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Review: The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon

August 28, 2024January 13, 2025 RobinLeave a comment

This is book four in a seven-book series. As such, former books and events contained within will be discussed. Proceed with caution.

London is no longer safe. Paige Mahoney, dreamwalker and fugitive, survived her torture at the Westminster Archon, but now fleeing her city is the only way to survive. Secreted away at the turn of the year by new allies, Paige and Arcturus find themselves in Paris, holed up in a safe house awaiting orders from the mysterious Domino Programme. Though she survived the brutality of the torture at the hands of Scion, Paige’s next trial will be to overcome the physical and mental wounds left behind. Left alone in the Paris safehouse with Arcturus, Paige slowly finds her way back to herself and begins to mend, but the resistance cannot wait long, not even in Paris. Paris is a city wholly unlike the one she left behind, complete with a clairvoyant syndicate slightly removed from the martial law of London yet innately entangled in the struggles of the Grey Market and Sheol II, the next clairvoyant Bone Season. With orders from Domino to infiltrate the French government using her dreamwalking abilities, Paige returns to the action and uncovers secrets even her Ranthen allies hoped would stay buried. In a short amount of time, the shadow of the anchor has stretched further over the free world and Paris now stands on a precipice. United, Paige and Arcturus could sway the outcome, but revolutionaries so rarely get to see the fall.

The Mask Falling marks a divergence from the former three books of the Bone Season as the shadow of Scion spreads over the free world and revolutionary and clairvoyant Paige Mahoney fights to come back to herself in Paris after a period of horrific torture. Framed within a quiet Parisian interlude, Paige and Arcturus take stock of their situation and break free from the roles that have guided their paths thus far to decide who they want to be to themselves and to one another. Lulled into a false sense of security, Samantha Shannon waits to dissolve this peaceful home and pull these two back into the gravity of a different clairvoyant underworld, one that plays off the nightmares of Paige’s experiences and the worst of Scion. In her fourth installment of the Bone Season, Samantha Shannon pulls free the bulk of her delicately designed plot to embark into her next act –one that bites as much as its predecessors but leaves significantly deeper scars.

Fleeing into an inverted world of clairvoyants, Paige and Arcturus are entirely on their own in Paris. Drawn down deep into the dank and decrepit catacombs of the Parisian syndicate, Paige physically confronts her wounds – the waterboard where she was tortured and the emotional scars left over from her entire experience at the Archon. Much of the external environment has sharpened to match these experiences. Water falling down upon window panes, showerheads, headboards, and even the solace of Arcturus are overwhelming and send her right back to the basement where she endured her torture. With the Parisian syndicate, Samantha Shannon broadens her playing field. The catacombs filled with human remains and scattered souls waiting to claim helpless voyants were startlingly claustrophobic to wade through as the scope of this world literally delves ever deeper. Paris introduces a world outside Paige’s element and by extension the reader, a shift in the epicenter of Scion and its plots against the remainder of the free world. The Mask Falling engages fully with the idea of Scion as a puppet government upholding the desires of the Sargas, and questions who is comfortable cutting or transitioning those strings to another power. Is freedom even possible if you are trading one cage for another? All of these are things Paige contends with in Paris alongside her future within the Scion resistance outside of London.

The Mask Falling is a book that haunts you in its finality. Both an interlude that wraps you in its comfort and a shipwreck caught up in a tempest, casting you wet and ragged back upon the shore. I am still held in equal parts disbelief and awe at its ending. Representing the next stage in the resistance against Scion, The Mask Falling is a deeper evolution of Paige and Arcturus as individuals. Though she lost a large part of herself in her torture at the Archon, Paige isn’t given long to compartmentalize before returning as a clairvoyant power and face of the Scion resistance. But in Paris, Paige can keep her armor on around others without having to return to the rigid roles she walked within London. Paige remarks to Arcturus that they are finally on equal footing – as fugitives they can be whatever they want to one another without fear, or even shame getting in the way. Much of this book centers around rebirth and the masks that we cast off or place upon ourselves to survive. Yet, Arcturus desires Paige without any facade or artifice but must confront his shortcomings if he is to meet her unmasked. As a Oneiromancer, Arcturus is someone led by memory and it has become its own kind of prison. Though he has held back the weight of mortality for centuries, his attachment to Paige and her mortality to him by extent has left him led by fear. Paris is a place where they both realize that fear has no place within their relationship and that they can be more to one another without feeling like it will detract from all that they are trying to accomplish. Arcturus is her partner in all things, and the safe house in Paris highlights that despite the initial lack of romantic confrontation. Arcturus taking care of Paige during her convalescence, them watching movies together in the living room, and the sunsets on the roof were these little bright patches pushing back against the darkness. I honestly wished they could have stayed there forever despite all that was needed of them.

The support Arcturus lends Paige as she struggles to reassemble herself after torture is extraordinarily gentle. It was gutting to hear him compare his own experiences being tortured alongside the other Ranthen, to hers at the Archon. “But you were alone, Paige” is a simple statement that strikes back at the profound loneliness at the center of what she went through. Unburdening herself is freedom from walking that path alone, and Arcturus is someone she trusts to walk it with. The idea Arcturus purports of identity as something ever fluid, that every day we die because we are constantly in a state of transformation relating to Paige’s recovery of her identity after torture was really lovely. Paige and Arcturus evolve their emotional intimacy and trust substantially during their time together in Paris. Samantha Shannon calls forth this mutual view of the other as home, as both Paige and Arcturus had to flee their homelands because of violence and have found a solid landing place with each other. The revelation that Arcturus’ dreamscape is a reflection of the Guildhall – representative of the safety and trust he found with Paige, but also where she burnt down their prison and freed them both is further proof of that. The overture sequence in Paige’s bedroom after Versailles is them embracing all that they are. In the dark room with Arcturus, Paige learns that her body is not just a weapon to be wielded for pain or for power, but something that can bring her pleasure that belongs entirely to her. Paige and Arcturus find courage in choosing one another despite fear and build a new room together to stave off the pain of their memories.

The Mask Falling is just Arcturus and Paige scheming, healing, and yearning with decidedly mixed results. I love just how much of this book is centered around these two taking in a new side to Scion together and communicating and problem-solving against their new allegiance to the Domino Programme and the Parisian syndicate. Paige confronts her personal limitations after torture and puts herself in some horrible situations but Arcturus is there to remind her that she doesn’t have to push herself to perform and she is more than just her power. Her unconventional decisions hit quite a high point here. The assassination attempt at Versailles ending with Paige burning the entire palace down was pure chaos and honestly, I expected nothing less from her. She’s experienced the horrors of Oxford and won’t let anyone else be subject to another Bone Season and she’ll burn down a centuries-old building to ensure it.

