thebakersbooks's reviews
281 reviews

5/5 stars, one of the most satisfying books I've read in ages!

I struggled writing even this short review—not because I disliked the novel, but because I loved Circe and the eponymous character so much that my words weren't doing them justice. This novel feels important to me, weighted with emotion and meaning it's taken me a few days to puzzle out. The draw for me—beyond Madeline Miller's impactful prose and intimate, refreshing interpretation of some of the most widely recycled mythology in the world—is Circe's character arc.

That arc spans centuries, beginning with Circe as a naive, insignificant minor deity and covering years of discovery and growth in which Circe comes into her own.

By the end, she's a woman who knows herself inside and out and has found a way to be content in an ultimately hostile world. Her ability to exist alone, a self-contained unit seeking relationships as a matter of whim rather than necessity, resonated strongly with me because I see that so rarely in fiction. Too often, other characters are centered in women's stories. Miller used the sheer scope of Circe's immortal life to avoid that; dynamics between gods ebbed and flowed with the centuries and relationships with mortals were even more fleeting, so the only constant was Circe herself.

Circe was real: complex and flawed, morally gray and sometimes unlikeable. I've read lots of well-developed female characters in recent years (actual strong women, not ones dunked in violent, stereotypically masculine traits and labeled as such), and Circe belongs among them. Reading about a woman who grew to be content in her own company, choosing her own path even when it was difficult, was wonderfully fulfilling.

I recommend Circe to fans of Greek mythology, complex yet fast-paced plots, and independent female characters. (Or, let's be real: I recommend Circe to everyone who enjoys reading fantasy!)

4/5 stars - True to the action-and-snark-packed Buffy legacy, but with diverse characters and the kind of compact plot arc that fell apart in later seasons of the original show.

I couldn't decide whether I liked this book until the second half. It's a slow start and it took me a while to care about the MC, but I think she might feel more relatable to the teen audience for which the book is intended. The stakes build quickly around the halfway point, allowing for more character depth and development of the relationships between characters as they test themselves/each other. And there are plenty of reveals and twists to keep things interesting!

In my opinion, this novel captured many of the qualities that made Buffy (the show, in this case) so fun to watch, while removing some of the black-and-white divisions that bothered me about the original. (I'm being vague, but I can't say more without spoiling things.) I also enjoyed the callbacks and references to the show ("There were cases, rare, of vampires who worked around their demonic natures. Most of them dated Buffy, actually.")

I'd definitely recommend Slayer to longtime Buffy fans, but I can also see it acting as an entry point into the franchise for new ones!

4/5 stars!

I'm really enjoying this series, and this book is my favorite so far! A witty female naturalist? Dragons? Adventures at sea? Huge fan of all of it. I'm so pleased there are two more books after this one!

Isabella is exactly the kind of protagonist I've come to appreciate as I've aged out of the young adult audience (not to say that I don't read and enjoy YA, just that I sometimes like to read about characters my own age). Although she's in her late twenties, I count Isabella as symbolically middle-aged by virtue of her status as a widow during an analog Victorian time period. That, combined with the fact that the series is narrated an older version of Isabella, forms a story of a woman whose whole life is dedicated to adventure at a time when that wasn't common. I appreciate stories in which a woman's life doesn't stop dead when she marries and has children. (I also enjoyed Isabella noting that motherhood hadn't come naturally to her.)

I have many more positive things to say about this book and the series as a whole—well-developed setting, constant character growth, examination of European-esque colonialism and western gender roles—but I'd much rather move on to my next book so I can get to In the Labyrinth of Drakes that much sooner!

(Side note: I switched between the audiobook and the hardcover for this read, and I loved the audiobook narrator!)

3/5 stars

Firstly, did anyone else take issue with Scarlett (and therefore, the author) describing Julian's "row of brown muscles" or something similar THREE TIMES? I'm not sure whether I'm being overly sensitive, but something about that feels wrong. I only started paying attention to mentions of skin color halfway through the book (at the second "brown muscles" mention), and after that point, only one character's skin was described - a passing reference to "white/pale" or something in that vein. I felt as though the description of Julian in that light was too close to exoticizing POC, but again, I'm not sure if I'm reading too much into it.

Leaving that aside, I couldn't give the book more than three stars because the twists at the end seemed poorly planned. In an interview, the author mentioned that she doesn't like to outline and she'd written the first half of the book not sure what would turn out to be true and what would be part of the twist(s). I assume that was during the initial drafting process, but I would've liked some hints to what was coming added during revisions. As it is, the ending is more of a blindside situation than something you can look back on and say, "Ah, I see the clues now!"

