moth_meg's reviews
155 reviews

I am obsessed with this book.

Ghosts and monsters…remnants and the dead … the disturbed dead. The idea that someone is still here and furious … or that something has been lurking here forever. Maybe it’s that I find the idea comforting … that thousands of years after you’re gone … is when you really live. That your echo is louder than your voice.

Gideon the Ninth is sharp, gory, indulgent, and wonderfully original. This genre-bending adventure combines sci-fi fantasy with heavy elements of mystery and gothic horror. I love the atmosphere, I love the magic and world-building, and I love the cast of dynamic characters and their complex relationships.

Tamsyn Muir clearly isn’t big on exposition, as she jumps right into a confrontation between our two main characters, Gideon and Harrow, in the opening scene of the book. The reader is left to piece together the intricacies of this conflict as well as the wider world. This can be a bit confusing out of the gate, but I promise it is well worth the investment.

The majority of the story takes place in what is essentially a haunted mansion combined with a mad scientist’s lab. Muir’s writing artfully conveys both the alien nature and the decaying beauty of this environment. Her prose is extremely referential– including both the romantic and morbid elements of catholicism as well as nods to pop culture that feel like inside jokes with the reader.

I really enjoy a science-based magic system, and Muir does not disappoint. There is only one type of magic in this universe, and that magic is necromancy. By narrowing the scope of the supernatural, Muir is able to get very creative and specific about the ways in which this corpse-related power can be used. For instance, Harrow is a bone magician, meaning she specializes in crafting and animating “constructs” from bone. This and many other sects of necromancy are explored throughout the book, tied together through various “theorems”. The characters test these theorems through experimentation, making the magic truly feel like a scientific and academic pursuit. The reader learns about the magic in this world through Gideon's eyes, which is interesting since Gideon is not a magic user. As Gideon’s perception and understanding of how this magic works, we learn with her.

Now I need to talk about Gideon and Harrow. [Light Spoilers]

So, you like enemies to lovers? Allow Tamsyn Muir to introduce you to enemies to allies to begging to die for each other.

Harrow and Gideon have such an interesting dynamic. As the only surviving children of their generation, they grew up in constant competition and conflict. Harrow the golden child, the savior of her house, and Gideon, the interloper, the unwanted and the uninvited addition. They can't stand each other, yet they understand each other in such an intimate way that they can’t help but be loyal to one another.

Some of my favorite moments between our leading ladies:

"If I were in her position … I would have already thrown myself out the window.”

“Stand in front of a window now and I’ll do the hard part”

***

"They had never fought together before, but they had always fought, and they could work in and around each other without a second’s thought"

***

"I’ve lived my whole wretched life at your mercy, yours alone, and God knows I deserve to die at your hand. You are my only friend. I am undone without you.”

Screaming, crying, throwing up.

Some readers might be disappointed that despite all of this tension, Gideon and Harrow are not explicitly "together" in this book. Not me. I live for the slow burn. The relationship between these two characters is the heart and soul of this story, but it is far from the only interesting plot thread. I am more than happy to wait for the payoff while Muir explores other characters, dynamics, and lore.

That said, I am beyond excited to read the final book in this series, Alecto the Ninth. It's been a while since I've been this feral over a release date (I’m normally cool with taking my time between reading books in a series even if they've all been published). One thing I’m certain of is that I’ll be back to reread Gideon while I wait.

Mistborn is an epic fantasy, one of a kind in both concept and delivery. 

The metal-based magic system is unique- I don’t think I’ve read any fantasy book with comparable lore. If anything, it reminds me a bit of how power is stored and recharged based on collectible items in some video games. Presenting the reader with such an unfamiliar concept places the author in a tough spot. We need exposition in order to understand what’s going on, especially since we have no general knowledge to draw from. This is no standard sorcery or fae magic that we may have learned about through other books and mythologies. 

Despite all this, Sanderson defies expectations by forgoing an early info dump and instead dropping the reader directly into the action. This decision makes the beginning of the book VERY confusing, but if you hold tight and pay attention, it all pays off. I found myself with enough of a grip on things to get really into the story around the 20% mark- a bit late, I know- but overall I ended up appreciating the journey.