The Mask Falling is so many things at once, a quiet moment to heal before danger darkens the door, and love and trust giving way to betrayal. Part of what makes this fourth chapter so devastating is how quickly Samantha Shannon instills a sliver of doubt and then pulls back the curtain just as fast, but it is quite literally too late. Paige running through the streets of Paris as airstrikes commence desperate to rescue Arcturus, only for a bomb to level the building and Cordier to kidnap her as she frantically screams out her lament was entirely surreal. The Mask Falling introduces key new players – members of the Parisian syndicate, rephs, and the dreamwalker Cade Fitzours stake their claim on the chess board, and will undoubtedly appear in the fight over the future of the Scion Republic. In Paris, Paige Mahoney became something more than Underqueen and Dreamwalker but much like the removal of masks, the shift from those armored facades leaves all doubts laid bare. Merciless in every sense, The Mask Falling is a pivotal forge forward in the fight against an unconstrained empire and the courage it takes to stand unmasked in the face of further violence.

Trigger warnings: blood, violence, death, murder, grief, panic attacks

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Review: The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon

August 17, 2024January 13, 2025 RobinLeave a comment

Paige Mahoney, the Black Moth, has emerged triumphant in the Rose Ring. Crowned Underqueen over the clairvoyants of London, Paige leads the syndicate on a brutal campaign against Scion who have unveiled a new technology, Senshield, that at its core would allow clairvoyants to be identified on a level previously unforeseen. Assisted by the faction of the Rephaim resisting Sargas rule, Paige desperately seeks to train the clairvoyant factions against this new reality. But the betrayal of Jaxon Hall, the White Binder, and her former mentor cuts into her newly established reign as Underqueen. Jaxon has taken the title of Grand Overseer and aids the Sargas who once held him prisoner in Oxford in their campaign against clairvoyants. With his intimate knowledge of the clairvoyant syndicate and their safe houses across the city, there truly is no safe place left within London. The fight may be over before it could even take wing. When she learns of a Senshield weapon component housed in Manchester, Paige and a few of her voyant allies travel there to attempt to undo the technology set against their kind. There she will confront her past which has more of a hold over her than she realized, and the cost of her place within the Scion resistance.

The Song Rising, the third chapter in Samantha Shannon’s Bone Season series serves as a bridge between the existing state of the clairvoyant underworld and the ever-expanding threat of Scion. Where the Mime Order revealed traitors within the London syndicate and Paige Mahoney assumed the mantle of Black Moth and Underqueen, The Song Rising puts her newfound reign to the test. Samantha Shannon does not give the narrative a second to reorient itself, jumping back to the betrayal of a close ally, marking an irrevocable shift within the clairvoyant syndicate. Brutal in its unflinching perspective of resistance and its personal costs, The Song Rising exposes cracks in the facade of the clairvoyant underworld now facing outright culling through new Scion technology. Walking a fine line between her connection to Arcturus and the cost of leading a revolution against the Scion Republic, Paige must come to terms with her newfound identity in the face of increased onslaught from Scion and where best to place herself within the resistance that she initiated.

Rocked deep by the betrayal of her mentor and the intensifying campaign of violence against clairvoyants, this third chapter introduces significant challenges for Paige. Though she is now a leader with the power to bring about change, there is a deep loneliness at the heart of the role she occupies. Desperation holds immense sway over Paige as Scion enacts the next stage of their horrific scourge against clairvoyants with a technology strong enough to hunt them down in mass. Paige’s entire ethos within the syndicate is further uprooted in the reveal that her mentor, Jaxon Hall, was the one who betrayed Arcturus and the other humans who tried to escape from Oxford decades ago. In the face of immense betrayal, Samantha Shannon contrasts Paige with Jaxon – two individuals who had the capacity to resist at Oxford but who walked down different paths. Opposite to Paige, Jaxon’s core weakness comes from prioritizing his place within the system which comes at the expense of others and is something he will pursue incessantly, caught in a perpetual cycle. Paige’s decision to spur a revolution back in London pulls tighter the thread of her personal history having radicalized her – from Ireland and the Dublin Incursion to the ownership of her power within the clairvoyant underworld. Her resistance comes from her agency and her experiences within the syndicate, but also the violence she witnessed as a child. All of this makes it impossible for her to allow others to meet the fate of the gallows or another Bone Season.

The scene at the Thames at the beginning of The Song Rising marks a profound shift for Paige, with the identity of the arch-traitor now revealed and his new role as Grand Overseer giving him the ability to bring further violence down upon the clairvoyants of London. While Paige acknowledges the emotional abuse she endured from Jaxon Hall when she was at his right hand, she considers his reservations, leaving him room to drive a wedge between her and her main source of strength, her relationship with Arcturus Mesarthim. Pretty much since the moment they met, Arcturus has been someone who can contextualize situations for Paige as he is slightly removed from them and has further objectivity. At Oxford, Arcturus could see that Jaxon viewed Paige as an object of power and a commodity, and he repeatedly made that known. Jaxon’s power over Paige is evident in his ability to cloud her perception of what is, and only unburdening herself to Arcturus will alleviate these doubts. Even so, they reach a divide where she is struggling rather intensely and he can’t show that support publicly for fear that it would reveal the truth to their relationship. Even though Paige and Arcturus find openness with one another time and time again, they both still fear being the first person to stand on the precipice of their feelings, and there are still many things that have been left unsaid. But the romantic moments between them in the dark and empty rooms when the world quiets for a second hold their own kind of power – their romantic connection a resistance to prejudice and the powers that want them to be enemies. Arcturus has this quiet reverence around Paige that is just so bleeding romantic I don’t even know how to explain it properly. Very few characters can make saying a first name so romantic but somehow Arcturus manages to make simply saying her name a kind of benediction. His steadfast support as she struggles and his commitment to reminding her of her strength when she doubts herself is not only deeply admirable, it makes him one of the few people in her corner to see her for who she truly is.

Throughout this third chapter, Paige is fighting a losing battle for control. The belief that she can exert control over her feelings and by extent protect Arcturus leads her down a path with severe consequences. The weight of Paige’s increasing personal blame and guilt is tangible across The Song Rising, building in the background to an irreversible choice. The scene in Edinburgh where she leverages giving herself up to Scion in an attempt to destroy Senshield from the inside was almost too agonizing to read. The psychological callbacks to the Molly Riots and the fear and death in a crowd gunned down are all called forth in startling clarity. Paige endures a horrific period of torture in Westminster at the hands of Suhail and Nashira. Yet her courage is not outweighed by the decision to give herself up. Paige has always been a chancer and flirts with martyrdom at Westminster for even the chance to cripple Scion and the Senshield technology.

