Book Review - A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Title: A Psalm for the Wild Built (Novella)

Author: Becky Chambers

Series:  Monk and Robot

Goodreads: A Psalm for the Wild Built

Solarpunk Cozy. It was just what I needed to get over a reading slump.

Sometimes, when the world is burning (literally, in places, like Gaza and Ukraine), a moment or two of being able to see a better way, a better world, is a balm of self-care vital to being able to keep going. And, yes, I do say this while being extremely privileged to live in an otherwise peaceful pocket. I will readily acknowledge that.

The story takes place on an inhabited moon where humans, for whatever enlightened reason, got it through our thick skulls that our world is not a place to conquer or see how many resources we can squeeze out. Reliability is more important than chasing innovative fads. Sustainability is more important than the constant need for the newest and best. What's even better, is that neither of these values are at the expense of their counterparts. They are simply more important.

It's a balance that was a breath of fresh air to read about. And while there are certainly nods made to the hubris of humans (half the moon is left alone, left for all the other creatures of the world, while the other entire half is designated for one species: humans), most of the time that balance is shown as working exceptionally well.

We follow Dex, a gardener-turned-tea-serving-monk, as they struggle to find meaning in their life. Their purpose. And unlike the adventures of going off to find a magical artifact (which, of course, will require sacrifice to obtain), or finding a particular individual (who, of course, will require sacrifice to obtain), Dex's journey is more about the process. What they do find, instead of what they must give up in its place.

Chambers does a fantastic job at maintaining tension throughout, even if the tension revolves around something different than in a typical journey. I was never worried about Dex failing. I was, instead, invested in them succeeding.

When the delightfully-named Splendid Speckled Mosscap is introduced, the way Dex and Mosscap teach and learn from each other kept my attention as readily as a sword/laser fight would. I wanted to see what, exactly, each took from the other.

And I was not disappointed at the end.

So, if you're looking for a cozy read that personifies the Solarpunk Cozy, and a glimpse into a reality that "got it right," I highly recommend this book. It certainly helped refresh and recharge my own mental sanity.

Book Review - The Only Child

The Only Child by Andrew Pyper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The book follows Lily as she learns the truth of her father, her mother, and her mother's murder at the hands of a monster - all linked to the man claiming to be the inspiration for the characters of Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

I loved this book. However, there are definite issues with it that I'm not going to ignore. First, though, the good.

This is a dark book, for starters, and while it does have gore, the visceral side of horror enhanced instead of took away from the psychological aspects, in my opinion.

I have a love for dark characters with their own moral code that doesn't go off of conventional human morality, and the man claiming to be Lily's father delivers such a delightfully dark mindset I couldn't help but enjoy him.

As some reviewers have pointed out, at times (but not throughout) there's an attraction bordering incest between Lily her father that could be uncomfortable for some. I thought it added to the complexity of his character, and of their relationship, so while it was a creep factor (which seems like it was meant to be) it didn't put me off.

The stories and mystery behind the man claiming to be Lily's father. I loved how the author weaved in his past with the present happenings, and how he pushes Lily to find out more. Forcing her, even as she wants to find out herself.

Some reviewers did not like Lily's emotional distance. I found it consistent enough, and established from the beginning, that it didn't bother me. I feel for the story to happen the way it did, she HAD to be more emotionally distant.

The ending. I loved the ending, how things came together, and just all around how the characters developed. Loved it!

BUT, like I mentioned, there are a few issues:

Sentence level - the style is a bit hard to follow at times, with how sentences are constructed. For example: sentences ending, then a new one starting that should have probably been attached to the prior.

Event-logic: I had to just go with a few things that happened, and not question it too much. Some events are answered logically by the ending, but - frankly - the first event with how Lily meets this man is still a WTF for me. The 'why' behind a lot of things needed to be strengthened, which hurt the story. This is probably the biggest issue I had with it all around.

Distinguishing between Lily's thoughts, the thoughts of her 'other' voice, and other thoughts I can't mention without spoiling were hard for me to differentiate at times. Perhaps this was the author's intent, but it became a point of confusion for me.

I would recommend this book to those who have an attachment to the monsters of the Classics, a love of twisted characters, and an interest in a book that doesn't quite have a typical happy ending.

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Book Review - Master of Crows

Master of Crows by Grace Draven
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this story.

The formatting threw me off at first, and honestly made me skeptical, because it uses two spaces after the period. A small thing, you might say, and in and of itself I would agree. However, it could have been a sign of other, unprofessional, traits. I am happy to say my fears were unfounded.

This was a fun, entertaining, exciting read.

I love magic, I love fantasy - and I hold a special place in my heart for heroines whose gifts or abilities do not define them or make them super-special. While Martise has her own Gift revealed in the book, and a use for it, it is not the reason Silhara is initially interested in her. I really liked that.

While I wish there had been some apologizing for previous actions, and there were a couple cliche moments and tropes, Grace handles Silhara's anti-hero personality very well and Martise's social situation with delicacy. She handles their initial sex scene even better.

Without spoiling it (other than knowing they get together at some point, I guess? really, though, it's a romance), I will say I'm impressed with her handle of consent, their power/status differences, and freaking getting the woman ready before plunging a cock into her. The sex scene made this book for me, because of how all of that was handled.

While there were some plot-holes, they weren't glaring enough for me to be too bothered by them. I could enjoy the story of Martise and Silhara for what it was meant for: entertainment. No deep soul-searching here, and that was more than fine.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in fantasy romance with a little power play, anti-heroes, magic, and some descriptive sex.

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Book Review - And I Darken

And I Darken by Kiersten White
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had a love/hate relationship with this book from the beginning.

