January Review

Happy New Year!!!

Everyone in the midwest is made of icicles right now, so in between putting on more layers, they probably have some time to read! It might not be as cold here in southern California (in fact, look at the lovely sunshine in this picture that I took this morning!), but I made lots of time this month to read anyway.

2019 is off to a great start, and if you're looking for something to make your year even better, maybe you'll consider adding one of these to you reading list:

The Summer Palace and Other Stories by C.S. Pacat

This was a compilation of short stories for a trilogy I read last year. And I struggle a little bit with writing a review for this, because the series itself is one that I recommend to very few people. Don't get me wrong, I adored the books when I read them, and Pacat writes amazing political and cunning characters, but a lot of the content is much more mature and violent than what a lot of readers are willing to put up with. And these short stories were no exception.

So, I'll be brief. The stories shouldn't be read on their own, because they're about characters and situations that can only be understood within the context of the novels. They are wonderful little add-ons and quick peeks into the world beyond the main character's perspective.

Green But For A Season was neat because the Captive Prince trilogy is told from Damen's perspective and this gave us insight both into younger Laurent and mid-crisis Laurent through the eyes of one of his soldiers, Jord. The back and forth nature of the story, going between the Regent's rise in court and the soldiers' march in the second book, was fascinating, because it made me question whether the "green" in the title referred to young Laurent, who was innocent for only a season and then forced to grow up, or Aimeric and Jord, who had their own small green season before tragedy. It hurt to read, since I already knew the ending, but it was insightful.

The Summer Palace was A Lot. Taking place after the series' finish, this short story tackled a lot of tenderness but also a lot of grief. Damen and Laurent are complicated characters with a complicated history, but this story gave them the opportunity to be vulnerable with one another. The story did tackle some of their history, some of the things that made their initial relationship so difficult, but mostly it allowed them to be soft with one another. They went to the summer palace to rejoice in their victory and togetherness, and that is exactly what they did.

The Adventures of Charls, The Veretian Cloth Merchant was arguably the funniest short story. Charls is a callback to the series, a character Damen and Laurent only get to interact with for a short time, but he left an undeniably big impression. I love an outside perspective, and getting to see this fun, little adventure where the princes are undercover made this story a truly hilarious little gem. The revelation near the end was good too, because it solidified the character changes and growth that Damen and Laurent have gone through, in order to do the best they can for their new joint kingdom.

Pet was a little rough to read. Ancel as a character is brilliant, and I kind of low key fell in love with Berenger, but the hard part was the time period in which this story took place. In the middle of the first book, Captive Prince, when things were rough and hard to read, I almost put down the book and didn't pick it back up. The violent themes and certain horrible events were hard to get past, and while I'm glad I read the whole series, there is a part of me that thinks I probably won't ever be able to read the books again (or at least not the first book). To be back in that headspace with this short story was a Struggle. I kept a bit of a distance through a chunk of the story, but the ending was satisfactory, especially with the future promise the series' happy ending.

Overall, the short stories were an entertaining way to return to this series, which is so full of political drama and intrigue and uncanny romance that if you can get past the heavy themes the story is very well done.

Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert

This book felt like a study in two things: duality and anxiety.

The main characters, Little and Lion, are step-siblings and inseparable. At least, until Lion (Lionel) is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and Little (Suzette) is sent away to an East coast boarding school, where she starts to discover some truths about herself. Back together for the summer, they start to struggle with determining a new normal, balancing Lion's new medicated state and Little's guilt over a relationship that ended poorly--a relationship with a girl. Now, relearning each other and the sibling balance they thought they knew, Little and Lion tackles what it means to be family, and how sometimes it means not keeping each other's secrets.

The duality in this text comes mostly from the characters. Little is black and Lion is white, making their family unit biracial. Little is bisexual, and Lion has bipolar disorder, so there's a lot of the characters feeling trapped between trying to be two things without losing themselves. How do you unify mentally ill and medicated without losing who you think you're supposed to be? How do you understand feelings for boys and girls when they're both overwhelming in a world still full of prejudice? How do you coexist with race and religion--black and white and Jewish--when it feels easier to hide pieces of yourself to fit in?