What makes Paige such an interesting protagonist is that she is complicated, she’s still figuring herself out and makes plenty of mistakes in her journey as a revolutionary. But her tenacity and tremendous courage in the face of such violence is heartening. Paige Mahoney is driven by her convictions and her unconventional moves do reach a satisfying resolution (no matter how stressful they may be to read). The chaos is just part of her charm. The Song Rising reveals an entirely different atmosphere than the first two books in the Bone Season series. Its hopeless energy overtakes the initial momentum gained from The Mime Order as Paige Mahoney, beset by enemies on all sides makes the worst possible choice to get to the right resolution. Though it is the shortest out of all the books, it by no means holds itself back from depicting the harsh realities of resistance. Desperate and full of personal consequence, The Song Rising builds a resounding call to action against continued persecution as Paige Mahoney unwittingly reaches a crossroads with her place within the clairvoyant syndicate and her opposition against the Republic of Scion.

Trigger warnings: torture (graphic), violence, death, murder, grief, gun violence, drug use

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Review: A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

August 13, 2024March 19, 2025 Robin4 Comments

Folklorist Lorelei Kaskel has always been set apart from her peers. None more so than Sylvia von Wolff, her long-time academic adversary, whose scintillating intelligence is matched only by an arresting beauty. All Lorelei dreams of is becoming a naturalist, a profession that will open up the borders to her world and allow her to travel without restriction. But first, she will have to prove her talents on a dangerous expedition to unearth the location of the fabled Ursprung – believed to be the source of all magic and said to harbor untold power. The untested power found within its waters is coveted by Brunnestaad’s king, Wilhelm, who wishes to claim it so that he can forcibly unify his patchwork kingdom. Alongside five nobles and her fearsome mentor, Ingrid Ziegler, Lorelei embarks on an expedition never believing what is in store is the murder of her mentor on their first night on board. Trapped with five other people with competing motivations, one of whom is the murderer, Lorelei faces the likelihood that the violence has not been curbed. Finding their way to the spring has become more pertinent, but Lorelei will have to rely on the only person she knows is innocent, her bitter rival, to make it there. Unburying the truth and discovering a spring known only in myth is enough of a challenge, without bruised hearts and unkindled longing setting them even more adrift.

A Dark and Drowning Tide is an elegantly fashioned fantasy novel that delves deep into the heart of folktales and their origin, as two women in academia fight for their place in the world and what they mean to one another. In her adult debut, Allison Saft serves up a fantasy adventure with a slice of academic rivalry that is both endearing and ardently romantic. Part romantic adventure, but centered strongly around a murder plot, A Dark and Drowning Tide brings a lot into focus but expertly uncovers what lies beneath its mirrored surface. As a longtime reader and admirer of Saft’s writing, there was little doubt in my mind that the yearning in this novel would be excruciating and the prose sublime. Since reading her young adult debut back in the pandemic, Saft has leveled up her craft tremendously and that is no more evident than with her foray into adult romantic fantasy. Exposing the flawed foundations of folklore and their influence, Allison Saft highlights the enduring power of connection in transforming ourselves and finding belonging, with love itself as the catalyst.

Reading A Dark and Drowning Tide was undeniably immersive like the crystalline pools our academics trek towards, holding the key to immeasurable power. As if ensorcelled by a faerie spell, Saft draws you down into dark waters and hits the mark with her mesmerizing prose and snippy back and forth between heated rivals. Stuck on an expedition with five nobles hardened by their shared experiences in childhood and war, Lorelei Kaskel is the odd one out. A Yeva in the kingdom of Brunnestaad, she is granted the status of a second-class citizen, kept inside a gated community with restrictions on travel outside of those walls. Lorelei is haunted, caught up in the grief of the murder of her brother and the feeling of sundering her Yevani identity the further she wades into academia. Trapped with only a narrow way forward, as ghosts from her past and her brother, Aaron, linger on, Lorelei adds another individual to her hauntings – Ingrid Ziegler, her mentor horrifically murdered on the night they depart on their expedition. Hardening her heart and barbed with protective thorns, Lorelei sticks to what she knows to uncover the truth about the murder, yet her rival Sylvia manages to worm her way past those defenses, and all for the better.

Wishing to be a naturalist, Lorelei was instead handed a pen and told to document folktales. In accepting her fate as a folklorist, folktales have become their own kind of armor – something worn as a shield against the horrors of the world but also protection for her vulnerable heart. Allison Saft attaches the meaning behind every story across this novel, as Lorelei uses folktales to make sense of her world, contextualizing human behavior and her experiences along the Ruhigburg expedition. Opening up to Sylvia is in part removing the barriers that have protected her for so long, and acknowledging how they have pushed away someone who could have been a friend and ally. The romance between Lorelei and Sylvia was the slowest of slow burns for one reason and one reason only: these two are idiots. Lorelei and Sylvia were idiots to lovers first and academic rivals second and I love them all the more for it. There’s tension between their misperception of the state of their relationship that plays out rather comedically as they begrudgingly become allies. Lorelei is head too full of thoughts, none of them the right ones, and Sylvia is just unbridled longing and a desire to be seen. Dissolving these barriers is a journey in itself, as they ride across snowy plains on the back of Mara’s, go deep sea diving with Nixies, and endure only one tent trope one night after the next. Allison Saft takes her time drawing together the story these two can write side by side, but it’s one that is entirely hopeful and leaves them in control of the narrative.

In A Dark and Drowning Tide, Allison Saft harnesses folktales as a reflection of societal wounds, and the hurt and hate they reflect and in turn, spur. Lorelei is intrinsically caught up in this as a folklorist and a young Jewish woman, but she inadvertently becomes trapped by story. Lorelei deals with having to sunder parts of herself and her faith if she ever wants to survive outside of the Yevanverte and make a name for herself as a naturalist. Caught up in grief and enduring memory, Lorelei finds power in charting her own story and honoring the memory and sacrifices of those who came before her. Her love story with Sylvia is an extension of that as they navigate a course out of an impossible situation discovering exactly how they were wrong about each other and choosing a future that they can write together. A Dark and Drowning Tide has struck a wonderful harmony with a romance between misunderstood rivals and lost souls finding respite. It’s the kind of book I want to stay wrapped up in forever. Wonderfully layered like what lies beneath some hidden well of power, Allison Saft’s talent lies in her capacity to depict intense yearning, the flaws in believing you know your enemy, and the traumas endured but ultimately survived. This is a story that will undoubtedly resonate with many, leaving behind a kernel of hope that will kindle and then spark into an inferno.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: violence, death, murder, blood, war, panic attacks, colonization, antisemitism

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Review: The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

August 6, 2024March 24, 2025 RobinLeave a comment

Paige Mahoney has escaped from Oxford. Alongside her clairvoyant allies at the Bicentenary, she finds herself back in London confronting who she was before with everything she had to become to survive. Having angered her employer Jaxon by refusing to abandon her allies at Oxford, Paige must decide if she wants to return to his side as the Pale Dreamer. Her desire for justice cannot be accomplished alone and though her Rephaim allies could provide aid, it is her place within the London Syndicate that could give her a fighting chance to enact change. Paige courts danger with her growing ire towards Jaxon and plans that could reveal the truth behind Scion to the public. When the Underlord of London is violently slain, the fight for power within the London Syndicate will play out in a brutal arena to crown the next leader. Jaxon Hall plans to place himself as the next Underlord by emerging victorious in the upcoming Rose Ring, with Paige at his side as Mollisher Supreme. Yet with everything she has endured and the knowledge that the Bone Seasons may not have been a complete secret within the syndicate, Paige knows that challenging Jaxon and winning the Rose Crown may be the only thing that saves them from the threat of Scion. At Oxford, all she could do was survive, but in returning to London Paige will become something else in order to win.

