Review: When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided and ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is told from three different perspectives, by three different narrators.  That was a nice touch from the audio perspective as each of the characters is very different and plays a unique role in this fantasy novella.  I always appreciate a multicast narration when there are multiple perspectives.  I enjoyed each of the narrators and how they brought this little book alive.

This book isn't very long, the audiobook was about 4 and a half hours long, but it kept me engaged the entire time and told a full story.  We follow along with three characters Dymitr, Ala, and Niko as they try to find the Baba Jaga to break a curse.  This is filled with Slavic/Polish myths, lore, and magic, while being set a modern Chicago.  Each one of our characters has secrets and trauma they have to sort through before the curse can be broken.  They face monsters and creatures from the mythology that are well described so that the reader or listener can picture them.  Our trio must quickly come to terms with their individual pain, fear, guilt, and mistrust of one another before the curse can be broken.  They have to work together to unravel the puzzles placed before them before the Baba Jaga will grant them an audience and solve the riddles of the curse as well and find their own salvation

This is a fast paced, quick read.  I didn't want to put it down, I always wanted to know what came next.  I love anything steeped in myth and lore and this is no exception.  I'm not well versed in Slavic lore, but Roth does a great job using the lore as allegory for other topics.  

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Review: Abeni's Song by P. Djèlí Clark

Abeni's Song by P. Djèlí Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Clark has quickly become one of my favorite SFF authors.  I love how he weaves culture into his stories and uses sci-fi or fantasy (or both) to deal with real world issues.  This is his middle grade debut and he really leans in to African Lore and storytelling.  If you pay attention he is really using Abeni's magical journey to tell you about the horrible things that were done historically in Africa.  It is one of the things I love about his writing style.  He tells you about big and important topics while taking you on an amazing adventure.

As for the narration, the narrator really did a wonderful job with the storytelling aspect of the audiobook.  She gave each of the characters a unique voice throughout the book.  It took me a few chapters to really appreciate her narration, as I didn't initially appreciate the cadence and pitch she gave to some of the characters.  I loved her "narrator" voice though.  As the book went on I realized she is the ultimate storyteller, and really gave life to Abeni and her companions.  I don't think everyone will appreciate her amazing voice acting, but I think younger readers will be delighted by her voice talents.  

This follows Abeni on quite the journey.  On her 12th birthday, her village is attacked and everyone she knows and loves is taken away.  Abeni alone is saved by an old woman who she comes to know as Asha, a spirit who has protected the village for many years.  Abeni wants nothing more than to find her family and loved ones, but to do so she must learn what Asha has to teach her.  Abeni has a good bit of character development as the story unfolds as she begins as any 12 year old girl, a bit stubborn and petulant, but she quickly discovers that she has to put aside her own wants and needs if she wants to find those she loves.  She is also put in many challenging situations where she has to be brave and make tough choices.  Does she always make the right choice?  No, but she is always trying to do the right thing, and the friends she makes along the way are there to help guide her and teach her.  There are quite a few lessons to be learned, and Abeni always takes them in stride.  

The worldbuilding in this book was excellent.  Clark gives us a luscious landscape and describes the characters in such detail that you can really get a sense of what they look like but he doesn't go overboard with the descriptions.  If you are a fan of folklore any mythology I highly recommend this for middle grade readers, adults, and everyone in between.  I think it is written such that any age group can enjoy it.

This is the first book in a series, but I really appreciated that this first part of Abeni's storyline ended with closure.  We see that there is more to her journey to come, but this part of the story feels complete.  I look forward to seeing what challenges Abeni and her companions faces on the next part of their quest.

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Review: Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I did opt to listen to the final production audiobook via my library.  This is a bit on the longer side, the print book is just under 500 pages and the audiobook comes in just under 18 hours.  Sophie Amoss did a great job with the narration.  She tried to give each character a unique voice so you can tell who is who when there is dialogue and she also did a good job conveying emotion throughout the book.

This is the first book in a new YA fantasy focusing on Aurthurian legend and lore.  I'm a sucker for anything related to King Arthur and Avalon and the many people and places often mentioned in the stories so this was a fun read.  This follows Tamsin as she quests to find a lost ring that will hopefully cure her brother from a curse he's be plagued with all his life.  She is also searching for her guardian who abandoned them years ago searching for the very same ring.  There is a catch though, Tamsin unlike the other members of her order doesn't have magic and she isn't the only one searching for the ring.  To have the best chance at finding the ring Tamsin will have to team up with unlikely allies to save her beloved brother and herself.  In doing so she finds herself breaking down her carefully crafted walls in order to save her new team and a dying world.

