I wanted to briefly jot down my thoughts on a few books I’ve read in the past couple of months and wanted to write about, but couldn’t due to Surprise House Move 2021.
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
This novel combines science fiction, a murder mystery, and romance into a delightful package.
Prince Kiem and Count Jainan are suddenly forced into a political marriage after Jainan’s husband suddenly passes away. Was the death an accident, or MURDER? Will Kiem and Jainan figure out what’s happening in time to protect their empire from serious galactic consequences? And will they SMOOCH already?
This romance relies on a few familiar tropes: the marriage of convenience, a big misunderstanding (both Kiem and Jainan have reason to believe the other doesn’t want to be in the marriage, but they both secretly pine for the other), and some forced proximity. There’s a bit of past intimate partner abuse which is not depicted graphically on-page. The sex is also not particularly graphic. The romantic storyline dovetails nicely into the mystery and sci-fi adventure elements too, so that the book feels well-balanced and well-paced. Although the stakes are high for the characters and they find themselves in moments of serious peril, I found I was never truly worried because I trusted the author would guide all of us to a Happily Ever After. If you enjoy science fiction and M/M romance, give Winter’s Orbit a try.
Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher
I recently returned to Twitter after a long hiatus because I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss out on new releases from authors I love. I’m glad I did, because otherwise I might not have known that Paladin’s Strength was coming, and I can’t stand to ever miss a T. Kingfisher book.
Paladin’s Strength is the sequel to Paladin’s Grace and takes place in the same world as some of Kingfisher’s other fantasy work. Although this book tells its own story with its own cast of characters, it builds on events from the previous book, so it’s important to read them in order.
Istvahn is a warrior with a secret. Clara is a nun with a secret. They also both secretly think the other is super attractive but don’t think they can get together Because Reasons. Istvahn and Clara end up traveling together because her fellow nuns were abducted, and were taken in the same direction that Istvahn’s party is traveling on their own secret quest (disguised as a delivery of very special oak barrels for aging spirits).
There’s lots of secrets and lots of pining and lots of adventure. Because this is a T. Kingfisher book there’s also a good bit of banter and a few gross scenes and lots of reality of being a slightly aging adventurer (such as when you would really like to finally act on the simmering sexual tension between you and your adventure buddy, but you really really need to get some sleep first).
T. Kingfisher’s fantasy novels are comfort reads for me. Even when things get really gross or scary, I know it’s all going to work out in the end. I cannot recommend this author highly enough. Just go read everything of hers (although be warned that her two horror novels are CREEPY AF and may give you nightmares, while also still being somehow comforting?).
The Memory Theater by Karin Tidbeck
Karin Tidbeck’s new book reads like a dark fairy tale. It is short, brutal, and very hard to put down. It follows two young people as they escape the magical world they were trapped in and try to find the boy Thistle’s true name so he can return to his home and family. Along the way they travel between worlds, make new friends, and discover who they really are and what they really want.
What I loved about this book (aside from the obvious fact that I am a sucker for fairy tales) is that it hinted at a richly developed cosmology that expanded far beyond the boundaries of the story we experience. I wanted to know more, and I enjoyed the deep sense of mystery.
While The Memory Theater is marketed as adult fiction, it is about two teenagers and involves definite themes of coming of age. It can be a bit violent and intense, but I think it would be a good option for teen readers looking to step outside of the YA category. I don’t think there was any content in here that was more extreme than what I’ve read in YA fantasies like Children of Blood and Bone.
Note: While Tidbeck is a Swedish author, it appears that this book was written in English (they are also a translator by trade!). So unfortunately, if you’re doing some sort of Book Bingo challenge where you need to read a book in translation, this one won’t count. I recommend Tidbeck’s Amatka instead.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
This book was a very interesting house party murder mystery with a clever twist, unfortunately ruined for me by a narrator I disliked.
Our narrator is at first nameless, a man who finds reliving the same day over and over again in different bodies, as he has been tasked to solve the murder of the titular Evelyn Hardcastle. Each of his hosts has different talents, and their personality bleeds a bit into his, creating unique challenges as he tries to solve the crime and get out of the loop he’s trapped in. As an extra level of challenge, he’s decided he doesn’t want to just solve the murder, he wants to prevent it from happening.
This book is a lot. There’s a lot happening. There are multiple subplots that I’m not going to get into in this short review.
I wanted to like The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I felt like the writing was solid, the pacing was engaging, and the time loop was a new take on the classic house party murder mystery.
Unfortunately our narrator (who we eventually learn is named Aidan) is a bit of a bland blank slate who mainly focuses on the negatives of his situation and his hosts. This manifests itself in some severe fatphobia when he finds himself in the body of an older, overweight, disabled man. His disgust at this host appears to be even stronger than his disgust at figuring out that a later host is a rapist (he claims to be more disturbed by this fact, but this language when narrating his time in the fat body is much more negative than when he’s running around trying not to rape people).
Another flaw in this book, in my opinion. is a flaw common to many murder mysteries. I felt like the author just threw in too many twists at the end. I suspect some readers will actually enjoy this and consider it a strong point in the book’s favor. But because I had already lost my goodwill towards the narrator and thus the author, I just found myself rolling my eyes and wanting to get it over with already.
I very much wish that this book had been written by a different author, with a different narrator.
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