The Mime Order is the gritty and violent succession to Samantha Shannon’s, Bone Season and recenters the world back on London and its underworld of clairvoyants now facing a voyant killer and a leadership struggle within the syndicate. Paige Mahoney, Dreamwalker, and Mollisher to the White Binder learned to survive in Oxford, but back in London resists being pinned within the confines of her former roles. To continue the revolution that began in Oxford, Paige must first uncover a conspiracy within the syndicate and decide how she wants to transform in the face of her previous experiences. With the board strictly set, Samantha Shannon brings in new threats to the fight against the Scion Republic and the truth behind the Bone Seasons. With strong foundations from its very first moments, The Mime Order expands upon the scope of this world, aided by Samantha Shannon’s meticulous plotting and high attention to detail. The Mime Order is another exquisite foray into the world of clairvoyants resisting Scion, and Paige Mahoney, the one person who could stand to unite them into a force to be reckoned with.

The Mime Order is easily one of the best sequels out there, drawing on what is known and yet to be revealed to design a gilded stage over which the fate of the London Syndicate will be decided. Returning to London after six months held as a prisoner at Oxford, Paige confronts former memories and the knowledge of who she got to be outside of the orbit of Jaxon Hall. Like a round peg in a square hole, Paige finds she cannot just cast off her experiences to become Jaxon’s prized puppet once more. Samantha Shannon hones in sharply on this relationship and Jaxon’s narcissistic tendencies that make it impossible for him to see any way forward outside those of his own desires. Paige by extent is a commodity, The Pale Dreamer a persona to be pinned down and presented as another representation of his power. Paige’s unwillingness to return to who she was before allows her to move forward with her plans which could shake the leadership within the syndicate. Propelled toward action by a brimming rage and a desire to correct the injustice of the bone seasons and the truth to Scion, Paige cleverly bides her time until the opportune moment, culminating in an immensely gratifying outcome within the Rose Ring.

Where the Bone Season was a literal descent into darkness, mirroring the shattered reality of Scion, The Mime Order is a journey back into the light. This physical return into a life lived around daylight is a warped reality for Paige who knows the truth to Scion and fights to reveal it to the Clairvoyant Syndicate. Samantha Shannon melds Oxford with London and it’s interesting to see the staggering differences in temperament between the Oxford clairvoyants and those who live and exist freely in London – even if that freedom is limited. Knowing the truth about Scion further ostracizes them and impacts their return to the paths they walked within London. A very niche trope that I love is one character who sees another so clearly that they can’t help but believe the best in them and be a source of reassurance when things get difficult. That’s basically Arcturus in London. He’s still committed to his stoicism but he places himself by Paige’s side and aids in her plan to oust Jaxon and become Underqueen. He’s still her strongest ally even as Samantha Shannon brings focus back on those outside of Oxford. The Golden Cord that binds them together is as mystifying as ever but is layered further with the Rephaim lore and the history of their decimated homeland. The romantic moments between Paige and Arcturus continue to center around truth and the sharing of their lived experiences, which are made all the deeper with these revelations. Those quiet moments in The Old Lyre and her bedroom were like a bolt of longing shot directly into my chest and I fear that I will never recover. These two are just so earnest with one another that you can’t help but hang on to their every interaction. Their newfound romantic relationship being something that can just be for them in the face of everything else they must share with the world is way more devastating the more you think about it. That for all the pieces they’ve carved out of themselves to walk the path of revolution, it is their connection that can remain sacred.

The Mime Order brings mystery and unrest sprawling into the criminal underworld, building to a violent takeover within the Rose Ring as clairvoyant fights against clairvoyant for a chance to win the Rose Crown. This has to be one of the best finales– vindicating and the exact level of ruthlessness befitting Paige Mahoney. Paige’s triumph in the Rose Ring as the end result of the Scrimmage was exhilarating to bear witness to. Her taking on the mantle of the Black Moth and reclaiming a symbol which to the Sargas is representative of weakness but to her is power centered within struggle was another brilliant twist. Samantha Shannon dreams up a sequel that takes this series from passive enjoyment to full-on obsession. Succinctly plotted and executed with finesse, The Mime Order will leave you desperate for more from this fully realized world.

Trigger warnings: blood, violence, gore, murder, imprisonment, drug use, human trafficking

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Review: Nightstrider by Sophia Slade

August 2, 2024March 19, 2025 RobinLeave a comment

The mirrored realms of the Wake and the Reverie are intricately tethered. Very few beings possess the ability to bridge between them, except for dreambreakers, whose powers are coveted and whose very existence is deemed an abomination. Wren is a nightmare, a physical manifestation of the dark dreams of humans, and wholly at the mercy of her creator and jailer Para Warwick – the only creature in exception to dreambreakers that can cross the boundary between realms. Nightstrider and weapon, Wren has long yearned for revenge against the Para and finds a chance by aiding the rebellion. Back in the Wake, Ila, a young queen shoulders an arranged marriage to the son of the Warwick, a man who will eventually inherit his violent legacy under a crown of bone. But Ila is secretly a Weaver, responsible for patching the frays within the boundary of the dreaming and waking worlds. Her marriage to the naive Prince Caine comes after the loss of an important weapon – that in the wrong hands would give the Warwick untold power. Ila prepares to retrieve it at all costs, but unintentionally drags Caine with her into the Reverie. Across the realms, four individuals: nightmares, weavers, and one disgruntled member of royalty will come together to end the reign of the night creator Warwick before the very tapestry of their realities is torn asunder.

Nightstrider is an unfathomably good dark fantasy novel manifesting the rage of the controlled into something altogether sharp and devastating. Sophia Slade debuts a nightmare in book form, vicious and as long-lasting as any nightmare can be upon the waking mind. Tethering four unlikely allies across realms and slowly drawing them together to unite under a common struggle, Nightstrider feels like your classic fantasy novel but turned all the deeper with a core focus on the marginalized fighting back against an imperial power with untested limitations. Slade brings together an array of unique personalities but centers strongly on those who have had to harden themselves to become weapons in the face of hostility and the difficulties in entangling those lifelong practices of self-preservation. Complete with romance to balance out the darkness, Nightstrider is a comprehensive fantasy novel striking right at the heart of what I love about this genre. If I were to boil it down to one thing, Nightstrider is just reluctant allies to lovers core and so incredibly bisexual. Everyone say thank you, Sophia Slade!

