Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Length: 400 Pages
Genres: YA Fantasy and Sci-Fi
Rating: 3 out of 3 Stars

A special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for an ARC of this book!

Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence, Alcohol Abuse, Torture, Murder and Physical Abuse

"He should be the Iron King, and I should be the Iron Queen. Yet Iron Demon and Iron Widow is all they'll let us be."

I was really excited for Sci-Fi take on the infamous Wu Zetian, who was the de facto ruler of the Tang dynasty and the only female Emperor of China, so much so that I specifically asked to get an ARC of it. Iron Widow relies heavily on Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim (which I thoroughly enjoyed, even if I was in the minority), so I thought I would really enjoy this! Unfortunately, I was more than a little let down.

Wu Zetian has been raised for one thing: to become a concubine for a pilot so that he can power the towering Chrysalises, made of precious spirit metal to combat the Hunduns. They are bug-like aliens who have taken over the planet and wiped out a whole city hundreds of years ago, driving the remaining humans back behind the Great Wall. It is a fate few survive, for the pilot's spirit pressure, or qi, obliterates the minds of the concubines. Zetian has already lost her Big Sister, but instead of a valiant death in the midst of a battle, she is murdered by a cruel pilot, one Zetian will do anything to get close to. When she is matched up with him something incredible happens -- it isn't Zetian who is killed but him. Her spirit pressure is enormous, so she can only match up with one pilot, Li Shimin, a convicted murderer who killed his family is still a prisoner despite his powerful qi. 

Zetian is tired of being used and will stop at nothing to eradicate a system that views girls as nothing but kindling to fuel the boys' fire. With help of her friend Yizhi, and the eventual acceptance of Shimin, she strives to become the most powerful woman in all of Huaxia.

My main issue with this book was the writing. It was, for lack of a better word, amateur, bordering even on fanfic-y. Everything Zetian said was cool and witty and a perfect retort that left mouths hanging open and people cowering in fear. It was trying to be edgy and coming across as more cringe than anything else. I was very interested in the relationships between Shimin, Yizhi and Zetian, and the fact that they were in a polyamorous arrangement. I really liked that aspect and it was a breath of fresh air from the usual love triangle. Iron Widow takes a while to get going and ends on a massive, unsatisfying cliffhanger. I don't think I'll be picking up the sequel to this one, much to my disappointment!

Book Review: Sistersong by Lucy Holland

Sistersong by Lucy Holland
Length: 416 Pages
Genres: Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Some Gore and Violence and Misgendering of a Trans Character. There is also a scene of where Keyne, the trans character, is forcibly stripped and made to wear a dress.

A special thanks to Netgalley and Redhook Books for an ARC of this book!

*Note: While Keyne is called she/her by the other characters for the majority of the book, I will be using he/him pronouns to describe him, as those are his preference!

"The tale of my sisters live on, but my part in it is lost. They tell different tales about me now: wild peerless flags of tales, with trappings fit for a king. I am a man. I am a woman. I am neither and wear a sorcerer's skin. I am the uncle of a Saxon legend. I murder children. I married Brittany's daughter. I am a creature of vice, as Gildas was fond of saying. And I am also a saint, who abandoned my people for a life of faith and was martyred for it."

I've been eagerly awaiting Lucy Holland's debut, Sistersong, and was so thrilled when I was approved for an ARC! I can tell you know, with that same excitement, that is book is one of my favorites of the year so far! When it comes to fantasy I can be incredibly picky, as it is one of my favorites genres and one I like to write in. But this blew all of my expectations way out of the water!

My bestfriend is my own sister, so I am instantly drawn to stories surrounding the loving and complicated relationships between them. Sistersong follows Riva, the eldest, who was burned by a fire when young and left with a limp and a hand that she can't use, Keyne, who wants nothing more than for his family to accept him as the heir of Dumnonia, and Sinne who is young, beautiful and a little spoiled.

The siblings lives are thrown into tumult when Riva follows Keyne outside of Dumnonia to his secret meetings with the magician Myrdhin, who teaches him about his magical connection the land, and becomes lost, only to be saved by the secretive Tristan. Sinne and Riva's relationship is further fractured by their jealously over Tristan, and it is this that eventually tears them apart -- forever. With the threat of the priest Gildas, who is determined to root out not only their religion, but their powers, pushing in on them from all sides, can the sisters learn to overcome their differences for the better of their Kingdom?

Sistersong reminded me of everything I love about this genre, and oftentimes reminded me of Arthurian myth and the stories I've read based off of it, although this book is based solely off an old ballad called The Twa Sisters. I was unfamiliar with it, and I highly recommend you don't look if up if you are curious, as it reveals a grim twist towards the end of the book that truly shocked me! I also adored the magic system, which relied on one being able to manipulate the "patterns" of the universe -- from fire to air to earth and more.

With murder, magic, battles and ballads, Sistersong is undoubtedly one of the best fantasies of 2021. Be sure to snatch it up on October 5th, or better yet, preorder it now!

