The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
Length: 336 Pages
Genres: Magical Realism and Fantasy
Rating: 5 out 5 Stars

A special thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel!

"How do you fight a thing that believes it owns you? How do you fight the past? With gold leaves and salt? With silence? With new earth beneath your feet? With the bodies, the hearts of others?
With hearts that are tender and bloodied but have thorns of their own.
With the family that chooses you."

Trigger Warnings in this book for Minor Blood and Violence

I was so, so pleased to have gotten an ARC of this wonderful, magical and simply delightful new novel by Zoraida Córdova! It is my first foray into her work, though I've heard nothing but good stuff and I can guarantee it will not be my last.

Told in alternating timelines, following the titular Orquídea Divina in her youth, and three of her grand-children and one great-grandchild, Marimar, Rey, Tatinelly and her daughter, Rhiannon, this is a story of the strength of family (and how much they can annoy us!) and just what one will do to feel power when they are born powerless.

The mysterious Orquídea Divina showed up in Four Rivers with a house in her pocket and a determination to protect herself and her family from something she won't name. Five husbands later plus a plethora of children, grandchildren, and a great-grandchild on the way, she calls her family home to claim their inheritance. Growing up in the magnificent house in Four Rivers, where the pantry never runs dry, the floors are scrubbed with a mixture of lemon, salt and herbs to keep evil out, and stories of fairies, Ecuadorian river monsters, and duendes are gospel truth, the Montoyas are used to the strange. What they find upon arrival, though, beggars belief, and sends them into a dangerous game of survival and truth.

I loved every second of this book. From the very first page I knew this was exactly my kind of book, and unless Cordova did something drastic, it wouldn't dip beneath a five star rating! I really enjoyed the dynamic of the large family (I've always wished to have a large family!), and how in the end, they come together to protect what's theirs despite their differences. This novel is certainly one of the most original takes on magic I've read in a long time, and while I kind of guessed the identity of the unnamed threat, it did nothing to diminish the exhilarating ride that was The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina!

This amazing novel comes out September 7th, so mark your calendars, or better yet, pre-order it! You can't dare to miss one of the best books of 2021.

Mid-Year Reading Stats! (2021)

I thought it would be fun to take a look at my reading stats so far this year! Thanks to StoryGraph, I have them all nicely put together. How many books have you read so far this year? I'm currently sitting at thirty-eight and am about a hundred pages into thirty-nine!

June 2021 ☀️

   

June seemed to fly by, and yet, I can't say I actually did much. June was filled with endless Doctor's appointments and procedures for my poor sister who has been sick since about November of last year. All the tests came back okay (Thank God), but it was also somewhat of a disappointment because we didn't get the answers we sorely need. It has been a lot of stress for her, so after everything we chose to be even lazier than usual this month. We laid around, watched movies, and I treated her to a trip to our favorite local restaurant, which is on the pricier side but totally worth it. 

Summer always makes me want to be still. That sweltering Southern heat saps all of my energy and I can't hardly be anywhere there isn't a fan. The only good thing about the summer, in my opinion, is that my sister was born in the middle of it!

 

TV and Movies:

Domina (Epix and Amazon Prime) - As a lover of history, I was so excited to learn of a new series being made about the enigmatic Livia Drusilla, also known as Julia Augusta, wife of Augustus, the first Roman Emperor. I'm quite enjoying it so far, and any historical inaccuracies or added drama is just typical, especially with series taking place in Ancient Rome. It does have a few flaws that keep me from absolutely loving it (number one being the treatment of the only black female character), so take it all with a grain of salt and give it watch and see how much your mileage may vary.

Sophie: A Murder in West Cork (Netflix) - My mother and sister are True Crime aficionados and since our favorite hobby is watching things together, their love of everything mysterious and unsolved has rubbed off on me! We watched this three part series in two nights, spurred on to find out the truth behind the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Sophie herself was French, but had fallen in love with Ireland and had a old, rather spartan house in West Cork, a place where everybody knows everybody. It was a safe and warm community -- until the brutal and shocking murder of Sophie. The community thinks they know who did it, if only they could prove it. Highly recommended for True Crime lovers and people who are as fascinated with Ireland as me and mine are!

The Dig (Netflix) - I've been meaning to watch this since it was first released and only just got around to it a couple of days ago. A beautiful, moving and utterly human story, The Dig centers on the famous 1938 Sutton Hoo dig, which unearthed a ship filled with Anglo-Saxon treasures, and the people who made it possible. Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan were absolutely sublime in it. Watch for this history, and if you need it, a good cry.