Filled with dark and rageful energy coalescing inside a dynamic world, Nightstrider left me dazed as if caught up in my own bewildering dream. I love it when stories take their time to ground the external world-building and work to gain a foothold across a first novel and Nightstrider brings that into the forefront. Sophia Slade sets clear goals with this first installment to draw out the background of two unique realms and the conflict between the imperialist power centered around the figure of Para Warwick. Relationships are gradually brought into the centerfold, but Nightstrider mainly serves as a catalyst to bring our core four characters together, united in the fight to come. So much of what impressed me with this debut is how much everything is earned. Nightstrider is an amalgamation of so many favorite tropes that it felt like an indulgent feast made specifically with me in mind but made all the more impactful by the actual substance. The character work across four unique perspectives was especially well done and balanced out this integration into two worlds divided.

As a lover of soft female characters the world has molded to be cautious and cold Ila and Wren are my weakness. Ila is someone transformed by her reality, hard-natured out of necessity, and loth to trust anyone outside of her inner circle. Where Wren is the complete opposite, built to be a weapon in the hands of a frighteningly abusive and power-hungry man. Several sources of heartbreak are that with Caine, Ila saw someone sheltered and left unmolded by the world, unlike her, and how Wren is someone who wholeheartedly believes that she is too far gone to save. It broke my heart to see both of these women shoulder their burdens, but the kernel of hope that emerges towards the end made me feel all the more victorious. I love how Slade challenges these competing notions of good and evil and the idea that just because you are empowered to do good does not inherently make you a good person. This builds into an epic concluding act in the Reverie that will certainly carry through into its sequel. Nightstrider was at the top of my most anticipated reads for this year and it exceeded my expectations in every possible way. Filled with every kind of night terror imaginable, Nightstrider is a ruthless dark fantasy novel weaving together dream beings and nightmares on a path to unburden two opposing realms.

Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: violence, murder, attempted sexual assault, torture, emotional abuse, xenophobia, suicidal ideation, imperialism

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Let’s Talk: Mid-Year (ish) Book Freakout Tag

July 30, 2024August 8, 2024 RobinLeave a comment

Coming up on the Mid-year Book Freakout Tag so late, but better late than never to share my thoughts on the books I’ve read in this first half of the year. I’ll reflect on some of my favorites across genres and my overall reading goal as we move into the second half of 2024. At a glance, I have hit my midway count for my overall reading goal of 300 books and have been hitting heavy on the science fiction and fantasy genres which is so evident here. For those of you unfamiliar with how this tag works, this will be a little snapshot of some favorite reads ala bookish awards categories. All of these will have a singular title as an answer because I love mess and making myself choose between my favorites. This is one of my favorite tags and yet I’ve somehow never actually blogged about it on here. Would love to hear about your answers to these so be sure to comment yours below!

BEST BOOK OF 2024 (SO FAR)

If you’ve been keeping up with my reading over on Goodreads then it shall come as no surprise that a category sweep is Samantha Shannon’s Bone Season series. This was a series I attempted to reconnect with after picking up The Bone Season back in 2020. Twas simply a book I could never have connected to at the time (I was deep in finals season) so I didn’t end up continuing with the next book in the series. They say the right book comes at the right time and never has that been more true for this book series. In my transition into life in London I gave this series another shot and fell in love with it alongside my discovery of the city. It was like I was seeing the city through new eyes, Seven Dials, Soho, and the overall London atmosphere enlivened through the character of Paige Mahoney. The Bone Season is fantasy series excellence and taps into so much of what I love in the genre. The Dark Mirror is the fifth installment and is assuredly Samantha Shannon at her strongest. This fifth book is this series fully realized, in its themes, characters, and deftly constructed plot finally blossoming. After the intense events that concluded The Mask Falling, this sequel is as much a soul-deep reconciliation between Paige and Arcturus as it is an expansion in the fight over bringing the Republic of Scion to its knees. I can’t say more as we’re still 7 months out from publication but I will be reviewing this in November so stay tuned!

BEST SEQUEL OF 2024 (SO FAR)

Allow me to wax poetic about the Burning Kingdoms trilogy for a second. A series innately entangled in rage and morally grey characters uniting to transform an empire draws to a close in this final book that brings all the action and consequences from the end of The Oleander Sword and takes it to another level entirely. Priya and Malini have been further set apart with the cost of their connection blooming with astonishing sacrifice at the end of book two. On opposing sides of the incoming war with the mysterious Yaksa, they will have to sacrifice more of themselves than they ever realized. Alongside Bhumika, these women will fight for the fate of their world and their place within it. Ahead of this read and its publication in November I made an effort to sit down and dive back into the former two books and I really think it enhanced The Lotus Empire all the more (because I had truly forgotten so much). Getting to read the entire series in succession was such a pinch-me moment and it was given such a beautiful ending that connects across books one to three. Tasha Suri, you are a beautiful genius and I will be billing you for the cost of my tears.

New release I’m excited for, but haven’t read yet

The Spellshop is a book I swear I have been seeing everywhere recently. My amazing bookseller coworker and friend, Coco was raving about it in the months leading up to its release and she’s so rarely wrong I really think this is going to be the coziest book ever. So far all I know is that it includes jam, magic, and a little bit of romance, but this all sounds like a recipe for how to reach straight into my heart and make me fall in love. I know there are many other people in my circles that have been yelling at me to read this one so it’s certainly one I want to reach for before 2024 is out.

MOST EXCITED FOR IN THE SECOND HALF OF 2024

It was really difficult to narrow this down to just one title, but I’m sticking with An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson for the title I am most excited about in the second half of 2024. Something about the second half of this year feels perfect for all things dark academia and horror. I am definitely a reader influenced by the fall season so this is situated at the top of my reads for the season. Alexis Henderson is an author I’ve wanted to read more from since reading and loving House of Hunger the Fall before last. For some reason, I haven’t picked up Year of the Witching yet even though it’s been sitting on my shelf for an entire year, but I will likely be picking up this one before I get to Alexis Hendersons debut. This fall is unique because there are so many great dark academia/vampire books being published, which seems obvious for the time of year but we really are seeing an unprecedented amount of gothic horror and vampire reads emerging. I have two good friends who have assured me that this is excellent so all there’s left to do is fall right into it.

A BOOK THAT SURPRISED ME

Monstrous Nights by Genoveva Dimova is one novel that challenged my expectations and surprised me in the best possible way. This sequel concludes The Witch’s Compendium of Monsters Duology and throws us right back into the melee with the characters. Tonally I loved this book because it feels like a “where are they now” kind of story where you catch up with the characters after they defeated the BIG BAD, only to find out it’s not so glamorous. Monstrous Nights has that dark atmosphere married with self-deprecating humor and slow-burn romance that just worked for me. The humor was at its height here as all Asen and Kosara want is to rest but they keep getting drawn back into the craziness and the consequences of their actions. I loved everything about this fantasy duology steeped in Slavik folklore. Be sure to check my reviews for Foul Days and Monstrous Nights which are already up on my blog!