It's a retelling of the possible life of one of my favorite historical figures, Vlad Tepes III, aka Dracula. However, Vlad is gender swapped to female. Lada. I am very much attached to the actual historic figure, who is male, so while I enjoyed a story about a Wallachian noble who is sent as a child to live with their enemy, the Ottomans, and the struggles of their love for country and the friendships they develop in the foreign land, I did not enjoy Vlad portrayed as the character Lada.

Another struggle I had was the course the book took of bringing the reader through Lada and Radu's childhood up until adolescence. It was too long for me. I didn't care about their young childhood years, and I do feel it took too much page space. However, given the potential for the reader to be unsympathetic to Lada's later actions without the context of her childhood I understand WHY it was done. Taking on a character such as Lada is no mean feat, and I am fully in awe of how Kiersten White pulled it off. The balance she kept between the character's nature as violent, dark, and yet still immensely sympathetic deserves its own accolades.

Points I loved were the interpersonal power struggles between Radu, Lada, and Mehmet - their love for each other is always overshadowed by some form of disdain, fear, or outright hatred; the walk through history White takes the readers through - with my limited knowledge of Mehmet it appears White was as accurate as possible with events; and the journey through a land and era I feel has not been given the literary attention it deserves.

But I'm totally biased with that. :P

While I would be cautious about who I recommend this to, it's more of an in depth than casual read I would argue, I will be continuing the series for the potential events and struggles of all the characters.

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Review - How Dogs Work

How Dogs Work by Raymond Coppinger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At first I assumed this to be some kind of training book, at least indirectly. It is not. The behaviors it goes over are less about how to teach dogs, and more about why dogs do what they do in a general, scientific sense.

This book takes a mechanical (literally) approach to dogs. What about their bodies make them act a certain way? What evolutionary changes have occurred in order for a border collie to be different than a Maremma? Why do humans anthropomorphize dogs?

We want to believe our dogs are special, emotionally and cognitively. But just because we want to believe doesn't mean it's the truth. This book does NOT attempt to argue or prove that our dogs don't love us. What it does is takes the approach of: is this really special behavior? Why, or why not? This is about learning, dissecting information we've assumed and asking whether it is a fact or a belief.

For me it's about knowing the why behind the actions. I find it absolutely fascinating, and it actually increases my awe at these beloved companion animals.

I loved it. I learned so much about dogs as a species, and vicariously about a couple other animals, too.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in dogs going beyond the 'man's best friend' mentality.

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Book Review - Chapelwood

Chapelwood by Cherie Priest
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cherie Priest takes us back into the world of Lizzie (Borden) where once more the horrors of otherworldly things must be confronted and overcome, this time in Alabama.

This is the second book in the series, and the first should be read in order to understand the story line, characters, and references.

I felt this one was much more in line with Lovecraftian horror in the way the horror elements were handled, which I enjoyed. There were few times where visceral gore was used to create the creepy vibe, and I can't recall any cheap jump tactics. This was about atmosphere, how far someone will go to save or damn the world, the loss of people who were important, and fates worse than death. The author's skill in relating the atmosphere, characters, and events were a noticeable improvement from the first book. While that doesn't mean the first book is terrible by any means, it is nice to see an author improving their craft from one book to another.

I liked the characters, new and old, and while none held my fascination quite like Maplecroft did with its antagonist, they were each interesting spins and insights for the story. I enjoyed getting to know them and their motivations.

One of my frustrations - and yet part of the appeal of this series - is the lack of total understanding of the 'other' side. You are given teases and hints of what they are, but never the whole story. You aren't meant to have the whole story. Which is aggravating and fascinating at the same time.

For anyone of the democratic or liberal persuasion with strong feelings about the 2016 USA elections I will caution that some of the story deals with an election that might hit a little close to home with the events and reasons.

The reason I gave this four stars instead of five were the following:

1. The journal/letter format was too detailed without a reasonable explanation to suspend my disbelief. I kept wondering to myself why they would bother describing rooms and how they walked so vividly to the 'reader'. It also made if difficult to believe certain character's demises when they'd just written ridiculously near the events that killed them.

2. There is a plot trope used that I can't get over because it seems like such a...lazy plot device. To not spoil anything I'll refrain from ranting in detail here, but it was impacting enough to me as a reader that it left a bad taste in my mouth that stayed with me through the rest of the book. And, no, it has nothing to do with triggers or sensitive subjects.

The book leaves plenty open to continue the series in spirit, if not with the exact same characters. I would recommend this series to anyone with an interest in Lovecraft-esque horror and Gothic tones without being a scary read.

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Book Review - The Heathen's Guide to Christmas

The Heathen's Guide to Christmas by William Hopper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wish it had been longer.

Will's sarcastic humor had me from the start with the story of his betrayal from none other than Santa Clause one Christmas morning. Going through popular aspects of Christmas, from Mistletoe to the infamous Candy Cane, he unravels the myth that Christmas has always been about the Christ of the Bible. About the babe in the manger.

The journey goes back well into the B.C. era and informs why it's the Celtic and Norse traditions that have been weaved so intricately with the Christmas we know of today, and not Grecian or Persian so much. It takes a jaunt through the roughly two-hundred years of Christmas hibernation, when Puritan influence decided celebrating it was a no-no. And then we're brought to mid to late 1800s, when a very specific poem was first penned and started the marketing schemes we are so aware of today.

Twas the night before Christmas...

This book goes through, making case after case that the 'true' spirit of Christmas has never been about baby Jesus, or the wise men, or angels on high. Christmas has always been about bringing together traditions, appropriating them from other cultures, and making them into something acceptable for the religious and political leaders at the time.

If you can't beat em...

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