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Book reviews: DNFs & a turning tide
May. 12th, 2022 08:35 pmContinued my DNF/disappointing read streak, but now I'm finally reading some books that I enjoy, so...things might be looking up?
Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood
Genre: YA, fantasy
I've been looking for a good haunted house book, and I've seen this recommended as one. However, even though I knew this was a (loose) retelling of Jane Eyre, it still ended up being far more romance-heavy than what I was looking for. The haunted house aspect seemed to become much less important than the romance, so I DNF'ed.
I was also not comfortable with the depiction of Andi's abusive mentor figure, and the line written in the book that Andi has issues with love and intimacy because her mentor is described as being probably aromantic and asexual. :/
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Genre: Adult, gothic, fantasy
I picked this up because I was in the mood for a haunted house story, but I ended up DNF'ing this around halfway or so.
This was very...very...slow. It finally got to the "haunted gothic house" aspect, only to suddenly introduce ritual spells, and I wasn't really looking for that kind of fantasy, so I quit.
White Smoke by Tiffany Jackson
Genre: YA, thriller
DNF around 55%. I may make another attempt to finish this book...maybe.
I picked this up because a lot of people have raved about this as a haunted house thriller, and people have also compared it to When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole, which is one of my favorite reads of all time.
But I actually found this book incredibly slow. Although creepy things happen semi-regularly, there's no sense of escalation in the first half of the book. It's like something creepy happens, Marigold complains, no one takes her seriously, she forgets about it and goes about her regular teen life. So I started to feel really bored.
Also, reading about gaslighting/other characters denying the main character's beliefs is incredibly triggering for me. I can read about a main character who doubts their own reality (which is more in line with When No One Is Watching), but other people gaslighting the main character? That always leaves me feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
Genre: YA, fantasy
This book has such a gorgeous cover. Alas, I did not enjoy this as much as I'd hoped. I would give this about 3 out of 5 stars for a rating.
The descriptions are lush, especially when it came to food and tea. I also loved how this book emphasized the diversity of fantasy China, which is something that is rarely showcased, either in fantasy or contemporary novels about China.
The political intrigue in the book felt very...muddled to me, however. And considering that the political intrigue ends up becoming more important to the plot than the tea-brewing contest, that was kind of unfortunate. I didn't particularly care about Ning's relationship with the love interest, either.
As for Ning herself, she felt like a very passive protagonist. Which is not a critique I make lightly, but I just felt like so much of the book was about her reacting to other people treating her terribly, rather than making many decisions herself (apart from her initial decision to participate in the tea-brewing contest). Which was kind of frustrating for me to read, since I wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her until she pushed back against all these terrible people. Sigh.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Genre: Adult, fantasy
Spellbinding. This is a coming-of-age fantasy novel about Xingyin, the titular daughter of the moon goddess. I would describe this as a YA crossover, though there are a few unexpectedly dark scenes in the novel. It's wonderfully imaginative in its depiction of the Celestial Kingdom and the immortal realms. I also loved how wonderfully feminist it was; Xingyin absolutely takes no BS from anyone, including her love interests. And the third act twist genuinely surprised me. Though the story felt very self-contained, I'm definitely eager to see what the author has up her sleeve for the sequel.
The Peacekeeper by BL Blanchard
Genre: Adult, alternate history, mystery
Indigenous futurism? Yes, please!
My quibbles with the book are that I wish the writing style was a little more engaging—it's a very straightforward tell-y style—and I guessed the identity of the murderer rather early on.
But I absolutely loved the world—a reimagined version of America that was never colonized. I also loved the discussion of the justice system; the author is an attorney, and you can really tell she put a lot of thought into the justice system in The Peacekeeper.
I'm excited to find out what the sequel will be about!
Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend by Katie Zhao
Genre: Middle Grade, fantasy
This was a fun adventure!
I was expecting the magical cooking to play a bit more of a role than it actually did—magical cooking isn't really the conceit of this book, just the way Winnie summons the spirit of her grandmother as part of her shaman powers. But it was fun, and I liked the dynamic between Winnie and David. I did think the identity of the antagonist was, ah, a bit obvious based on the back cover illustration in combination with early foreshadowing in the book, so I kind of wish they'd changed the back cover illustration.
Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood
Genre: YA, fantasy
I've been looking for a good haunted house book, and I've seen this recommended as one. However, even though I knew this was a (loose) retelling of Jane Eyre, it still ended up being far more romance-heavy than what I was looking for. The haunted house aspect seemed to become much less important than the romance, so I DNF'ed.
I was also not comfortable with the depiction of Andi's abusive mentor figure, and the line written in the book that Andi has issues with love and intimacy because her mentor is described as being probably aromantic and asexual. :/
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Genre: Adult, gothic, fantasy
I picked this up because I was in the mood for a haunted house story, but I ended up DNF'ing this around halfway or so.
This was very...very...slow. It finally got to the "haunted gothic house" aspect, only to suddenly introduce ritual spells, and I wasn't really looking for that kind of fantasy, so I quit.
White Smoke by Tiffany Jackson
Genre: YA, thriller
DNF around 55%. I may make another attempt to finish this book...maybe.
I picked this up because a lot of people have raved about this as a haunted house thriller, and people have also compared it to When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole, which is one of my favorite reads of all time.
But I actually found this book incredibly slow. Although creepy things happen semi-regularly, there's no sense of escalation in the first half of the book. It's like something creepy happens, Marigold complains, no one takes her seriously, she forgets about it and goes about her regular teen life. So I started to feel really bored.
Also, reading about gaslighting/other characters denying the main character's beliefs is incredibly triggering for me. I can read about a main character who doubts their own reality (which is more in line with When No One Is Watching), but other people gaslighting the main character? That always leaves me feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
Genre: YA, fantasy
This book has such a gorgeous cover. Alas, I did not enjoy this as much as I'd hoped. I would give this about 3 out of 5 stars for a rating.
The descriptions are lush, especially when it came to food and tea. I also loved how this book emphasized the diversity of fantasy China, which is something that is rarely showcased, either in fantasy or contemporary novels about China.
The political intrigue in the book felt very...muddled to me, however. And considering that the political intrigue ends up becoming more important to the plot than the tea-brewing contest, that was kind of unfortunate. I didn't particularly care about Ning's relationship with the love interest, either.
As for Ning herself, she felt like a very passive protagonist. Which is not a critique I make lightly, but I just felt like so much of the book was about her reacting to other people treating her terribly, rather than making many decisions herself (apart from her initial decision to participate in the tea-brewing contest). Which was kind of frustrating for me to read, since I wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her until she pushed back against all these terrible people. Sigh.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Genre: Adult, fantasy
Spellbinding. This is a coming-of-age fantasy novel about Xingyin, the titular daughter of the moon goddess. I would describe this as a YA crossover, though there are a few unexpectedly dark scenes in the novel. It's wonderfully imaginative in its depiction of the Celestial Kingdom and the immortal realms. I also loved how wonderfully feminist it was; Xingyin absolutely takes no BS from anyone, including her love interests. And the third act twist genuinely surprised me. Though the story felt very self-contained, I'm definitely eager to see what the author has up her sleeve for the sequel.
The Peacekeeper by BL Blanchard
Genre: Adult, alternate history, mystery
Indigenous futurism? Yes, please!
My quibbles with the book are that I wish the writing style was a little more engaging—it's a very straightforward tell-y style—and I guessed the identity of the murderer rather early on.
But I absolutely loved the world—a reimagined version of America that was never colonized. I also loved the discussion of the justice system; the author is an attorney, and you can really tell she put a lot of thought into the justice system in The Peacekeeper.
I'm excited to find out what the sequel will be about!
Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend by Katie Zhao
Genre: Middle Grade, fantasy
This was a fun adventure!
I was expecting the magical cooking to play a bit more of a role than it actually did—magical cooking isn't really the conceit of this book, just the way Winnie summons the spirit of her grandmother as part of her shaman powers. But it was fun, and I liked the dynamic between Winnie and David. I did think the identity of the antagonist was, ah, a bit obvious based on the back cover illustration in combination with early foreshadowing in the book, so I kind of wish they'd changed the back cover illustration.