Who I've Been Watching:

Eleanor Neale - I never would have discovered Eleanor Neale if it wasn't for my sister. Eleanor does really great videos on different True Crime cases and I find her voice so relaxing that I usually put on one of her videos before bed! She also covers some cases which are more obscure, and some that less covered over here because they happened in the UK, where she is from.

Ways to Help:

Navajo and Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund

Stop AAPI Hate

Black Lives Matter

Help Inuit Save Our Future

Aid India's COVID Relief Fund

Edith Wilkin's Street Children Foundation, India

Donate to Palestine

Book Review: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Length: 422 Pages
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Lesbian Romance
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

"I fell in love with you the day that I met you, and then I fell in love with the person you remembered you are. I got to fall in love with you twice. That’s— that’s magic. You’re the first thing I’ve believed in since— since I don’t even remember, okay, you’re— you’re movies and destiny and every stupid, impossible thing, and it’s not because of the fucking train, it’s because of you. It’s because you fight and you care and you’re always kind but never easy, and you won’t let anything take that away from you. You’re my hero, Jane. I don’t care if you think you’re not one. You are."

Trigger Warnings in this book for Past Homophobic Violence and Mentions of Racism

I've never read anything by McQuiston before but I was so excited for One Last Stop I even made it one of my most anticipated reads of 2021! Unfortunately, I felt a bit let down by this one. I think it is simply a case of me not vibing with it, because it is a good book, just not necessarily a good book for me.

One Last Stop follows August Landry -- professional student, cynical virgin, and retired Nancy Drew wannabe. Raised by her single mother who is obsessed with solving what happened to her uncle (her namesake, Augie), August has learned everything there is about keeping herself distant and safe. When she moves to New York, she hardly expects to make friends, let alone meet someone special but boy, does she. On the subway, after a crappy day that ends with her spilling coffee all over herself before class, a mesmerizing woman lends her a scarf and August can't get her out of her mind. She starts seeking her out, and like magic, she's there every single time.

To make ends meet, August takes a job at a forty-five year old pancake place, Billy's, thanks to her new roommates pulling the strings to get it for her. Shockingly, August sees the woman, Jane, in a photo on the wall. A photo from the 1970's.

Jane is trapped on the subway, and has been since the 70's. She doesn't remember anything about her life before and August is determined to help her, even if it means losing her in the process. And worst of all, August thinks she might just love her.

So, I think the idea for this book is so original and cool. I love anything time-travel, especially time-travel romance, and the thought of a modern bisexual and a lesbian from the 70's, a time strife with both violence and hope for the LGBTQ community, was a stroke of genius! My favorite part of this book was Jane, who is soft but strong, sweet and sour, and a total heart-throb. Every scene she was in was made instantly better by her! I waffled on August, whose problems oftentimes seemed caused by her own standoffishness. 

My main issue with One Last Stop came with not only the writing, which is just not my bag but is what's popular right now, but with the conversations everyone has in the book. To put it succinctly, every single character talked like a Tumblr post. I had a hard time believing they were real people and not just vessels to carry funny/quirky sayings and weird anecdotes, especially since I'm in the same age range as them and also have a fairly varied and eclectic friend group.

I think this was an excellent Lesbian romance with an inventive plot and will be an absolute favorite for someone else! It just (sadly) wasn't for me!

Book Review: Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian

Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian
Genres: Fantasy
Length: 448 Pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

"Beware, beware three maidens fair
With bloody hands and divine air.
Help not the girl whom others blame
She'll burn the world to ash and flame.
Trust not the girl with the golden crown
She'll take what's yours and watch you drown.
And my Lily Maid will scream and cry.
She'll break them both and then she'll die."

Trigger Warning in this book for Suicide

Along with Greek mythology, one of my lifelong obsessions (dating back, probably, to when I first glimpsed Sam Neill in the 1998 Merlin miniseries on Syfy, when it was still Scifi) is Arthurian mythology. I've always had such a fascination with the characters, and I have to admit I've rarely come across a well-done Arthurian story. I was really taken by surprise when I saw Laura Sebastian's Half Sick of Shadows as one of Book of the Month's June picks, because it had somehow completely flown under my radar! 

"I am half-sick of shadows," Elaine Astolat, Lady of Shalott, famously declares in Lord Alfred Tennyson's lyrical poem, which consists of 20 stanzas (19 in another version). She is afflicted by a strange curse, doomed to forever weave images on her loom, and to only ever glimpse the world through a small handheld mirror. The Lady of Shalott is perhaps even overshadowed by her own death, in which she dies of heartbreak over the knight Lancelot, and floats down the river to Camelot, a lily clutched in hand.

