fictionandfarming's reviews
32 reviews

Martha Wells has been on my list to pick up for a while now and Wheel of the Infinite did not disappoint, I will definitely be reading more of her works in the future.

Wheel of the Infinite is a standalone fantasy set in a world brought to life by beautiful and well-placed description and worldbuilding. We follow the stories of Maskelle and Rian as they are brought together by a chance encounter, wherein Rian joins Maskelle as she returns to Duvalpore for the first time since she was exiled. Together, they must solve the problem of the Wheel of the Infinite and the dark storm that is appearing upon it before the culmination of the 100 year rite. 

With inspirations from the likes of Buddhism and southeast Asian cultures, Wells presents a fascinating world and magic system that stands out in a genre full of medieval Europe-styled settings. Her main characters are both well-developed and both POVs are strong and highly enjoyable, as is the relationship that the two have with one another and the other characters. I particularly enjoyed how mature and generally acerbic Maskelle could be. To top it all off, the plot is structured so, so well, leaving enough mystery in the beginning to leave you wondering what would happen next, and everything coming together in the end in a very satisfying way.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for making the DRC for the newly updated and revised edition available to me. All opinions are my own.

 The Lioness is a fictional retelling of the very-true story of Jeanne de Clisson after her husband is executed by the king of France without a trial in the year 1343. What follows is the tale of a noblewoman-turned-pirate as Jeanne seeks to exact her revenge upon the king who betrayed her family.

The audiobook narrator, Imani Jade Powers, does a wonderful job of capturing Jeanne's voice throughout this story.

Griffis has a strong grasp of character, presenting interesting and well-rounded main and side characters. Jeanne herself is presented as someone who is very emotionally reactive (that is, rage and anger), quick to draw her sword (of which she is well-versed with), and unforgiving yet also incredibly loyal to her loved ones - characteristics not typical of female characters in fiction. The side characters that accompany her on her journey provide a nice balance and opportunities for emotional growth. I have a particular weak spot for the damned devil cat, Monster, that accompanied Jeanne through much of her journey.

The story itself is well-executed and there were parts where I was very much on the edge of my seat. I struggled a bit with the ending, on one hand, I do believe Griffis concluded strongly, but, on the other hand, I kind of wish the payoff/conclusion wasn't so internal (I think I feel this way in part because Jeanne and the narrative were so obsessed with killing the men that wronged her). There were a couple concepts that were also a little bit too repetitive, but that's a minor thing.

Overall, I absolutely do recommend this novel. It's a crime that women like Jeanne are treated as no more than footnotes in history. Please be aware that this story does contain some heavy/dark content at times that some readers may find difficult.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for making the AudioARC available to me. All opinions are my own. 

3.5 stars rounding up to 4.

The Last Dragon of the East is a fast-paced and dramatic fantasy romance debut from Canadian author Katrina Kwan. Told from the POV of Sai, a young man struggling to keep his family’s teashop afloat while also caring for his ill mother, the story kicks off quickly and sends Sai on an epic adventure inspired by Chinese legends and myths.

Our introduction to Sai and his regular life is quick and well-executed, displaying his ability to see the red threads of fate and the way the people around him react to his gift before taking us back to the teashop where we meet Sai’s mother. While his mother doesn’t get a lot of page time, the moments we do get are very sweet.

The pacing after Sai finds himself in trouble and sent to find the dragon felt disjointed until we reach the point where he meets Jyn. Once the pair are forced together the pacing begins to feel much more natural and everything begins to really come together.

As far as characters go, Jyn was the highlight for me, the poor woman has really been through it, not to mention the way Sai kept needing to be saved. I would have loved to see more of Feng, but she certainly leaves an impression regardless. I can’t help but feel that Sai is such a big dork (meant affectionately), the man has no sense of self-preservation, but he certainly means well and has such an optimistic attitude to everything.

While I enjoyed the way Kwan told the story, the violence was comically over-the-top and detracted from the story. The sheer amount of violence was heavy-handed and stretched my ability to suspend disbelief, and there was a feeling of dissonance between the romantic/myth storyline and the violence.

Overall, a solid debut from a promising author that will definitely appeal to lovers of soulmates and love stories that feel like the stuff of legend.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada/Saga Press for making the DRC available to me. All opinions are my own.

Claiming Glass is the sequel to Stealing Glass and picks up immediately where the first book leaves off. 

The first book was just a taste of the world and plot, but Claiming Glass takes everything and ramps it up. The world feels bigger and richer, the plot has some wild twists and turns, and the stakes are high. The romance is still a big part of the story, but the plot is really strong and it was very hard to put this book down.

Some of my favourite things from this book:

- Vanya and Lumi's relationship! I can't even begin to describe how great this was without going into spoilers.

- The ending and how Vanya and Dimitri's relationship played out.

- The climax. There were so many twists I could not have predicted and the payoff and the foreshadowing and- everything was just *chef's kiss*.

I'm still processing what I think of this book, and might add more of my thoughts later.

I highly recommend reading both books as close together as possible for the best reading experience.

Thank you to Liv Strom and BookSirens for making the DRC available to me. All opinions are my own.

This is a story I can see myself reading again. 

The Cure for Drowning is a dual-POV story that is, at its heart, a love story with queer and non-binary characters taking centre stage. Kit McNair, born Kathleen, is considered a rebellious changeling by parents that expect them to behave as a proper farmgirl. Rebekah is daughter to a German-Canadian doctor and French-Canadian mother in a pre-WWII world where her last name makes her family a target of prejudice. The pair, as well as Kit’s brother Landon, are drawn into a love triangle when Rebekah’s family move to rural Ontario and become the McNair’s neighbours. The three are pulled onto separate paths by WWII, only to be brought together again in the aftermath of the war.

This story pulled me along, I wanted to know what would happen next, and I ended up reading it in every spare moment I could find once I started. The pacing and dual-POV narrative were very well done and made this an easy read. Paylor’s settings were lush and their descriptions brought the time period to life. 

To say I enjoyed our two main characters is an understatement. Rebekah and Kit, the relationship between them and with the other characters presented in the story, were compelling. The writing keeps them at arm’s-length from the reader, and I felt we did not truly get inside their heads, which may not suit some reader’s tastes, but still works for the story being told. We see these characters experience love, heartbreak, and loss, and face challenges as they try to find their way through this WWII era world. 

The way the story is split up, and the way the time skips were used, worked wonderfully for me. The innocence and youth of the first part combined with the buildup to and inevitability of WWII. The different realities of WWII in Canada and for Canadians overlaid by the loss of that innocence and finding a way to survive during wartime. And, finally, coming to terms with the loss post-WWII and finding a way forward and building a new life. All of which is deftly tied together by the romantic plotline between Kit, Rebekah, and Landon.

I do have mixed feelings about the mythology and fantastical elements. They were not a major part of the story, and I’m not sure the story would change at all if they were removed. On the other hand, these elements added to the mood of the story, and it’s interesting to consider whether these explanations were the characters’ way of coming to terms with their own stories and world rather than being literal happenings.

As for the ending, again, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, it feels very fitting. On the other hand, I feel like it left loose strings that I’m not entirely satisfied with. Those strings being Kit’s relationship with their mother and the farm, and both Kit and Rebekah’s relationships with Landon, particularly Kit’s and the conflict there. And yet a resolution to these things may also have felt unrealistic.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for making the DRC available to me. All opinions are my own.

Content Notes:

war, death, injury, drowning, homophobia, deadnaming, animal death, sexism, pregnancy, sexual content, sexual harassment