NEW FAVORITE AUTHOR

I am on the Sophia Slade hype train and I will truly not be shutting up about it. In fact, my review for Nightstrider will be up later this week, a notably quick turnaround considering that I finished the book just last week. But sometimes you read a book so good from an author so talented you’re left with so much to say. Nightstrider is a book I described as: “Reluctant allies to lovers core and just so bisexual” and I really stand by that initial statement in featuring it here. This debut promised a lot upfront, some of my favorite tropes and storylines intersecting in one dark fantasy, but it absolutely exceeded all of my expectations. Thematically this series is promising and Sophia Slade is not only an author to watch but a new favorite.

NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH

Alexandria Bellefleur wrote a fictional man so hot I considered jumping into the book just so I could date him myself. I settled for finishing the book and immediately flipping back to the start to read it all over again. Colin McCory the man that you are. Truly, Madly, Deeply was such a fun romance that at its heart is just bisexuality ✨ A theme I am clearly passionate about. I loved this bi-for-bi romance that draws off of first impressions and how they aren’t always accurate and the preconceived notions of life and dating that are actually holding us back from happiness. Truly and Colin were adorable (and so sexually frustrated) – if you’ve read the Instagram scene and immediately had to throw your phone across the room in embarrassment I see you. I feel you. I am you. In terms of fictional crushes, no one is really holding a candle to Colin right now and that’s so sad. I just want more bisexual men in romance who are comfortable with their sexuality and ready to lay it all down for one person. For more thoughts on this one, read my review.

FAVORITE FICTIONAL COUPLE & NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER

Is anyone shocked that this book is being mentioned in two categories? No? Great. If you’ve talked to me in the last two months then chances are this book series has come up at least once. And it was probably me begging you to give it a try if you hadn’t read it before. The Bone Season is winning a double feature for my newest favorite main character and favorite couple. I could write essays about how much I love Paige Mahoney individually and her love story with Arcturus Mesarthim that begins here in book one of the Bone Season. Samantha Shannon delivers a character that is arguably one of the best modern fantasy heroines (though this world is anything but modern) and begs you to try and not root for them. Paige, a young clairvoyant Irish woman escaped the fall of her country to the violent Republic of Scion to further fight for survival from the inside. She’s complicated, still figuring herself out, and makes plenty of mistakes in her journey as a revolutionary. But her tenacity and tremendous courage in the face of such violence is astonishing. Paige finds a connection she never anticipated with her Rephaim warden and effective jailer when she realizes they both are held prisoner by the powers at Oxford. There’s so much longing intertwined with gentle moments you will genuinely lose your mind and go grey as these two accept they have feelings but still somehow try and compartmentalize (I could go into heavy detail… and I will…I will go into heavy detail). But just not here definitely read my full review of The Bone Season if you’d like to hear more.

BOOK THAT MADE ME CRY

Second chance romance found at the scene of the crime? Fork found in kitchen. Jessica Joyce’s sophomore novel is a powerful romance involving the pain and joy in reconnection and how we can soldier that path back to a relationship that both hurt and fulfilled us in the past. I love mess so the concept of two exes that have to set up their friend’s wedding together while avoiding what went wrong in their own relationship immediately had me adding this to my tbr. You With a View, Jessica Joyce’s first novel was just all-around excellence and her emotional breadth astonished me. That is very much on display in her second book as well. Georgia and Eli had some serious issues that caused the dissolution of their former relationship but attempt to move past those things and return to their partnership built off of something wholly different. This entire book had me in the feels and I really think I came out the other side a changed person. Jessica Joyce supremacy!

BOOK THAT MADE ME HAPPY

Cozy science fiction is my new obsession and The Stars Too Fondly was the perfect book to delve into this emerging subgenre for the first time. Certainly, I’m a bit biased because Emily is a dear friend of mine, but this book is so incredible and needs to be on your list. Combine a little bit of discovery, found family, queer romance, and scientific hubris and you have this book. Emily Hamilton balances out those darker moments with her delightful crew of characters stuck on a spaceship and beholden to strange new powers. We’ve even got rom-coms and iced coffees in space! The Stars Too Fondly was just a delight to read and left me grinning.

BOOK TO READ BEFORE THE YEAR IS OUT

I’m seated. the booksellers are scared and asking me to leave because it “hasn’t even published yet” but I’m simply too seated. Wings of Starlight being announced not two weeks out from my rewatch of the entire Pixie Hollow movie series where I and a friend talked at length over the Clarion x Milori movie potential and what the plot would consist of. I have the gift of prophecy. Feeling more than slightly vindicated that this book exists and that one of my all-time favorite authors is the one writing it. From their minimal screentime, Clarion x Milori serve that intense longing that I know only Allison Saft will be able to provide. Listen there’s something about lovers torn apart by a tragedy finding that they can be together after years of putting the other person behind them that will never not miss for me. Wings of Starlight just sounds excellent and there’s no doubt in my mind that this is going to heal my twelve-year-old self. Top on my list to get through before the year is out.

MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK BOUGHT

You’ve come this far only to see another title by Samantha Shannon….but do not fear because this is the last category on my list. I think the redesigned covers for The Bone Season series revisions are some of the prettiest things in existence and The Mask Falling is my favorite because of the green. Literally who is surprised. The gold foil, the raised lettering on the cover, and the rich endpapers have sold me on buying this entire series in hardback format. I love how each book features the predominant symbols and buildings from Paige’s environment. The language of flowers is very important across the book series and they bloom out from the edges. I am frothing at the mouth just looking at this and am scared to say how often I find myself staring at my copy.

Review: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

July 25, 2024January 13, 2025 Robin1 Comment

It’s the year 2059 and in the Scion Republic, no clairvoyant is safe. Born with the ability to connect and harness the aether, clairvoyants have been hunted and killed at the behest of the Republic of Scion for centuries. Since coming to London after her home country of Ireland fell to Scion, Paige Mahoney has discovered her clairvoyant abilities and set herself at the right hand of one of London’s most revered criminal underlords. Paige is a Dreamwalker, a powerful type of clairvoyant that can send their spirit outside of their body, and she is the only one of her kind. After an unforeseen arrest on the Underground Paige is taken to the Tower of London where she awaits her expected execution. Instead, Paige comes face to face with the true leaders of the Scion Republic, and they have plans for her that she never could have dreamed. As part of a decadal cull of clairvoyants, Paige and her fellow prisoners in the tower are taken to Oxford where they are placed into the care of one of the Rephaim, the true beings behind Scion, to be trained against the hostile creatures of the Netherworld. Though Paige must accept that her entire world is a lie, built in service to beings of immense power, she will survive. Even if it means placing her trust in her mysterious Rephaim caretaker.

