It's the end of the year so it's pop culture law that some sort of round-up list must be assembled. I read some great books this year, here's what I thought of all of them. Featuring Babel, Yellowface, Beach Read, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi and more.
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
Synopsis: A mother struggling to repress her violent past, a son struggling to grasp his violent future, a father blind to the danger that threatens them all. When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire?
My thoughts: I started the year off strong with M.L. Wang's fantasy masterpiece, The Sword of Kaigen. Combining 'The Last Airbender' style elemental bending with a samurai-inspired society, this is a story of duty, grief and inner strength. It's absolutely incredible, and features a fantastically written female protagonist - this is one of the best standalone fantasy novels I've ever read (and I'm now trying desperately not to treat myself to the beautiful Kickstarter special edition pictured above). 5/5 ⭐.
The Maid by Nita Prose
Synopsis: Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by. Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed.
My thoughts: Though I found this book a breeze to read through, I was ultimately disappointed by the overall story. The main character didn't ever come across as authentic to me, and the overall mystery was forgettable. I've heard there's an adaptation in the works, so perhaps Florence Pugh will redeem this one for me. 2.5/5 ⭐
Pines by Blake Crouch
Synopsis: Wayward Pines, Idaho, is quintessential small-town America--or so it seems. Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrives in search of two missing federal agents, yet soon is facing much more than he bargained for. After a violent accident lands him in the hospital, Ethan comes to with no ID and no cell phone. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but sometimes feels...off. Each step toward the truth takes Ethan further from the world he knows, until he must face a horrifying fact—he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.....
My thoughts: This book was a huge disappointment. I had previously enjoyed Crouch's sci-fi novel Recursion but Pines did absolutely nothing for me. There was some level of intrigue about what was going on, but the pacing of the book felt like an overdrawn, relentless slog in which the main character was constantly pursued, and the writing style was not my cup of tea. 2/5 ⭐
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty
Synopsis: Amina al-Sirafi has survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands, and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural. But when she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse, she jumps at the chance for one final adventure with her old crew that will make her a legend and offers a fortune that will secure her and her family’s future forever.
My thoughts: As a fan of old-fashioned rip-roaring adventures, this books was nearly everything I want from this type of story. Featuring a once infamous pirate getting her motley crew back together for one final job, this book takes the spirit of The Pirates of the Caribbean but combines it with a cast of diverse characters and a unique setting. Chakraborty's writing is evocative, imaginative and witty, bringing to life the briny seas and spice-infused air of the 12th-century Indian ocean. 4/5 ⭐
Emma by Jane Austen
Synopsis: Beautiful, clever, rich—and single—Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected.
My thoughts: Emma was the last book I had left to read from Jane Austen, and I certainly saved her best for last. Though Pride and Prejudice will always have a special place in my heart, I found Emma to be Austen's most impressive work - it is incredibly enjoyable, witty and full of brilliant characters. This has immediately joined my personal favourite classics. 5/5 ⭐
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Synopsis: A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever after's.
My thoughts: I finally hopped on board the Emily Henry train, and can see why she's such an institution! Her main characters feel authentic with believable struggles, but it's her sparkling banter that sets her romances above others in the genre. I wasn't too big a fan of the more serious subplot involving a novel about a cult, but otherwise this was a lot of fun. 3/5⭐
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Synopsis: On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid--a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.
My thoughts: All Systems Red met the hype. Its main character, Murderbot, is incredibly funny and lovable, and the world-building is impressive for a compact 144 page sci-fi. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming television adaptation, and I definitely have Wells' other books on my to-read list now. 4/5 ⭐
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Synopsis: When failed writer June Hayward witnesses her rival Athena Liu die in a freak accident, she sees her opportunity… and takes it. So what if it means stealing Athena’s final manuscript? So what if it means ‘borrowing’ her identity? And so what if the first lie is only the beginning…
My thoughts: There are a lot of varying opinions about this bestseller, but I really enjoy R.F. Kuang's writing style and think that this was a compelling dark thriller/comedy that largely captured the publishing zeitgeist. Yellowface doesn't match the depth of Kuang's fantasy efforts for me (see more on that later) but it's a very compelling, incisive read that clearly draws from the author's own experiences of the publishing industry. 3.75/5 ⭐
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Synopsis: Nora is a cut-throat literary agent at the top of her game. Her whole life is books. Charlie is an editor with a gift for creating bestsellers. And he's Nora's work nemesis. Nora has been through enough break-ups to know she's the one men date before finding their happy-ever-after. To prevent another dating dud, Nora's sister has persuaded her to swap her city desk for a month's holiday in Sunshine Falls.
My thoughts: I thought Book Lovers was a great concept for a book, taking a common rom-com trope - that often criticises career-focused, feminine women - and flipping it on its head. Henry treats her main character Nora with empathy and understanding, particularly exploring her relationship with her younger sister and late mother. However, I think this story works better as a drama than as a romance - the main couple started off strong (so much sparkling banter) but then got overshadowed by other elements of the narrative. 3/5 ⭐
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Synopsis: Oxford, 1836. The city of dreaming spires. It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world. And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows. Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift. Until it became a prison… But can a student stand against an empire?
My thoughts: Babel is a hugely impressive novel. Kuang crafts an imaginative magic system centering around the art of language translation which also furthers the central themes of the book. Though it can, at times, feel like a bit of an overwhelming blend between a personal essay about colonialism and a historical tome, Babel is a dark, emotional dark academia fantasy that's worth a read. 4/5 ⭐
Quiet by Susan Cain
Synopsis: In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.
My thoughts: Yes, I do read non-fiction... sometimes! Quiet is a book that I really needed. Society, and especially corporate environments, are exhaustingly built around the extrovert and so Cain's exploration about the power of the introvert was very validating and impowering. I would really recommend this to absolutely anyone, no matter your personality type.
Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
Synopsis: In this bumper collection of chilling tales, we meet: a woman who has never crossed The Reach, the water dividing her from the mainland; a gramma who only wants to hug little George, even after she is dead; an innocent looking toy with sinister powers; and a primeval sea creature with an insatiable appetite. Features 'The Mist', adapted into both a feature film directed by Frank Darabont and a 2017 Netflix series.
My thoughts: Skeleton Crew was a short story book of highs and lows. The highs - particularly stories like The Mist, The Raft, The Monkey and The Jaunt - were brilliant encapsulations of what makes King's writing so horrifyingly effective. The rest of the stories were, at best, forgettable and, at worst, incredibly boring. Still, the former stories were so memorable that I'm still glad I picked this one up. 3.5/5⭐
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Synopsis: This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time. It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester. This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.
My thoughts: After hearing again and again about what a landmark fantasy/sci-fi story The Fifth Season is... I can see why. The world that Jemisin has crafted is like no other, featuring an earth that goes through extinction level events every few generations, meaning the land is scattered with the remains of various dead civilizations, whose advice for survival persists through 'stonelore'. The three character POV's are brilliantly written and come together in a satisfying way, the mysteries are expertly sprinkled through the book, and I found myself more and more invested as the story progressed. After its cliffhanger ending, I will certainly be reading the next two in the series. 4.5/5 ⭐
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Synopsis: In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible. Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance.
My thoughts: I'm nearly halfway through this Sherlock Holmes inspired fantasy book, and it's really compelling so far. The fantasy world - in which a kingdom must defend massive seawalls to protect against giant leviathan creatures - is unique, and the central mystery is immediately compelling. I'm looking forward to continuing it. ?/5 ⭐
Thanks for reading this list! Keep your eye out for more articles very soon, including a very special December announcement!
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