"The Wrath & the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1)" by Renee Ahdieh

I'd read several reviews that rated this book highly before I even put it on my watchlist because I'm very picky about young adult books, I tend to be disappointed by some of the highly rated YA books, and really, I tend to like adult books better. But the reviews were such that I convinced myself this one would be okay, as it had fantasy and romance and I tend to like that combination.

Initially, I liked it- the author has a wondrous way with words, Shahrzad is independent minded and bent on revenge, and the other characters (other than Khalid) were fairly likable, too. The atmosphere in this book was the best part of it for me- I'm a fan of Gothic romances, and this seems to follow in that tradition. You may see where this review is going- I liked some of the book, but I did have some major issues with the rest of it.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'One Life to One Dawn.
'In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.
'Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?
'Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.'

I noticed someone comparing Khalid to Edward (of Twilight fame), and really, that's too kind of a comparison in my book. If Joffrey weren't so spoiled and single-minded- that is Khalid in my opinion. I can't discuss much in this review because I think more than a few people may go on to read it, but I felt like Shahrzad's spine dissolved after about two days in the palace (another highly disappointing part of the book for me). The love story failed to make me believe in it, and given that's core to this book, well- it's no mystery why I didn't like it.

Another issue I had with this book- although I tend to forgive most historical novels for keeping the heroine relatively secluded, not much happens with Shahrzad in this book. She pretty much kicks around the palace for most of it. The palace, while intriguing at first, bored me. Shahrzad is queen- that much is true, but I felt this book would've been better served with more action and less introspection/storytelling.

The Wrath and the Dawn is a lavishly written book that failed to impress me with its "love story". While I'm sure many people will find this book more than palatable, it didn't sit right with me, so I won't be recommending it unless you like hot, brooding boy kings. I may end up reading the second in the duology because I bought both for my Kindle, and though I scoff at the main love story, there is a secondary one that interests me.

Rating: 2 of 5 Stars for a fairy tale retelling that failed to spellbind me.

Age Advisory: Ages 16+ for cut scene sex (you don't read it, but you know it's there), violence, and murder.

Page Count: 395 pages

"Kindred" by Octavia E. Butler

Many of you may have noticed 2016 was the year of Octavia E. Butler books for me. I think I read more of her books last year than Robin Hobb's, which is saying something because I'm obsessed with them both now. For that reason, I was eager to read another of her books in 2017, and since Kindred is one of her better known titles (and it qualifies for Vintage Sci-fi Month) I chose to pick it up first.

Kindred is not an easy read. I read it in a day, but not because I was thrilled with the story- I was gripped by it in a relatively unpleasant fashion. Imagine being an African American woman who somehow time travels back to the era of slavery in the American South. It doesn't sound like a pleasant adventure, does it? I was possessed by the need to find out if Dana made it out okay, and what exactly was going on with her in the first place.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'The first science fiction written by a black woman, Kindred has become a cornerstone of black American literature. This combination of slave memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literary complexity. Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life. During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes the challenge she’s been given: to protect this young slaveholder until he can father her own great-grandmother.'

Kindred has all the content you'd expect from the time that it's set in- so if you can't handle blood and inhumane abuses, you may not want to read this one. At times, I was reading with my hand over my face because I wanted Dana to pull through, but also somehow manifest superpowers. Dana has the strength most women would envy, but the events that befall her in this book aren't enviable. This book provides a haunting glimpse of the past that is difficult to swallow.

Dana's husband, Kevin is white, and he plays a part in this book as well. Once they figure out some of what is happening, they attempt to learn more of the history of the time in order to help protect Dana. All the while, it seems almost futile to- as a black woman, Dana has virtually no rights in the South at that time. Beyond that, Rufus, the person Dana rescues, seems almost as bound to her as she as to him.

Kindred is the sort of book that if it were a nightmare, you'd wake up from it with cold sweat dripping from your every pore. It isn't a happy book, but it is an important one. I recommend this to those who like to read about the past from a less sterile perspective.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars for a difficult read that was even more difficult to put down.

Age Advisory: Ages 18+ for violence, sexual assault, and slavery.

Page Count: 287 pages

"Lotus" by Lijia Zhang

Disclaimer: I was given a free advance ecopy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My opinion remains as forthright as ever.