The characters were real in their suffering, and that includes the side characters. Rafaela felt unreal at first, elevated in Little's eyes, before plunging into reality as the book progressed. Emil was a sweetheart, and while I do believe that what Little felt for him was real, I feel bad for the guy. He stepped into the story at the right time for what Little needed, but at the wrong time for what he needed.

The representation in this book was Great: Lion and his father were Jewish; Little and her mother were black and converted to Judaism; Emil was black and Korean and suffered from Melinieres, a disorder that affected his balance and earned him a pair of hearing aids; Rafaela was an abuse survivor and had an abortion; Little's best friend Alicia was an out and proud lesbian trying to help her friend navigate the world of burgeoning sexuality. And, of course, Lion was medicated for bipolar disorder. Until he decided to stop taking his medication, something he old told Little, with the promise that she'll keep his secret.

And then the anxiety kicks in. My anxiety, that is, but Little certainly faced a lot of it too. This book was masterfully written and beautifully composed, but God damn did it give me anxiety. Little is trapped in an impossible decision: what Lion really needs and how it will affect their relationship. Lion asks too much of her, and while he recognizes that in the end, it was still a terrible place to be for most of the book. My own sibling relationship is one of the most important in my life, and I've been in a similar situation as Little. But what I've learned, is that sometimes honesty isn't a betrayal, especially if it's an attempt to save a person from themselves.

Ultimately, Little and Lion were okay, which I guess is kind of a spoiler, but it's one that I needed going into this book. I spent so much of it worried for Lion and feeling for Little, which is definitely the point, but still. It didn't help my anxiety.

A wonderful study in found family sibling dynamics and discovering how to unite two halves of yourself, Little and Lion is a good book with excellent representation. Would recommend.

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

I'll be honest, I cried while reading this book. Not because it was especially emotionally poignant or because it explored the meaning of life or anything like that. No, I cried because for the first time while reading a book about love, I felt seen.

Asexuality is rare enough that most people don't know about it. Those of you reading this probably don't even know about it. Asexuality is a lack of sexual attraction. It comes in all shades and kinds, but boils down to a disinterest or (in most cases) a complete dislike for sex, simply because an asexual person doesn't experience that kind of attraction. So, congrats, now you know.

The main character of this book is a biromantic asexual named Alice. Biromantic means Alice is romantically attracted to guys and gals, but has no interest in having sex with them. And within the first few pages of the book, her girlfriend breaks up with her because she doesn't like sex. And it tears Alice up. Rightfully so, as that's the main reason dating as an asexual is so difficult. I'll try not to soapbox about this, but non-asexuals view sex as an incredibly important part of a romantic relationship, compared to asexuals, who, by definition, don't see it as anything important. And for some reason it's hard to write (or have) a love story without sex.

Not long after her breakup, though, Alice meets off-the-charts cute Takumi, and thus begins her love story.

Partway through this book, I was terrified. Because I was so afraid Alice would abandon her sexuality for a cute guy. And I'd be left bereft of another character I finally thought I'd be able to relate to. But she didn't. Alice was questioning and confused and growing and trying to figure her life out, but the thing she was certain of (after a weird hiccup that also felt relatable) was her sexuality. Alice is ace, and just because Takumi is nice and Ridiculously Hot and perfect and well spoken and everything, doesn't mean she's going to abandon her identity for him. She's done doing that just to make other people happy.

Let's Talk About Love was about more than just romance, though, which was also a relief to read about. The novel emphasized the importance of platonic relationships and friendships. Feenie and Ryan, Alice's best friends, are a great example of a romantic couple and friends, and their conflicts with Alice are legit but also confronted (eventually, though it did drive my anxiety up the wall in the time it took them to get there).

There were also a lot of parallels with Alice's path in life and her asexuality. Alice wasn't out to her family, so their expectations for who she would become and the person she wanted to be were at odds. Similarly, her entire family went to law school, so Alice was expected to do the same, despite having no interest in doing so. Straight vs asexual. Law school vs design.