Another barrier to entry into the world of Mistborn is Sanderson’s prose. Unlike other fantasy authors, Sanderson favors directness over flowery rhetorical devices. Fantasy is normally much richer in terms of descriptions of environments, which makes sense because this genre hinges on world-building. While the storytelling is ultimately effective, I would've appreciated a greater sense of atmosphere. This really just comes down to my personal taste as someone who really enjoys creative language and detailed sensory descriptions.

The character of Vin serves as a stand-in for the reader, we learn with her as she explores her newfound power and place in the world. Crumbs of lore dropped over time with an emphasis on information over imagery. I appreciated the inclusion of journal entries before each chapter as a way to contextualize the world with some history as well as to set up what I consider to be the most surprising reveal in the book:

that the supreme leader has actually killed the prophesied hero and stolen his identity

.

Some of the foreshadowing is a little heavy-handed.

Kel’s martyrdom can be spotted from a million miles away. I also guessed early on that Vin’s brother didn't actually betray her, as this plays into her arc of learning to trust and rely on those who care about her despite her initial cynicism.

I would've liked to see more of a slow burn between Vin and Elend, while sweet, their ending didn't seem earned. If Sanderson didn't want to dedicate the time to establish their romance in this book, I think he could've laid the foundation & friendship here and it would've worked just as well. I’m not even spoiler-tagging their relationship because of how painfully obvious it is from their first meeting.

The sequel is set up nicely - I’m very curious to learn more about the mists, the kendra, and the big bad "deepness". Enough questions remain that we have a clear path forward, but enough closure is given to provide a satisfying conclusion to the first book.

I had so much fun reading Project Hail Mary and consider it to be a glowing example of how a sci-fi novel can tell an extremely character-driven story. It took me a couple of chapters to get hooked, but once the story picks up, it doesn't slow down.

The excitement and love for science shown by our narrator, amnesiac scientist Ryland* Grace, is one of my favorite elements of the book. Weir takes a science-forward approach and doesn’t shy away from walking the reader through the details of the various experiments that Grace conducts. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the science, but it’s clear that Weir put in the work to research the concepts he includes in the story and explain them in such a way that they are both engaging and accessible to the reader. Grace’s unadulterated love for science- even under dire circumstances- really brightens an otherwise fearsome premise.

I’d have to do the math to know for sure but—I can’t help it, I want to do the math right now.

We discover that Grace is a

discgraced-academic-now-teacher who left academia after the community rejected his theory that life does not require water

. This backstory makes total sense for the character we come to know- smart and kind, but with a controversial side that indicates he isn’t afraid to go against the grain when it counts. Being a

teacher

also gives him quirks like never swearing and constantly hitting us PG exclamations like "gosh" and "holy moly".

As Grace regains his memory via flashback, the reader rediscovers his mission alongside him. We later find out that

this amnesia was not a mere side effect, but an intentional move to force Grace to comply with the mission despite being forced to go against his will. This is a smart narrative choice as it elevates memory loss to be more than just an excuse for anachronistic storytelling

. I was genuinely surprised by this plot twist, and I really loved how the reveal recontextualizes Grace’s actions and informed his character development. This makes the resolution to Grace's arc that much more compelling- 

the man who had to be detained and forced onto the mission to save his world willingly sacrifices his chance to return home to save an alien planet

.

Weir does an excellent job balancing high stakes with enough dry humor and levity to preserve suspense while creating a really enjoyable reading experience. As someone who really enjoys reading high action but hates being caught in a web of unbroken tension for the entirety of a book, I find that Weir strikes a great balance between the serious and the unserious. Even the plot itself takes both extremely dark and extremely whimsical turns. Speaking of which…

I know this is a sci-fi book but oh my god, the

spaceship x intelligent alien life

reveal SHOCKED me.

This plot point definitely calls for the largest suspension of belief but it's so worth it.

It's evident that Weir put a great deal of thought into how an alien lifeform could have evolved under conditions different from Earth as well as how these characteristics would create unique challenges when attempting to communicate and share space with a human. I was especially interested in how they built up their understanding of language. This issue of communication alone could easily generate multiple books worth of content, but given the pacing of the larger story, I see why Weir made the choice to fast-forward the process.

Beyond that, I found the dynamic between Grace and Rocky to be really heartwarming and fun. This star-crossed friendship really had me giggling and kicking my feet.

"I’ve gone from “sole-surviving space explorer” to “guy with wacky new roommate.” It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

I thought that the ending, while perhaps another reach in terms of realistic science, was a fitting and satisfying conclusion to this wonderful rollercoaster of a book.