I wanted to read this one based on its cover, and also the story of the author's grandma's deathbed confession intrigued me. Because of that story, I had assumed Lotus was historical fiction, but it's actually set in the early days of the new millennium (which, I guess to some people might be historical fiction). The beginning was easy enough for me to read but I found the pacing somewhat uneven as the book progressed- Lotus, who is the main character, lives an interesting life with many pitfalls, but some places in the book it seems like her growth as a character slows to a crawl.

Lotus goes to the city in search of fortune, and through misfortune ends up a ji, or a prostitute. She continues the work in order to fund her brother's schooling- her father pulled her out of school before she could graduate, and she wants her little brother to be able to go to college and get a well paying job. Hu Binbing is a photographer disillusioned with the world after he lost his well paying job to scandal. In a way, Hu Binbing actually finds himself more in this book than Lotus ever does, because he isn't forced to make as many difficult decisions as she is.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'Inspired by the secret life of the author's grandmother, Lotus follows a young woman as she defies her fate and escapes to the city and all it holds for her—be it love, danger, or destiny.
'Surviving by her wits alone, Lotus charges headlong into the neon lights of Shenzhen, determined to pull herself out of the gutter and decide her own path. She’s different than the other streetwalkers—reserved, even defiant, Lotus holds her secrets behind her red smile.
'The new millennium should’ve brought her better luck, but for now she leads a double life, wiring the money home to her family and claiming she earns her wages waiting tables. Her striking eyes catch the attention of many, but Lotus weighs her options between becoming the concubine of a savvy migrant worker or a professional girlfriend to a rich and powerful playboy. Or she may choose the kind and decent Hu Binbing, a photojournalist reporting on China’s underground sex trade—who has a hidden past of his own. She knows that fortunes can shift with the toss of a coin and, in the end, she may make a choice that leads her on a different journey entirely.
'Written with compassion and vivid prose, Lotus was inspired by the deathbed revelation that the author’s grandmother had been sold to a brothel in her youth. With compelling insight, Lijia Zhang reveals the surprising strength found in those confronted with impossible choices.'

There is a depth of portrayal as far as the culture surrounding the ji in this book goes- there is an unexpected sense of community between Lotus and her fellow ji despite them all being in the same trade, and therefore, in a way, competing against each other. You don't see that as much with this book- it's almost like they have too many customers than too few. Lotus works in a higher end "massage" parlor, and thus has many more protections than she did when she started out.

Through this book, you get a feel for Lotus's entire life, but for that reason I did feel like it dragged its feet a bit. I prefered Lotus in the beginning, when she had some sense of mystery to her, than at the end when it seemed like she had no mystery at all left. She had so many interesting things happen to her that at the end of the book I was surprised when I found myself thinking of her as bland rather than fascinating.

Lotus is not the usual type of book I pick up- nonetheless, I found it both enjoyable and educational. I can see fans of contemporary fiction enjoying this one even more than I did, though. The depth of this work was a little bit too consuming for me. If you're a fan of contemporary fiction and are interested in the lives of those involved in the sex trade, this book may be more your style.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars for a great contemporary fiction that felt a bit sidetracked by its depth.

Age Advisory: Ages 18+ for the sex trade (and everything that goes with it) as well as violence.

Page Count: 384 pages

O.o.O.C.: "Out" by Natsuo Kirino

Out of Orbit Critiques are reviews of books outside my usual genres. Out is a contemporary crime thriller set in Japan.

What continues to strike me about this novel is that, despite having finished it awhile ago, it's one of those stories I won't soon forget. Often I can read a book and a few days later if you ask me something about it, I'll be unable to conjure up anything unrelated to what I've written on this blog- I simply have more important things to remember: like when my next appointment is. Out remains in my fickle brain despite almost a month passing since I finished it, and having written no notes about it.