Finding my way back to the Bone Season, a series initially published ten years ago has been quite the journey. When I embarked on a reconnection with this series I truly had no idea that it would become one of my favorite series of all time and one that I immediately jumped back in to reread. The Bone Season juxtaposes two worlds on a knife edge, the everyday world of Amaurotics, or those without power, and the unseen world beneath Scion, where Voyants reach and glean knowledge from the aether. Scion London reflects this almost instinctively, with a criminal underworld of voyants that emerged in the aftermath of persecution to resist in the face of outright extinction. Samantha Shannon tests this fragile split with Paige Mahoney, a young woman arrested and taken far from home, we soon learn for the second time. Paige is a tenacious young woman through which we gain knowledge of this flawed world and the truth behind the oppressive Scion regime.

Paige Mahoney walks the sharp divide between worlds. A Dreamwalker held prisoner at Oxford, Paige is thrust into the world behind the one she thought she knew and faces everything entailed in retaining her agency and control over her power. Though there are many key relationships in Paige’s story, it is her emerging alliance with her Rephaim keeper, Arcturus that changes her entirely. There’s nothing I love more than a stoic man who is just trying to hold himself together and Arcturus Mesarthim is that man. He places emotional regulation above all else and draws heavily on the sarcasm, but it soon becomes clear his motivations aren’t the same as others of his kind. Arcturus is a calculative and powerful ally, yet he holds the potential to save or ruin her – a balance that unexpectedly they both hold over one another. The emphasis on agency across this novel interacts with Paige and Arcturus’ tenuous friendship as much as it does them as individuals. I appreciate the depth to which Shannon exposes Arcturus’ past and the revelation that he is as much of a prisoner as Paige is within Oxford. Samantha Shannon tests the notion of what home is, through Paige being taken away from her second family, to Arcturus, an individual who has been greatly impacted by circumstance. Paige’s connection to her home country of Ireland, and the Imbolc Massacre that pushed her into Scion as a child holds heavy weight in her new situation.

What we think to be flashbacks to Paige’s past spanning across the novel are dispersed as dreams delivered in between scenes from Oxford. Narratively this works to integrate readers into Paige’s character, but these shifts back to the past are in fact Arcturus’ powers as a Oneiromancer as he dreams her memories. He’s learning her story at the same time as the reader, grounding those memories in the present. This is treated aptly as a violation, and Shannon uses this as a real roadblock as the two try to work together and build trust. But at the same time who doesn’t love a person who has seen every flawed part of you and still believes in your inherent rage and your loyalty? The inability of Arcturus and Paige to tell the other the truth without having heard the truth from the other first was all too illustrative of who they are as people and deeply hilarious to read. The humor really emerges when these two are verbally sparring and refusing to cede anything to the other. The kind of trust they develop with one another as they unburden themselves out of necessity lends itself to the deeper romantic connection they uncover. Paige and Arcturus further challenge that classic immortal and mortal pairing with the openness and honesty within their relationship that is on even footing. He romanced the heck out of her by simply calling her by name or “little dreamer,” and I’m pretty sure he had no idea he was romancing her. In sum: I am wrecked for all other fictional men. (The scene in the trap room of the Guildhall you will always be famous). In The Bone Season, Samantha Shannon brings to fruition a world of clairvoyants set against a power determined to excise them and wrestles with the continued cost of resistance and the sparks required to burn it all down. The Bone Season is a masterpiece of fantasy, intricately wrought with strenuous alliances, clairvoyancy, and a profound urgency to fight for a better world.

Trigger warnings: violence, blood, death, murder, torture (mentioned), drug use, physical abuse, kidnapping

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Review: A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen

July 21, 2024March 19, 2025 Robin7 Comments

Vivi Huynh has spent most of her life haunted by questions. As a second-generation Vietnamese American, she has never visited the country her parents fled all those years ago. The only thing that brings her comfort is her favorite food blog, A Bánh Mì for Two which focuses on street food in Sài Gòn by a local writer. Vivi dreams of visiting the city that haunts her family, and she is finally given an opportunity when a freshman study abroad allows her to travel to Sài Gòn for a semester to experience the sights, the food, and the truth for herself. Ever since the death of her father, Lan has had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Keeping their family-run bánh mì stall in operation and caring for her chronically ill mother has taken time away from her true passion – writing. Lan’s food blog A Bánh Mì for Two was a passion project started with her father but lately, she hasn’t been able to find the inspiration that used to drive her. Unexpectedly, Vivi and Lan meet in Sài Gòn and discover that they can help one another – Viv with Lan’s writing, and Lan with Vivi’s family. Between exploring the city, trying incredible food, and writing, Viv and Lan grow closer, but it is their respective histories that could make their connection untenable.

A Bánh Mì for Two is a sparkling sapphic romance set across the city of Sài Gòn centering around food, grief, and family. In her debut, Trinity Nguyen connects two young women desperately searching for connection – to writing, to family, to themselves – who unite around a common love of food in their city and find a love they never expected. Every part of this story loves loud, a book I wish had existed when I was growing up and one that will undoubtedly impact many in its telling now. Trinity Nguyen debuts a coming-of-age story that at its essence hinges on discovery and its role in bringing about healing and the power of connection in opening our eyes to new perspectives. A Bánh Mì for Two embraces the messy teen energy and romance with a deeper kernel exploring the traumas of Vietnamese immigrants and that impact on the second generation.

A Bánh Mì for Two will sweep you away with its vivid descriptions of a city both new and familiar for its protagonists as two Vietnamese teens find love and solace in their struggles. Vivi Huynh, a clever and opportunistic college freshman has spent most of her life with a gaping hole in her family history and she will do anything for answers – even lie about her study-abroad location so that she can visit Vietnam for herself. Once there she meets Lan, a Chinese-Vietnamese teen, and Sài Gòn resident drowning under the weight of her grief and familial responsibilities, and the two form an unlikely alliance. Across the city, in the bustling market stalls and motorbike rides through congested streets, Nguyen paints a brilliant journey of discovery and of coming home. The city comes alive under her vivid descriptions and profound view of two young women finding their way back to themselves. Lan charts a way out of her grief as she takes in new experiences with Vivi and picks up her writing for the first time since the death of her father, while Vivi finds the truth she has been yearning for so long. The relationship between Vivi and her mother and Lan’s fragile balance with her family responsibilities and personal passions rounded out these emotional arcs well. Vivi’s constant feeling of being torn between her Vietnamese and American identities and never feeling enough was especially heartbreaking. In A Bánh Mì for Two, Trinity Nguyen spotlights the inherent weight of trauma and the experiences of teens throughout the Vietnamese diaspora. I know so many people will relate to the experiences of Lan and Vivi and be empowered by the notion that their struggles are not just their own. Honestly, I spent most of this book either being far too hungry or crying when things got emotional and if that isn’t a glowing review I don’t know what is. A Bánh Mì for Two is a beautiful coming-of-age story encapsulating queerness, discovery, and familial and romantic love. Trinity Nguyen is a necessary new voice in fiction and I am so ready for more.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: grief, death of a loved one, generational trauma