I might be a little bit biased because of my personal feelings, but I think this book is Important, both in acknowledging the importance of letting yourself discover what you really want in life and as a bit of representation for a severely underrepresented community. 10/10.

Chainbreaker by Tara Sim

Chainbreaker is the sequel to Timekeeper and second book in the Timekeeper trilogy, a series that takes place in 1870's London in a world where time is controlled by clock towers. Clock mechanics keep the towers running, while unbeknownst to the people of the world, clock spirits act as protectors and keepers of time.

I finished Timekeeper with the thought that I probably didn't have to keep reading the series if I didn't want to. There was intrigue, the promise of potential, but the ending wrapped things up nicely enough that I could've been satisfied with just that.

And then Chainbreaker came out in paperback and I'd seen some intriguing fanart, and now here I am, three days after starting it, frantically Googling when the final book in the series will be released. Because book two upped the ante by a billion, and I'm very invested now. Political discourse, moral ambiguity, betrayal, and more danger than I could've ever expected from a book about magic clocks.

Danny Hart is a character that I adore, because, in all honesty, he's just Trying His Best. He dealt with a lot in Timekeeper, and all he really wants is a nice life in Enfield with Colton and to bask in the fact that his family has finally been reunited. But things are happening across the globe, towers in India are falling, and no matter how much Danny wants to believe that his life in Enfield is a bubble, happy endings are a long ways away.

If you're looking for a steampunkish lgbt+ adventure reminiscent of Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series, read the first book. If you want to confront the violent nature of colonialism and the way white people look at privilege, as well as fall into a world driven by ancient gods of time, read the rest of the series too.

Everybody who knows me knows I'm constantly looking for LGBT+ books to read, (especially ones that aren't just love stories) that blossom into something fantastic and adventurous. And the Timekeeper trilogy is providing that, one angst-ridden novel at a time.

(also, good news for me, I waited long enough to read the sequel that the final book in the trilogy, Firestarter came out a week ago--stay tuned, fam).

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

This book started a little slow for my taste. Heavy with descriptions and weighed down by backstory, it took me a while to really get into.

I kept waiting for a particular aspect of the story to kick in, and it never really did? I figured more of the story would be about returning the lost things to their owners, and while that played a part closer to the end, I was expecting more from that storyline.

That being said, I really like the dual nature of the novel. Told from two main perspectives (Laura and Eunice) with interspersed short stories, this book kept me on my toes. Instead of being one overall story, it was really three different love stories woven through several decades: Laura and Freddie, the obvious frontrunner duo, Anthony and Therese, the untold lost love, and Eunice and Bomber, the best friends kind of love that rivaled any other love story in their lives.

The intricate connections were fabulous, and I adored the short stories about the lost things, as well as how they related to one another and to the two main storylines. Everything came full circle by the end, which was beyond satisfying. I love supposed coincidences and planetary alignment, and this book brought me so much serendipity.

The characters were certainly a cast of misfits. Anthony, the author and grieving lover, made a big impact for how little of the book he was in. He lingered in the pages, even if it was his fiance's ghost that haunted Padua. Laura was outstanding in her mediocrity, attempting to rediscover her life as a post-divorce middle-aged woman, living with regrets from her marriage and the desire to rediscover her youthful ambition. Eunice and Bomber were glorious, and getting to follow along in their little adventures was a treat, especially when everything fell into place at the very end.

The title and character names were also very clever. Anthony lived in a house called Padua and collected lost things, which tied in nicely with St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of lost things. His fiance, Therese, was named after St. Therese of the roses, and grew beautiful roses around their home. Sunshine was also very aptly, if straightforwardly named.

Overall, despite being very bogged down by over description, the storyline was compelling and the characters not arduous to follow. The ending saved the book for me, even though I was a little disappointed in the small number of lost things explored and eventually returned. The most important lost things found their way home in the end, so I suppose that's what really mattered

I feel like I started off 2019 with a pretty strong selection of books. Here's to hoping the rest of the year is the same!

Keep writing, my friends!

Sam

Literary Recommendation: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Movie Recommendation: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse (dir. Peter Ramsey, Robert Persichetti Jr., Rodney Rothman, Bob Persichetti)

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