The many characters in Out are what hasten the plot- Yayoi Yamamoto may have been the central character in any other crime book, having been the perpetrator, but in Out that isn't the case. Her work friend Masako Katori takes the spotlight from her to help solve her "problem"- a problem I myself would find distasteful to even think about helping with. Luckily for Yayoi, her work friends are eager enough to help... for the right price.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'Natsuo Kirino's novel tells a story of random violence in the staid Tokyo suburbs, as a young mother who works a night shift making boxed lunches brutally strangles her deadbeat husband and then seeks the help of her co-workers to dispose of the body and cover up her crime.
'The ringleader of this cover-up, Masako Katori, emerges as the emotional heart of Out and as one of the shrewdest, most clear-eyed creations in recent fiction. Masako's own search for a way out of the straitjacket of a dead-end life leads her, too, to take drastic action.
'The complex yet riveting narrative seamlessly combines a convincing glimpse into the grimy world of Japan's yakuza with a brilliant portrayal of the psychology of a violent crime and the ensuing game of cat-and-mouse between seasoned detectives and a group of determined but inexperienced criminals. Kirino has mastered a Thelma and Louise kind of graveyard humor than illuminators her stunning evocation of the pressures and prejudices that drive women to extreme deeds and the friendship that bolsters them in the aftermath.'

To be honest, the character who intrigued me most in this book wasn't all that involved: Yoshie Azuma. Yoshie is the eldest of the work crew (earning the nickname "the Skipper"), takes care of her mother in law and daughter, and doesn't have all that much money to her name, which may be why she ends up helping with the plot of Out. Kuniko rounds out the work crew as the only supremely unlikable character, who did introduce some problematic elements in my opinion. True, she was vain to an exacerbating degree, but it seemed like her weight presented more of a problem to other people's perception of her than it should have. This was originally published in Japan in 1997, which makes many of the problems I had with it seem less irksome- the '90s weren't precisely a high-tech time for crime solving, perhaps because CSI didn't premier until 2000.

As I don't often finish books involving crime and mystery, the only one I have to compare this one to is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. In some ways, they're similar- Out is also gruesome, but has somewhat less sexual violence, and both books feature females who aren't purer than the driven snow. Where they differ is with the setting, and somewhat of a difference in the tone- I found Out to be a bit bleaker than The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but perhaps it's because this is a standalone novel.

Out is the blast of cold air I needed this October in terms of shaking up my usual tried-and-true genres for reading. It hasn't converted me into a crime thriller fan, but the next time I see a translated crime thriller, I'll be all the more likely to pick it up. I recommend Out for those who enjoy darker elements in the human nature, because this one lacks a fairytale ending.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars for an excellent crime thriller that gave me chills.

Age Advisory: Ages 18+ for graphic violence, sexual violence/assault, and fearsome women.

Page Count: 400 pages

O.o.O.C.: "The Red Record" by Ida B. Wells

Out of Orbit Critiques are reviews of books outside my usual genres. The Red Record is a nonfiction account of the many, many instances in which lynching was used instead of the justice system during the late 1800s.

This book is an important piece of history. It is also horrifying to those of us who had your "average" American school education- often, regarding African Americans, only slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Martin Luther King Jr. are covered. The rest is glossed over or omitted completely- the Oregon Trail and the like get more pages. The Red Record is one of those books that could easily be excerpted to prove that everything was not hunky dory after the Emancipation Proclamation.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'A shocking and powerful account of lynching written by activist, journalist, and former slave Ida B. Wells
'In the postbellum American South, lynching was a frightfully common occurrence, perpetrated so frequently that most Southern politicians and leaders turned a blind eye to the practice. This vicious form of vigilante “justice” was in truth a thinly veiled racist justification for murderous violence. In 1892 alone, more than two hundred African Americans were lynched, with alleged offenses ranging from “attempted stock poisoning” to “insulting whites.”
'The Red Record tabulates these scenes of brutality in clear, objective statistics, allowing the horrifying facts to speak for themselves. Alongside the tally, author Ida B. Wells describes actual occurrences of lynching, and enumerates the standard rationalizations for these extrajudicial killings, her original intent for the pamphlet to shame and shock the apathetic public—and spark change.'

You can't help but be appalled when you learn some of the reasons (and non-reasons) African Americans were lynched. Among the top reasons I felt were most horrific: insulting whites, race prejudice, no offense (at all, other than being of African descent), proposing marriage to a white woman, giving information, introducing smallpox (because you can apparently keep yourself from being sick), conjuring, and writing a letter a white woman. Some of the accounts of the pre-lynching torture of African Americans absolutely turned my stomach. Worst of all, it was a sort of town-wide event- there are accounts of children being brought to witness the lynchings. Many of these lynchings were carried out prior to inquiries as to who actually committed the crime, and whether the crime had actually been committed in the first place. After several incidents of lynching prior to judgement in which the person had been found entirely innocent, town officials would say something like, "Someone had to pay for the crime."