In this retelling, Elaine is cursed with visions, which come unbidden to her in her sleep, and later, under the careful tutelage of the Lady of the Lake, Nimue, at her beck and call through weaving on her loom. Her childhood is spent trapped in a tower in Camelot with her mother, until the wild and tempestuous Morgana returns to court and they strike up a fast friendship. Morgana urges Elaine to come away with her back to Avalon, where the Fey have reigned since they lost the war with Albion. She does, and when she arrives she meets the lost Prince Arthur, the strange and beautiful Lyonessian Princess Guinevere, and the half-fey Lancelot, who she will go on to love.

Soon, Elaine realizes that her power is more a curse than a gift. Urged to never share her visions with those they involve, lest she bring them to fruition, Elaine is lonely, but wise and trusted. She, along with the others, are raised for one purpose: to see Arthur crowned. Everything, their friendship, their love, and even their very selves, are pushed to the side to see the task done. But Elaine cannot accept the future that lies ahead -- one of broken promises, treasonous friends, and her own heart broken by the very man she so wants to trust. Can she stop it? Or is the future already set in stone?

I very much enjoyed this new take on the Arthurian myth, told from the POV of a character rarely utilized. I loved each character, and each new vision Elaine discovered, of a bitter and hate-filled Morgana, or of her and Arthur heartbroken by their lovers' betrayal, made my own heart ache. I was especially taken with this new spin on the much maligned Guinevere, and was pleased to see her not relegated to the same old adulterous harpy role she so frequently fills. A refreshing take on the old with a bittersweet ending, Half Sick of Shadows is a perfect choice to inspire new lovers of Arthur, Morgana, Lancelot, Guinevere, and the oft-forgotten, Elaine.

Book Review: Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
Length: 308 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

"It was the women, always the women, be they helpless serving girls or princesses, who paid the price. Cursed to roam the land without refuge, transformed into a shambling bear or lowing cow, or burned to ashes by the vengeful white armed goddess."

Trigger Warnings in this book for Blood, Violence, Gore and Mention of Rape

I have always, since my earliest memories, been enamored with Greek mythology. Now, that same love extends to all mythologies and folklores, but the tales of Zeus and Hera, Artemis and Apollo, the ill-fated Cassandra and the murderous Medea, will always have a special place in my heart. When I saw Ariadne by Jennifer Saint was one of Book of the Month's May selections, I knew I had to have it!

Ariadne is best remembered for giving the crimson thread to the hero Theseus, allowing him to find his way through the labyrinth and destroy her monstrous brother, the Minotaur. Then, cruelly, she is abandoned on the island of Naxos. But there is more to the story.

Told in alternating POV's between Ariadne and her younger sister, the doomed Phaedra, Jennifer Saint's Ariadne gives the story back to the women, who have so often born the brunt of the God's ill-will. Ariadne, at first resigned to die on Naxos, discovers that she has caught the eye of Dionysus, the God of wine, fertility, festivity, and general indulgence, and soon comes to meet him. She is wary, as she knows well what happens to mortals favored by the Gods.

Phaedra is married to Theseus, who tells her Ariadne was killed by a snake on Naxos. Never really believing him, Phaedra tries her hardest to gather power and learn just what makes a Queen. I generally preferred Phaedra; she was strong-willed and fiery, as opposed to the sometimes boringly good Ariadne. Phaedra's downfall comes in the form of Theseus' son by Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons, Hippolytus.

While sometimes I felt the prose fell a bit short, I truly enjoyed reading these legends come to life. With only a few differences from the original mythology, it was bittersweet to follow these fabled women to their fates. I am eagerly anticipating Saint's next novel, Elektra, which will tell the stories of three women from the doomed House of Atreus: Clytemnestra, Cassandra and Elektra. Be sure to pick this up if you're a mythology lover like me!

Book Review: The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian
Length: 352 Pages
Genres: Historical Romance (Gay)
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

"Percy realized he had it all wrong when he told Kit that honor is just spite dressed up; spite was honor when it was the only weapon you had against someone more powerful."

A special thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC of this book!