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Review: The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart

July 12, 2024March 19, 2025 RobinLeave a comment

Before the Shattering the world was magic. Then humanity leeched the nutrients out of the world to harness the magical properties of the Numinar trees and in the wake of the smoke and death, one man bargained with a god. There were once many gods, those who emerged into the world from the depths below to thrive under the trees. That all changed in the aftermath of destruction when Tolemne braved the dangerous aether below to take an audience with the god, Kluehnn, to restore a broken world. Kluehnn agreed to restore the world to what it once was, but the price would be as steep as the act itself and would enact an indefinite debt upon countless lives. As Kluehnn restored the world piece by piece half of the citizens would be wiped out and the other half would be transformed into new forms. Years after escaping restoration, Hakara, a miner, is sent down into the depths of the earth to harvest god’s gems, tithes for the god Kluehnn. During a dangerous rappel, Hakara accidentally swallows a gem and realizes she can harness its magic and the power of the gods themselves. In the wake of this news, four individuals are set on a path to break free a world built in service to a dark god.

The Gods Below is a fierce and ambitious series starter from fantasy author Andrea Stewart with alluring depths you could wander aimlessly into if not for her skillful story weaving. Stewart is a fearless guide, switching between a young woman who will do everything to right the past, her sister who must fight to survive in a restored world, the daughter of an outcasted clan seeking to restore her family in the Sovereign’s good graces, and her cousin who braves the depths of aether below to follow in the great Tolemne’s footsteps. In a world that bears the consequences of humanity’s greed, Stewart highlights the power of the exploited to harness the abilities of gods.

There’s a lot packed into The Gods Below, four competing perspectives and intricate worldbuilding vie for attention across this first installment. Andrea Stewart is one author I trust to bring it all together. With her signature knack for delivering steadfast but flawed characters, Stewart introduces a climate ravaged by greed and the power struggle that emerged in the aftermath of a decimated world. From refugees desperately fleeing their restored homelands, to those left behind to either die or become something other, Stewart shows how these power systems do not discriminate. Firming up this view is Hakara, a young woman who fled her country with her sister Rasha before restoration could take them, and a painful separation that happened after a failed border crossing. Two sisters separated by borders who diverge further and further in their experiences, and two cousins fighting for a different world take the center stage in this inventive new trilogy. In deep caves lie many secrets, like the god’s gems that are the key to harnessing a power to destroy their godly oppressor. Hakara is the bridge into this strange new power and the hidden rebellion movement fighting back against Kluehnn and the next wave of restorations. The rebellion focus was by far my favorite portion of the story, fully realized with layered plotting and relationships. The relationship between Thassir and Hakara was an interesting mirror reflecting two individuals drawn into a conflict they didn’t intend to be a part of initially to suit their own ends. I love a good reluctant allies to lovers storyline and Thassir and Hakara were serving that so hard. Thassir’s backstory and that twist at the end is what propels this story toward what is sure to be hard hitting sequel. In a world riddled with ash and smoke, Andrea Stewart brings together characters with competing worldviews and motivations to rebel against an ancient power. The Gods Below features strange magic, cute cats, and a group of determined characters who bear the brunt of the mistakes of generations past and the ability to fight for a better world.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: death, murder, violence

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Review: Us in Ruins by Rachel Moore

July 2, 2024March 24, 2025 Robin1 Comment

Margot Rhodes, current high schooler and jack of all trades has never found a skill that she couldn’t hack, and then inevitably discard. But her latest foray into archeology may have taken it a smidge too far. After scheming her way onto a school archaeological trip to Italy while lacking all the necessary skills, Margot plans on following in the footsteps of Van Keane a teenage explorer from 1932 who mysteriously disappeared on the hunt for a mythical artifact. The Vase of Venus Aurelia has long been believed to hold tremendous power, but it hasn’t been seen in almost a century. Luckily, explorer Van Kean left behind a journal, and examining the last tie to this missing boy could help unite the vase. Walking in his footsteps one evening Margot finds herself in a room with an incredibly lifelike statue of Van Keane which then comes to life. The real-life Van Keane is the opposite of the romanticized version Margot had manifested in her head, prickly and driven by a sharp determination to right the wrong of a century ago. Margot and Van begrudgingly agree to team up to find the missing shards and restore the past to right. Spread out across Italy and guarded by intense challenges, the quest for the shards and the treasure won’t be easy and may come at the cost of their own hearts.

Falling in love with the statue you brought back to life while searching for the shards of a missing artifact that may grant you your heart’s greatest desire? It’s more likely than you think. Rachel Moore’s sophomore novel is for anyone who loves The Mummy, high-stakes adventures, and romance novels, all wrapped in an incandescent Italian summer. Margot Rhodes, A high schooler known to try everything and commit to nothing, schemes her way onto her school’s archaeological trip to Pompeii but gets more than she bargained for when she accidentally ignites an age-old search for the mythical Vase of Venus Aurelia. As a lover of romantic adventures, Moore is the author I’ve been waiting for. Us in Ruins brings together some of my favorite things across history, romance, and myth in one young adult standalone.

Us in Ruins follows the formulaic narrative for an adventure romance while carving out new paths for its two main characters. Framed in the architecture of Italy and its history, Us in Ruins centers on an unlikely partnership between soft-hearted Margot and stubborn former statue and explorer Van Keane, overshadowed by moments of yearning and keen understanding. I needed a fun romantic adventure in my life and this absolutely nailed that, while serving an unexpected amount of angst. Margot Rhodes, our protagonist, is searching for meaning in any way that she can after her mom left in search of bigger and better things. Pouring over Relics of the Heart, an adventure romance her mother left behind gives Margot inflated ideas of adventure and a love story of her own. The search for the shards of the Vase of Venus Aurelia and her grumpy companion in this endeavor ironically shatters those notions. Moore suffuses that classic grumpy sunshine pairing but in an adventure setting where their competing personalities could stand in the way of the treasure. I love how Moore developed trust between these two. Van may be the first person to see the real Margot lingering under the surface and he ultimately realizes that he judged her unfairly. Margot is a kind person who aches for love and affection from those she most cares for. She twists herself inside out time and time again to be something different, to be someone worthy of love – as if the person she was before her mom left wasn’t good enough. Moore highlights how misguided this is while an entirely different love story blossoms all on its own. Us In Ruins is for the people who want too much but don’t know how to reach for it, who are so scared of disappointment that they never settle for just one thing — who ultimately find solace in the love that they never expected to be granted. In her latest, Rachel Moore expertly balances adventure, cleverness, and heart, as two complete opposites realize the real quest might be winning over the other completely.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: parental abandonment, violence

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