Miss Wells also offers ideas for resolutions to prevent the lynchings from happening in the first place. She wanted this short book to reach as many eyes as possible for that reason, though I fear it didn't quite have as far-reaching an impact as she'd hoped.

Though this is mostly an account of lynchings in the U.S., it also features some of the disagreements between the leader of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and Miss Wells and other African American leaders fighting for equal treatment under the law. It reads a bit like the modern day political double talk- Miss Wells rightly accuses the temperance union of distancing itself from African American-sympathetic politics to more Southern-sympathizing politics to schmooze their way to more votes, and the women in the temperance union act like they're innocent of it. It's interesting to note how politics and relations haven't changed all that much over one hundred years.

The Red Record is a grim account of the multiple historic failures of justice in the United States. The author sought to educate the public on the prevalence of these travesties, though the practice continued into the 20th century. This book resonated more with me due to the current struggles of African Americans that spawned the #BlackLivesMatter movement. It is my honest hope that in another 100 years or so, people will read this book and not think of current affairs- and instead think of how odious people of color were treated- in the past.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars for a difficult but gripping account of injustice.

Age Advisory: Ages 16+ for accounts of gruesome violence and inhumanity.

Page Count: 112 pages

"Mind of My Mind (Patternmaster #2)" by Octavia E. Butler

A Sci-Fi Summer Reading Challenge Pick

Though this is part of the Patternmaster series, due to the way the series was written, each book can essentially be read as a standalone. However, I recommend reading Wild Seed first, as it lends greater depth to this story. There aren't spoilers in this review.

Mary, one of the children Doro selectively bred to have strange supernatural powers, has come of age in this volume of the series, bringing about a time of change for these super-humans. Though Anyanwu was a strong heroine, she had preconceptions about how things should be that were a bit old fashioned- Mary has a new kind of thinking that is potentially dangerous to the way of life Doro has instilled in all of them.

Instead of the few characters that Wild Seed featured, Mind of My Mind has a fairly large cast. Each of these many characters are given unique attributes that make them essential to the plot- even creating the plot themselves at points. Though Doro looms large, Mary becomes a dynamic force in her own right: manipulating other people to accept her new ways (some of which she can't control). I love the version of the cover I chose for my review because of the way it portrays Mary- she looks apathetic, but inside the storm of her power rages.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'For 4,000 years, an immortal has spread the seeds of a master race, using the downtrodden as his private breeding stock. But now a young ghetto telepath has found a way to awaken--and rule--her superhuman kind, igniting a psychic battle as she challenges her creator for her right to free her people.'

Though the way the summary and I describe the book may give the impression that this book is plot-heavy, it really isn't. True, all of Miss Butler's books seem deceptively simple when you read them, and then grow more complex as you brood on their ideas, but there isn't a whole lot of action going on in this book- think of the action less as a battle and more as a game of chess. I think that's why it always takes me so long to review these books- I don't want to sound ignorant, but at the same time I can see subtext in this book that I'm likely not entirely aware of.

Because this is such a cerebral book (as I attempted to describe above), it also makes it difficult to fully review without resulting in spoiling parts of it. In Wild Seed, from the beginning it's clear that Doro manipulates things in ways that do not always result in good situations for the women and men at his command, and that also happens in this book. Part of why Mary grows to be so dynamic is the fact that she sees how poorly Doro treats his people at times, and she wants that to change.

Mind of My Mind is a supernatural war within. There are some action scenes, but most of this book consists of Doro and Mary playing games with each other that don't always result in violence. If you have difficulty concentrating, this is a book to skip until you have full brain capacity at your disposal- I picked up on a few of the breadcrumbs thrown my way, but I am still left pondering what this book might mean for the next book in the series. I recommend Mind of My Mind to those who enjoy science fiction that lingers with you after it's read.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars for an excellent follow up to Wild Seed!

Content: Ages 18+ for adultery, domestic violence, a racial slur, sexual content, and a battle of the super humans.

Page Count: 224 pages

Wild Seed (Patternmaster #1) by Octavia E. Butler

The previous series I read by Octavia E. Butler was basically about aliens coming to colonize earth. This book is different- instead, the humans of Earth are sometimes born with extraordinary abilities, making some of them live almost immortal lives. Anyanwu, the heroine of this book, is one of those extraordinarily gifted humans. But instead of setting it in modern times, this is set in the late 1600s and continuing from there, making it an alternate take on history.