This is a solid first book.  It does leave off on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I kept expecting that so I can't say I'm too surprised by the ending.  The book ends with alot of unanswered questions, but it does set us up nicely for book two.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and I'm anxious to find out what happens next.  I really loved all of the lore and legend that Bracken wove into the story.  There are alot of characters to keep track of and quite a few different plotlines to keep straight.  This is complex and is action packed; the fight scenes do get a little dark and gory.  There is some character development happening, but we are still missing alot of the backstory on many of the characters.  I suspect we will get to know more about Tamsin's origins as well as the other characters in the next book.  We see the most growth from Tamsin, which makese sense as she is the main character and she really makes alot of growth trusting the people around her and beginning to care about others.  The world building was really well done.  Bracken did a great job crafting a fantasy world that I don't want to spoil.

I found parts of this to be fairly predictable but it didn't make it any less enjoyable.  Part of the reason I enjoy YA fantasy is because it is fun and I know what to expect.  The tropes are familiar and I keep coming back for more.  I think they really work well here and I can't wait to find out what happens next.  This is a fun new take on the legend of Avalon and King Arthur and I'm looking forward to getting  my hands on book 2.

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Review: Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.  

First off can we talk about how absolutely stunning the cover is?  I had no idea what this was about and I wanted to read it based on the cover alone, then I read the synopsis and I was even more excited to read it!

I really enjoyed this, especially the folklore/mythology aspects of this book.  I love learning about different cultures through their lore and myths and this was an excellent journey through West African tales at during a time of great strife.  Gods and Goddesses in many cultures or Orisas in Africa are often seen as great and powerful beings whose wrath is mighty, but who also protect those who pray to them and pay them homage.  This tale is no different, we have Yemoja, who is an Orisa of the sea and she has created the Mami Wata or mermaids that captures the souls of the fallen slaves.  The Mami Wata bless the souls and help them on their journey to the Creator.  Slave trade has become rampant and when our main character comes across a man in the water who is not dead, she decides to save him instead of guide is sole to the creator.  Her actions go against the task she was given as a Mami Wata and may put her kind at risk.  Simidele begs Yemoja for forgiveness, however it is not hers to grant and Simi must go on a journey to seek absolution from the Creator directly.  She is aided by the boy she saved, Kola, as he knows where the high priest who can help them.  As Kola and Simi race to Kola's village, they encounter friend and foe along the way.  The also discover that the Creator's messenger has grown power hungry  and  is not doing what is best for humans and orisas.  Not only must they save the Mami Wata, but now there is much more at stake.  

I really thought the author did a great job with the world building.  The descriptions of the mythical creatures and the Orisas was done really well.  This is not the first book I've read about Yemoja and her Mami Wata, and I've done some research on the subject because it is quite fascinating.  I think she did a wonderful job blending the historical points with the lore and the more fantastical aspects of the story.  I also really enjoyed learning about Simidele through her flashbacks before she became a Mami Wata,   I thought her struggle with who she is today and her letting go of her humanity was done very well and the emotions came through on the page.  There was also a good bit of action in this to keep the pace going.  I could have done without the budding romance, but it wasn't so overpowering it took away from anything.  This does end a bit abruptly.  It isn't quite a cliffhanger, but it leaves  you with that cliffhanger feeling.  I believe there are going to be more books and I hope there is more to Simi's story because there are some unanswered questions about what happens next to Simi, Kola and their friends.   I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!

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Review: The Hidden by Melanie Golding

The Hidden by Melanie Golding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an arc of the audiobook via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The narrator was fantastic! She did a wonderful job with the different voices for the characters. She also has a lovely singing voice. I love those little touches when a narrator can add to the story by singing parts of the story, which in this book music and song was an important part of the story. She also did an amazing job with Leonie's voice, it is hard to do a realistic 2 year old voice without sounding fake and ridiculous, but she did a great job with it.

This mystery/thriller takes a while to come together. It is told from several different perspectives, the main being Ruby a struggling musician and Joanna a detective. Joanna is Ruby's mother, so naturally when she finds that Ruby may be involved with a case she is investigating, she wants to protect her daughter. Their relationship is a bit unconventional and has been strained as of late, but as the story unfolds we find out why. We also learn of Ruby's involvement in her neighbor Gregor's life and his own unconventional family. As the story unfolds she sees parallels between her upbringing and that of her new friend Constance and her daughter Leonie.

The timeline for this switches back and forth between then and now, I believe they are about 1 year apart from each other from when Ruby befriends Gregor and is introduced to Constance and their daughter Leonie. In the present we follow Joanna as she is investigating Gregor's attempted murder and a missing child case that may be related. As the story slowly develops, Gregor paints a picture where Constance is mentally unstable. The more Ruby gets to know the strange family, the more she realizes something is off with their story and she is determined to find out the truth if only to help the innocent little girl she has come to love.