Trigger Warnings in this book for minimal Blood and Violence

Kit Webb, also known as highwayman Gladhand Jack, has been forced to give up a life of crime due to an injury on his last job, and now whiles away the hours working in his own coffee house. It's a good life, respectable and...boring. Enter the mysterious Edward Percy, a 18th-century Fop to the nth degree, complete with powder and a heart-shaped patch on his upper lip. Kit is fascinated by him -- he is beautiful, rich, and everything Kit hates. And shockingly, he knows just who Kit is, or rather, who he tried to leave behind. Percy wants Kit to do one last job: rob his father. Little does either man know, how much their histories intertwine, and how much they'll grow to care about one another.

I was thrilled to be approved for an ARC of this! I previously read Hither, Page by Sebastian (eagerly awaiting the sequel!) and loved it, so I had high hopes, especially since it is set in 1750s England, a time period that is sorely underutilized. I've also always had a fascination with legends surrounding highwaymen, so it was all around win for me. I adored both Kit and Percy, and loved their enemies to friends to lovers storyline. A perfect read for a day of relaxation, The Queer Principles of Kit Webb will leave you smiling ear to ear.

Book Review: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
Length: 480 Pages
Genres: High Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

A special thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for an ARC of this novel!

"'Kill me or save me,' murmured Malini. 'But do something, Priya.'"

Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence and Gore

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri is undoubtedly a fantastical feat -- layers upon layers of exquisite worldbuilding, a cast of morally grey characters, and a magic system that is as fascinating as it is deadly, it is a sure win for those read A Song of Ice and Fire and wanted more (and might I say, better?). The first in a trilogy inspired by the epics of India, we follow several characters, with the heart of each warring faction represented by the Ahiranyi maidservant Priya and the imprisoned Parijat Princess Malini. 

Priya serves in the Mahal, the palace where the regent and his wife live in sanctity in wild and diseased Ahiranya. When Malini is sent against her will to live in the Hirana, a temple with a changing and treacherous pathway that once housed people and children with forbidden powers -- fueled by the dangerous waters that lurk beneath the temple -- until they were deemed a danger to Parijatdvipa by the Emperor and burned alive. Malini herself narrowly escaped such a fate, and is forced to live in solitude by her tyrannical brother, the Emperor Chandra. She wants nothing more than to see him gone, and her elder brother, Aditya, on the throne. She will do anything to accomplish it, including getting closer to her new maid, Priya, who has startling powers, and a history she refuses to remember. What neither expect is the complicated feelings that bloom between them.

This is a long book, and less interesting POV's sometimes made it feel even longer. Despite loving so much about it, from the history to the wonderfully scheming main characters to the gorgeous writing, I oftentimes found myself wishing it had been cut down just a little. But don't let that deter you from the amazing first book in a new series! A must-read for any fantasy fan, check this one out when you're wanting to sink deep into a mythology, a new world, and people that might just be...a little monstrous.

Book Review: Remembering Shanghai by Claire Chao and Isabel Sun Chao

Remembering Shanghai by Claire Chao and Isabel Sun Chao
Length: 308 Pages
Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

"Before Shanghai become Shanghai, it was a marshy fishing village, where Asia's longest river met the world's largest ocean. The city was born of vice -- the offspring of unbridled commerce and colonialism, a treaty port where the illegal importation of opium shortened the lives of thousands and where Westerners were granted immunity to Chinese law."

Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence and Gore

My last book for the Asian Readathon! I have to admit I'm usually not a fan of anything Nonfiction, and I don't believe I've read, or at least, completed, a memoir. However, I am so pleased that this readathon prompted me to read something nonfiction, because otherwise I might not have had the chance to read this amazing book.

Remembering Shanghai is not only a love-letter to "Old Shanghai", but an unflinching portrait of the Sun family, told by one of the daughters, Isabel, and her own daughter, Claire. Isabel is brought up during the glamorous 1930's and 40's of Shanghai, where she is cushioned from the outside world by her family's wealth and status. Here, we meet her fashionable and flighty Muma, her patient and art-loving Diedie, the strict Buddhist Qinpo, and her siblings. 

Isabel's memories, both the good, the bad, and the incriminating, are told vividly, and with a sort of humor that only time can create. Besides her immediate family, we are told of her great-grandfather's rise to status and money, his sons' maltreatment of him, all in the name of money (his youngest son, No. 7 being Isabel's grandfather), and her godfather's run in with a Shanghainese gang. All of these early memories are tinged with a bit of sadness, as with the rise of Communism, the Sun family is irrevocably torn apart. Isabel, her daughter, and many of their family members, have lived such fascinating lives and despite all the hardship, from lives stolen from them to the oppression and fear of living under Mao's Regime and the Japanese occupation, retain such infectious optimism. 