What I love about Miss Butler's books is she always makes it easy to read, but at the same time deal with difficult concepts. I likely could've read this book in a day, but in the same note, I'm still thinking about and processing what happened in the book over a week later. I read a lot of fluffy books that I can read once, but despite their fluffiness, I likely wouldn't revisit because they don't have more to offer me. If I reread this book today, I would likely keep finding new concepts and ideas that I'd missed because it's so easy to snarf down in a few sittings. Her books are somehow simple and complicated in the same breath.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'Doro is an entity who changes bodies like clothes, killing his hosts by reflex or design. He fears no one until he meets Anyanwu. Anyanwu is a shapeshifter who can absorb bullets and heal with a kiss and savage anyone who threatens her. She fears no one until she meets Doro. Together they weave a pattern of destiny (from Africa to the New World) unimaginable to mortals.'

Anyanwu has a lot in common with Lilith, a heroine of the Xenogenesis series, but I like Anyanwu more due to her strength of character, and the strength of her ability. Lilith had little to no control over her situation, while Anyanwu has plenty of abilities to hold her own with. Anyanwu also generally seemed to have more emotion than Lilith ever did- it's hard to relate to a character who has little to no emotion. Anyanwu has some serious culture shock to deal with when she comes to the "New World", while Doro seems to seamlessly adjust to any culture. Doro, meanwhile, remains the enigma in this book. There are chapters from his perspective, but I just can't find suitable motives to his actions in this book, as of yet. Perhaps when I continue with this series, his motivations will be more transparent.

The difficult part of this book is it deals with selective breeding- of human beings. Normally I'd consider that a spoiler, but you get the gist that that is where the book will go just from the first few chapters. I think the author chose to make this an alternate history to make it more believable that any of the characters would go along with it- setting it during the time where slavery was considered "normal" also draws parallels from that aspect.

Wild Seed is not quite what I expected, but at the same time, an excellent alternate history novel. It's not a challenge to read, but don't expect to have it leave your thoughts once you've finished it. If you don't mind some serious gray area content in your science fiction, Wild Seed may be a good choice for your next read.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars for an alternate history I won't soon forget.

Content: Ages 18+ for violence, rape, and various other gray areas of morality.

Page Count: 320 pages

"The Vagrants" by Yiyun Li

Two years ago, I read Farhana's review of The Vagrants at Digesting the Words- even then, I'd owned this book for a long time. I noted I wanted to read it soon, but somehow it got forgotten among the many (many) tomes that comprise my pile. Earlier this year, I decided to reorganize the unread books in my stash in an attractive manner that I thought might catch my attention better than having them sit in the windowless room that is my library. The Vagrants was one of the books I put at eye level on the shelf, and eventually it wore me down enough to pick it up.

Historical fiction is usually hard to crack into for me- the first fifty pages are an effort to acquaint myself with all the characters the author decided needed to be included. Although this book has many characters and points of view, it was easy to tell each of them apart- each had a distinct voice, reminding me somewhat of Alice Hoffman's penchant for including the main players of a village in a book. Although it's set in a city, it definitely is given the small town feel, where everyone seems to at least know of everyone else.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'Brilliant and illuminating, this astonishing debut novel by the award-winning writer Yiyun Li is set in China in the late 1970s, when Beijing was rocked by the Democratic Wall Movement, an anti-Communist groundswell designed to move China beyond the dark shadow of the Cultural Revolution toward a more enlightened and open society. In this powerful and beautiful story, we follow a group of people in a small town during this dramatic and harrowing time, the era that was a forebear of the Tiananmen Square uprising.
'Morning dawns on the provincial city of Muddy River. A young woman, Gu Shan, a bold spirit and a follower of Chairman Mao, has renounced her faith in Communism. Now a political prisoner, she is to be executed for her dissent. Her distraught mother, determined to follow the custom of burning her only child’s clothing to ease her journey into the next world, is about to make another bold decision. Shan’s father, Teacher Gu, who has already, in his heart and mind, buried his rebellious daughter, begins to retreat into memories. Neither of them imagines that their daughter’s death will have profound and far-reaching effects, in Muddy River and beyond.
'In luminous prose, Yiyun Li weaves together the lives of these and other unforgettable characters, including a serious seven-year-old boy, Tong; a
crippled girl named Nini; the sinister idler Bashi; and Kai, a beautiful radio news announcer who is married to a man from a powerful family. Life in a world of oppression and pain is portrayed through stories of resilience, sacrifice, perversion, courage, and belief. We read of delicate moments and acts of violence by mothers, sons, husbands, neighbors, wives, lovers, and more, as Gu Shan’s execution spurs a brutal government reaction.
'Writing with profound emotion, and in the superb tradition of fiction by such writers as Orhan Pamuk and J. M. Coetzee, Yiyun Li gives us a stunning novel that is at once a picture of life in a special part of the world during a historic period, a universal portrait of human frailty and courage, and a mesmerizing work of art.'