I don't want to spoil too much because as things started to come together, this was actually pretty twisty and turny. I loved the mix of mythology and almost magical realism mixed in with the mystery and thriller elements. This took some unexpected turns and I really appreciated how the different perspectives added to the storytelling. This also takes a good look at family and the dynamic between the mother-daughter relationship. This was layered with so many different elements that keep the reader engaged and wanting to know what is going to happen next. It starts off slow, but the pace builds nicely and then takes off and holds steady until the end. I really enjoyed this and will be looking into more of the author's work.

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Review: Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur

Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not really sure how to rate this book.  There were parts I really liked and parts I didn't.  This probably falls somewhere between a 2.5 and 3 stars for me.  It is well written, has a unique storyline, and interesting characters.  

I love mythology and folklore.  I wasn't very familiar with Korean folklore before, but after reading this I feel like I need to investigate the subject more.  I also love learning about cultures different than my own.  I feel reading own voices books such as this one is a good way to do so.  I was fully immersed in the parts of the story surrounding the folklore and mythology aspect of the story.  Elsa's journey into learning about her mom, her Korean heritage, the magical realism, and the folklore of her ancestors was great.  Unfortunately the writing style didn't work for me.  I spent most of the book being completely confused about what was happening and felt like I was reading several different books at once.  I'm not a fan of stream of consciousness writing, it doesn't work for me personally, though I know some readers love it.  I find it confusing to follow the plot because even though everything is connected, they aren't organized and I find it very hard to follow and connect to the story and the characters.  I constantly feel like I missed something because the subject would dart from one thing to the next.  

This hits on many social justice issues that are timely with social media bringing to light the crimes against those of Asian decent.  The main character gives the impression that she is very anti-white and anti anyone not Korean, as she has experienced racism, prejudice, and bigotry her entire life.  She is going through a discovery and acceptance phase after the death of her mother and part of her journey is to come to terms with her past, her family's past, and who she is not only as a Korean American but as Elsa Park the person.  This also speaks to mental health issues.  I'm not sure I care for the way mental health was portrayed in this book, however it does show what can be the very real and ugly side to living with mental health and perhaps these were written from first hand experience or accounts in the author's life.  If that is the case, then my opinion on the matter doesn't really count.  The author states on her goodreads page that this book is her spiritual debut, and I feel like she accomplished that.  I'm not sure which of her own experiences are on the page, but you can feel the emotion coming through and the care she took with the telling of the story.  She is very blunt about various traumas in this book.  That is either going to really appeal to you or it is not.  There are many heavy and uncomfortable moments in the book.

If you enjoy genre bending stories written in the stream of consciousness style give this one a go.  This is well written and the own voices aspect and folklore is well done.  Being that I don't care for the stream of consciousness style of writing, it made it really hard for me to get through this and connect with the book, but that is a me issue not necessarily an issue with the book itself.  While I may not have loved it, I do think many people will enjoy this.  I think we need more books like this out there.

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Review: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this! I really enjoyed learning about a new type of mythology/folklore from Eastern Europe. I don't know much about Russian folklore, but this has inspired me to pick up more books on the subject matter. I want to know more after reading about Vasya and the house spirits and other beings she encounters in the tale.

I listened to the audiobook and it was wonderful. The pacing of the book is slower, but I didn't find it to be a slow moving book at all. I was completely entranced by the story the entire time. I loved getting to know Vasya and her family. I will say that it took me quite a while to figure out the characters because they all go by multiple names. I find that easier to do on the page versus listening to the book because I can flip back and forth, however I was quickly able to figure out who was who.

Arden does an amazing job building the setting and the atmosphere of the book. I felt like I was in the forest with Vasya. Vasya is a wild, spunky, independent girl in a time when girls are supposed to be quite, well kept, and reserved. She can see and talk to spirits during a time when magic is dying and Christianity is taking over. Her mother had magic in her blood and knew Vasya would be special. Vasya's father does his best to foster Vasya in her mother's memory, but he also has to keep up appearances and his role as lord of a small Russian village. Vasya's step mother is very pious, but she sees "demons" everywhere she turns, not realizing that she also possesses a bit of magic. When a young, enthusiastic priest is sent to their village, Vasya must keep up the offerings to the local spirits as the townsfolk begin to abandon the oldways in favor of Christianity. The townspeople continue to befall more accidents of the paranormal type as the spirits don't have the strength to protect the people because they are no longer being cared for by the people. Behind the scenes a great battle of the gods is building, and Vasya is at the center of it. Meanwhile the priest finds himself caught between being obsessed with Vaysa and her salvation and just being obsessed with her. Vasya just wants to be left alone to do as she pleases and not be held down by the expectations of others.

I can't wait to read the rest of the series. I am anxious to find out how Vasya learns to use her magic and how her story progresses. I loved all of the spirits/demons that were present in the story.

I used this for the Popsugar prompt to read a book set in the season it is set in because it is set in winter.  You could also use it for a book about a family, featuring an imaginary creature, or inspired by mythology, legend, or folklore.  I have other books lined up for those prompts.

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