Along the way, we learn interesting little snippets about Chinese life, from playing mahjong, to the difference between qipao and cheongsam, and even about the popular movies and actresses, like Nancy Chen who played Hua Mulan in 1939's Mulan Joins the Army. The pages are filled with glorious little illustrations, and photos of the family and Shanghai, which I really enjoyed seeing.

It is an essential read, not just for those interested in China, but for those interested in the spirit and strength of humanity, and the ways we can learn from history to better our futures.

Book Review: The Wolf of Oren-yaro by K.S. Villoso

The Wolf of Oren-yaro by K.S. Villoso
Length: 496 Pages
Genres: Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

"They called me the Bitch Queen, the she-wolf, because I murdered a man and exiled my king the night before they crowned me."

Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence, Torture, Gore, Racism, Xenophobia, and Threats of Rape

Guys, I'm seriously thwacking myself over the head for not picking this up sooner. Ever since I first spied that powerful cover and saw that this series was called The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen, I've been meaning to get around to it, but like with many (many) things in my life, I got side-tracked. Enter the Asian Readathon, which gave me the perfect incentive for trying out this book! 

Queen Talyien is so stranger to hardship. Born during a civil war which nearly tore her country apart, her betrothal to her enemy's heir, Lord Rayyel, is the way to fabled peace her people have wanted for so long. However, two years into their marriage, Rayyel walks away, without a word, without a Crown, and without their son, Prince Thanh. Talyien rules as the one and only Queen of Jin-Sayeng, and she does it with an iron fist. When word comes that her husband, now gone for five years, wishes to meet with her in the bustling and dangerous city of Anzhao, she jumps at the opportunity to unite her Kingdom, and to make amends with man she has always loved.

Unfortunately for her, there are more nefarious minds at work, and an assassination attempt leaves her separated from her guards, her most trusted advisor dead, and her husband missing. Thrust into the underbelly of a seedy and thankless city, Talyien makes few friends and many enemies, and lets a few heads roll along the way.

I absolutely adored Queen Talyien, who was both tough and intelligent, yet incredibly naïve, with a girl's heart still hidden beneath her tough exterior. To me, first person POV is the hardest to get right, and Villoso does it with such ease, with such sincerity, that I really believed I was talking to the Bitch Queen herself throughout the book. I also loved seeing a fantasy world not inspired by Western culture. K.S. Villoso is Filipina herself, and the world of The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen is based on The Philippines pre-Colonization. If you love fantasy, with a healthy does of blood, political intrigue, and a badass heroine, run -- don't walk -- to your nearest bookstore to buy The Wolf of Oren-yaro!

Book Review: Hana Khan Carries On

Hana Khan Carries On
Length: 368 Pages
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

"My parents had raised me to be honest, to accept that everything would work out if only I had faith. But they had also taught me stories from the life of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. One time the Prophet witnessed a Bedouin man leaving his camel untethered in the desert. When he asked the Bedouin why, the man replied that he trusted God to take care of his animal. The Prophet's advice? 'Trust in God, but tie your camel.'"

Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence, Racism and Racist Attacks with Vandalism, and Islamphobia

24-year-old Hana Khan is -- somehow -- balancing shifts at her Mother's restaurant, Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, working on a hard won internship at a Toronto Radio Station, and running an anonymous podcast called Ana's Brown Girl Ramblings. Oh, and I did I mention her blossoming online romance with a commenter on her podcast known only as StanleyP?

Just when she thinks things can't possibly get more complicated, a new restaurant moves into the close-knit neighborhood of Golden Crescent, a new halal restaurant, which threatens the struggling Three Sisters Biryani Poutine. The owner of the hip new restaurant, Aydin, is cold, frustrating, and, most aggravating of all, totally hot. Hana and him instantly butt heads, but could there be something more to his hard exterior? 

With a colorful cast of characters, like Hana's Machiavellian cousin Rashid, her bestfriends, the Doctor Lily and the ullu Yusuf, and her mysterious tree-climbing aunt, Kawkab Khala, Hana Khan Carries On is a heart-warming story of family and community. It has plenty of cozy, fluffy and romantic moments, but doesn't shy away from harder topics, like Racism and Islamphobia.

It took me a while to warm up to Aydin, who for the majority of the book aggravated me as much as he did Hana! But by the end I liked him well enough, and thought he was a good choice for headstrong Hana. I guessed all of the twists early in the book, though it didn't take away from the enjoyment of seeing their conclusions.

A perfect choice for if you're looking for something a little more on the light-hearted side, and need a guaranteed happy ending!