* I'm not sure what the overlap of audiences is between this book and A Court of Mist and Fury, but the initial reveal of this name gave me quite the jump scare when I misread it as Rhysand o_O 

A playful coming-of-age story wrapped up in a world of mischief and magic. This genre-bending story embraces aspects of traditional fairytales while subverting the scale and stakes typically associated with the fantasy genre.

Stardust is an adventure, but the story maintains a lighthearted nature and emphasizes character beats over political tensions or apocalyptic prophecies.

Gaiman is able to weave this story in such a way that it captures the nostalgic charm of fairytales (for me, evoking the feeling of reading my childhood favorite Ella Enchanted) while also playing to an adult audience with the language and humor.

Like many others, I saw (and adored) the movie adaptation before reading the book. The major difference between these two versions of the story is the way in which characters conquer the obstacles they encounter. In the book, protagonists always resolve these situations with wit, compassion, or help from a friend.

In contrast, the movie leans into the action, adding sword fighting and a final battle. While I can see why the writers chose to add more conflict to the movie, I appreciate the book’s resolution and think it suits the established tone quite well.

The star escapes the witches by “giving away her heart” which is the exact kind of clever wordplay that satisfies the mythology of the world that Gaiman has constructed. The villains in this story aren’t evil murderers, they’re tricksters held by a strange code of rules.

The Bachelor for Teenagers x Dystopian Monarchy.

I found the premise really fun, and I think I would've really loved this book when I was younger. I enjoyed this book as a nice, low-energy read for a relaxing weekend- but there are a few key things I think it's missing. Mainly, I was craving political intrigue, conflict, and action.

Despite taking place in a dystopian future of the United States, political tensions play a surprisingly small role in this story. It’s probably a bit unfair of me to rate this book based on what I wanted it to be rather than appreciating it for what it is, but I can’t help myself from focusing on the action and answers I wish the book contained.

In lieu of a heftier plot, I would've gladly taken some solid world-building or character depth, but these areas aren't thoroughly explored either. Even a younger audience is capable of digesting complex characters and themes. Books like The Giver and Ella Enchanted come to mind as examples of books of comparable length and reading level that manage to explore nuanced characters and multifaceted societies.

The dystopian setting takes such a backseat that it leads me to wonder if this angle was only included at all in an attempt to ride the coattails of the then-recent successes of books like The Hunger Games and Matched. Check out this video for a more general exploration of this phenomenon.

Maybe without this half-formed plot thread, Cass could have dedicated more time to the relationships and characters at the core of the story. At a minimum, the themes and focus of the book would be a lot less murky.

On a brighter note, I was happy to see female friendships taking on a major role in the story. Initially, the main character's judgment of traditionally feminine women (heavy makeup, dresses, etc.) and lack of female friends outside of her immediate family led me to worry that this book was falling into the "not like other girls trap". While it certainly toes that line, I think it is redeemed by the fact that America grows to empathize with and respect almost every woman in the story by the end of the book.

The main purpose of The Selection seems to be to set the scene for the rest of the books in this series. While we get to know the main characters and the basics of the world, the majority of plot threads are left unresolved. Likely for the same reason, we don’t see much meaningful development in any character (beyond America learning to make friends).

A list of unanswered questions:
1. Who are the rebels and what do they want? Based on the description of the caste system, I’m tempted to think they have the right idea in attacking the government. Are we really meant to believe these are the bad guys?
2. Why is the history of the country and government widely unknown and undocumented? What's the conspiracy here?
3. Insert about a million questions about how this government functions and why
4. Who does Max choose to be the queen?
5. Does America choose Aspen over Max? While I don't typically care for love triangles, I do think there was (is?) an opportunity for some interesting conflict here as America has to choose between someone who society is telling her she cannot be with (Aspen) and the literal personification of these restrictions (Maxon). On that note, why doesn't America hold more resentment for the government that has forced her into this position? Why is the source of her stress the love triangle itself, rather than the system that created it?
6. What's up with Celeste? Does she get any backstory or development or is she just mean for no reason?
7. Why caused Marlee to change her behavior towards Max and why does she want to continue competing if she's no longer interested in winning? Personally, I'm hoping that she joined the rebels and is about to start assassinating people. Shake things up.