. For years she has watched from the sidelines as peer after peer passes her by and ascends to full priesthood.

Desperate, Ashâke attempts to summon and trap an orisha―any orisha. Instead, she experiences a vision so terrible it draws the attention of a powerful enemy sect and thrusts Ashâke into the center of a centuries-old war that will shatter the very foundations of her world.

my review

I enjoyed this. Honestly, I’ve enjoyed just about everything I’ve read coming out of Tor recently. This little book packs a lot into its few pages with an engaging world, interestingly flawed main character, entertaining mystery, and an unfortunate cliffhanger. I’ll be looking for that next book, though.

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Book Review: System Collapse, by Martha Wells

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I purchased a signed copy of Martha Wells‘ System Collapse through The Broken Binding.

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Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.

But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast.

Yeah, this plan is… not going to work.

my review

Oh man, I missed SecUnit and crew. I really did. Unfortunately, it had been a hot minute since I read the last book, and this one picks up right where Network Effect ended. So, I was a little hazy on the remembered details. So, it might be worth a reread before you jump into System Collapse if it’s been a little while for you, too.

This book is predominantly internal to SecUnit’s thoughts and banter between SecUnit and ART, and I was 100% there for it. I love them both to pieces. We also get to see a lot of growth in SecUnit as they come to recognize and accept their own past trauma, try to do the right thing in difficult situations, and keep their humans alive (preferably all the humans, but definitely their humans).

All in all, I will be on pins and needles, hoping there is another book in this series at some point.

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Book Review: Nettle & Bone, by T. Kingfisher

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I received a copy of T. Kingfisher‘s Nettle & Bone through Netgalley.

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This isn’t the kind of fairytale where the princess marries a prince.
It’s the one where she kills him.

Marra never wanted to be a hero.

As the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter, she escaped the traditional fate of princesses, to be married away for the sake of an uncaring throne. But her sister wasn’t so fortunate—and after years of silence, Marra is done watching her suffer at the hands of a powerful and abusive prince.

Seeking help for her rescue mission, Marra is offered the tools she needs, but only if she can complete three seemingly impossible tasks:
—build a dog of bones
—sew a cloak of nettles
—capture moonlight in a jar

But, as is the way in tales of princes and witches, doing the impossible is only the beginning.

Hero or not—now joined by a disgraced ex-knight, a reluctant fairy godmother, an enigmatic gravewitch and her fowl familiar—Marra might finally have the courage to save her sister, and topple a throne.

my review

I am just going to have to accept that I am a standing T. Kingfisher fan. I have enjoyed everything I’ve read by them. I’ll admit that this isn’t my favorite of their books that I’ve read—I thought it a little slow at times, and sometimes I wanted a deeper conversation about things than we were given—but I sure did enjoy the heck out of it.

So much about Marra—who I am convinced is neuron-divergent—is relatable. She’s practical as all get-out and is getting the job done, but she’s an angsty, insecure mess the whole time she’s doing it. Yeah, I felt that in my very bones.

The romance is super subtle, and I adored it. All of the side characters are marvelous, and there is just enough absurdity that happens. (I laughed often.) I am sad to be finished and look forward to my next T. Kingfisher book.

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Review: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher + Giveaway

NETTLE & BONE – T. KINGFISHER