Usually with books like this one, I edit the blurb from Goodreads because most of the few paragraphs I generally find overly gushy about the author's writing. This is one of those rare cases where I don't delete those large swaths- Yiyun Li deserves and earned that praise of her writing style with this book. I think the best word for her writing style is fluid- you aren't tempted to skip or skim anything, because most of the paragraphs in the book are necessary, and written in a way where you want to read and absorb every word.

I had preconceptions about the plot, being it's set in late 1970s Communist era China, but most of my ideas about what the plot might be like were wrong. It's less about the politics, and more about the people/characters, which I do feel is the right way to go about it. I do like idea books, but generally my five star ratings go to books where I felt I was the character, or identified with them. More than that, I got a feel for the changing atmosphere of the city of Muddy River as the book went on- as little as I've traveled physically, I do feel like this book took me to China.

The Vagrants is an elegantly written book that leaves you feeling satisfied with most aspects of it. However, some of the characters were so predatory and chilling, it was a bit difficult to enjoy reading about their exploits. Nonetheless, for the experienced adult reader, The Vagrants offers an alarming, yet somehow complementary look at the people of China during that timeframe.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars for a fluid historical that evokes a multitude of feelings.

Content: Ages 18+ for disturbing scenes not limited to violence (including to animals) or sexual assault.

Page Count: 349 pages

"Sunbolt (The Sunbolt Chronicles #1)" by Intisar Khanani

It's kind of unusual that I don't review a book I read while actively blogging, but that's what happened to another book by this author that I read first, Thorn. Sometimes you do everything right to review a book (highlight, take notes about what you'll cover) but you nonetheless draw a blank when staring down a review draft, and that was the case with Thorn. I mention this because Thorn was the reason I bothered to pick up another of this author's books, despite having a massive book hoard/TBR full of every kind of book already. Fair warning: I do compare this book against Thorn despite not having completed a review for it.

It's much easier to like Hitomi than the protagonist of Thorn, who had more growing to do before she came into her own. Despite her lack of parents, Hitomi seems fluent in the language of survival, with a little help from her friends. The start of the book is gripping because it springs from an action scene, which spurs the pace of the story, despite it being a relatively short book.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.
'When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi’s, and much worse fates than execution. When Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life.'

You don't get more than a glimpse at the possible central plot to the series with this book, but there are plenty of progression points (and action) to keep this book from feeling unfocused. Hitomi joins forces with Ghost (a disguised vigilante) to aid the rebellion against Blackflame, even though it means likely drawing more attention her way- attention she doesn't need, as she's already seen as a foreigner in Karolene.

Although this book is short in page count, it covers a large swathe of story. Unique twists on paranormal staples like vampires and werewolves help define it as different from the rest, despite a relatively staid plotline. I did begin to notice some commonalities with some of Robin McKinley's books near the end, but it read more like an homage than a detraction. I likely wouldn't have noticed it as much, had I not read an interview with the author noting McKinley as one of her favorites.

A favorite quote:

I know it the moment I wake, an almost physical awareness, as if the air I breathe has lost its moisture, or a color had disappeared overnight so that, on waking, I find a world without amber or topaz, or amethyst.

            ~Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani, page 129 Kindle edition

Sunbolt is an excellent young adult fantasy I wish I had around when I was young. Not only is it a diverse fantasy book (a rarity in YA ten years ago... or even now), it also proves a quick read can also have a great deal of story to it. If you're in the mood for a unique fantasy read that won't take you very long to read, Sunbolt might be your next book.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars for a magically short YA fantasy!

Content: Ages 14+ for violence, adventure, and trapped souls.

Page Count: 142 pages