Book Review: Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston

Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston
Length: 320 Pages
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

A special thanks to Netgalley and Margaret K. Elderry Books for an ARC of this book!

Trigger Warnings in this book for Cancer and Death of a Loved One

"I cry until I'm so empty it seems like I might float up into the sun and combust if Henry lets go of me. I actually move away from him to see if it will happen. 
Nope. I stand still in the sun as he watches me, waiting.
I am empty, but not broken.
Empty things can be filled again."

As an unrepentant lover of anything vampire related, I knew I had to snatch up Margie Fuston's Vampires, Heart, and Other Dead Things, which promised vampire hunting in a place I've always dreamed to visit: New Orleans. And what better place for vampires than New Orleans, with it's buildings -- dating hundred of years back -- its nightlife and of course, Anne Rice. I was really expecting to love this book more, but in the end, I was just okay with it.

Victoria and her Dad are obsessed with vampires and love to rewatch their favorite flicks (Underworld is mentioned several times, which is one of my favorites, too) and debate what real vampires would be like. Can they really not stand garlic, or the sign of the cross? Can they control the weather, like the undead Draugrs of Norse myth? Their love for their beloved stalkers of the night is only solidified when a man goes on television and claims he's a vampire and even stabs himself -- and seemingly heals in the blink of an eye.

It's been years since that fateful moment, and vampires, if they were ever really real, have gone underground after a string of murders are attributed to the one who revealed everything on live TV.
But Victoria has never stopped believing. And it is this belief that is holding her fragile life together when her father runs out of options to beat cancer. They had always planned to go to New Orleans together, but now Victoria takes the opportunity to fly there herself. And, hopefully, find a vampire.

Tagging along is her bestfriend and lifelong crush Henry Nakamura. They had a falling out when he started dating their other bestfriend, Bailey, and have been excommunicado for a year. However, Henry is not going to let that get in the way, and forces himself back into Victoria's life, possibly when she needs him the most.

While there, Victoria finds Nicholas, who is handsome, nocturnal, and powerful, and he wants her to play along in his game. If she can prove to him that she loves life, he might just let her live...forever.

My favorite part of this book was the lush descriptions of New Orleans, in all its gothic beauty. I especially loved the inclusion of a little vampire folklore which I'm familiar with -- the Ursuline Convent which once housed the infamous "Casket Girls" of New Orleans. There were many juicy tidbits of vampire lore sprinkled throughout, and I loved every minute of it.

Unfortunately, I struggled with connecting to Victoria, who was so hard to empathize with I kept wondering why in God's name Henry wanted to have anything to do with her! She was selfish and treated him like garbage. The poor boy deserved better! While Victoria is going through possibly the most difficult thing a person can go through, she did it with such a lack of regard for anyone else that it set my teeth on edge. I'm also one to bottle up my emotions, but that doesn't stop me from being there for family and my friends.

Overall, I think Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things is a great choice for a vampire aficionado, like myself, and if you can get past the less than loveable protagonist, I think it'll be a fun ride for someone who wishes they could go to New Orleans and find them a real creature of the night. I know this would have been something I really liked as a teen, so if you have any like minded ones, let them know!

Book Review: A Most Clever Girl by Stephanie Marie Thornton

A Most Clever Girl by Stephanie Marie Thornton
Length: 416 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

A special thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for an ARC of this book!

"I would tell many lies in this lifetime. I won't say that was the first or even that it was a lie, for back then I still thought I was capable of good.
Certainly, all the best villains do."

Trigger Warnings in this book for Animal Death, Blood and Gore

In 1945 Elizabeth Bentley, aka Umnista, Ms. Wise and Myrna, walked into FBI headquarters and declared herself a Soviet spy. What followed were many trials in which she exposed two different spy networks and named up to eighty different Americans as being involved in espionage. This is her (mostly) true story.

In 1963, it's just days after Kennedy's assassination, and college student Catherine Grey is, on top of it all, dealing with the death of her mother and a shocking secret, which she reveals in one last letter to Cat. If she wants the truth, she will have to track down Elizabeth Bentley. She does, with a pistol in her purse.

Told in first person while Elizabeth is recounting her tumultuous history, from her rather innocent origins within the CPUSA, to the world-shattering romance with her handler and rise as a notorious Spy Queen, I found myself not only sympathizing with the clever Bentley, but also enjoying her, which is in part due to the amazing writing done by Thornton. She is able to humanize the oft-vilified Bentley, who is driven by her desire to fit in, to live a meaningful life, and eventually, her own desire for control.

We also get some glimpses into the psyche of the completely fictional Catherine Grey via third-person scenes set in the 60's. Stephanie Marie Thornton was able to weave together an engrossing story, using much of the truth and expertly adding in bits of well-placed fiction. If you're craving your next historical hit with two strong female protagonists, look no further than A Most Clever Girl!