Also, while I thought the descriptions were beautiful, the overall prose and the characters—and, come to think of it, the world itself—weren't as special as I'd hoped for a book surrounded by so much hype.

Given the number of other highly original YA fantasy books out there, I can't honestly recommend Caraval. Other novels do the same things more convincingly and with more emotional impact. I might give Legendary a try, but only because I already had it on hold at the library in anticipation of (I assumed) loving Caraval.

5/5 stars - An absolutely wonderful novel; I'd rate it higher if I could!

I want to come back and add to this in the future (probably when I read this again—and there will be re-reads!) but for now I want to post SOMETHING to capture how much I enjoyed The Fever King. This my short retail-site review; I like to write longer ones for GR, but I'm still not able to find the right words to talk about Noam Álvaro's story.

In The Fever King, Victoria Lee spins a tale of intrigue and unique magic that is simultaneously relevant and entertaining. It's timely in a socio-political sense, dealing with issues like immigration and government corruption. At the same time, it stands as a suspenseful novel with morally complex characters, a well-developed dystopian setting, and an ending that'll leave you craving more. Whether you're a teen or an adult fan of YA, I highly suggest picking up a copy of this grimly beautiful book.

I'd recommend The Fever King to fans of the X-Men and Victoria Schwab's Villains series.

Side note: The main character is bi! It's so nice (and rare) to see a character state openly that they're bisexual without any obfuscation or waffling.

4/5 stars - unusual and full of excitement!

Here's one book you should judge by it's cover! The gorgeous, whimsical art fits perfectly with the steampunk adventure that is Peter Bunzl's Cogheart. This middle-grade novel was a fun, light read even as an adult, but I would've absolutely loved it as a child.

Bunzl's strong sensory descriptions were engaging from the first page, lending immediacy to moments of danger and impact to emotional scenes. The story itself, while suitable for children, doesn't coddle its readers: the vocabulary choices are occasionally advanced and the plot deals with subjects like discrimination framed in the context of fantasy. The two main characters, Lily and Robert, have compelling voices appropriate to their ages, and they're distinct enough that readers will probably be able to relate to one (if not both) of them.

While my impression of Cogheart was overwhelmingly positive, I have three fairly minor bones to pick. 1) The prose is oddly comma-heavy. 2) I don't think there's any sense teaching young readers the 'not like other girls' nonsense that has led to so much unnecessary competition between women later in life (In the first chapter: "Lily had long ago noticed the other girls never read in posture class. It seemed thinking and walking simultaneously was too difficult for them. She doubted a single important thought ever floated through their minds.) And finally, 3) It didn't seem necessary to pepper Madame Verdigris' speech with French phrases when not all readers will know French. It doesn't contribute to the story and that's generally not how bilingual people mix their languages anyway, in my experience. Plus, the French is sometimes incorrect ("Besides, I've had a bien offer from someone who wanted the parts.")

Again, those were minimal flaws compared to the rest of the novel! I'd recommend Cogheart to any middle-grade reader, especially fans of Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series.

3.5 out of 5 stars - rounded up because I see potential and I assume/hope the second half of the series will deliver

Oddly for the first installment in a series, King of Scars suffered from something akin to middle-book syndrome. I think it's likely because all the main characters also had large roles in Leigh Bardugo's other series (Six of Crows for Nina, the Grisha trilogy for Nikolai and Zoya), so this was a continuation of their stories.

Regardless of the reason, King of Scars had pacing issues that weighed down most of the beginning and parts of the middle. Further, the development of Nikolai's character served to render him less interesting rather than more (in my opinion). Zoya became more compelling as her backstory was revealed; however, Genya and company felt like somewhat flat versions of their Grisha-trilogy selves. Nina's story has yet to connect with the main plotline, but her characterization seemed fine–although I only read Six of Crows once a long time ago and never read the sequel, so I'm not a Nina expert.

I'm really looking forward to a potential expansion of the romance between Nina and Hanne in the second book, too!

I like the way Bardugo is changing the world she's created, expanding Grisha powers through the existence of the drug parem and the training Zoya undergoes in the third act. I'm less of a fan of the Darkling's return, though, so the ending was a mixed bag.

tldr; I'd recommend King of Scars to fans of the Grishaverse who have read both the main trilogy and the SOC duology. This wouldn't be a good entry point to newcomers to Bardugo's work, and it might prove disappointing either way, depending which characters were your favorites and how choosy you are about tightness of plot and pace.

5/5 stars - engaging and full of wonderful characters

Roshani Chokshi's note at the end of The Gilded Wolves describes the inspiration behind the novel: her need to capture both the glamour and grotesquerie of France at the turn of the 19th century. She succeeded in building a beautiful, complex fictional world based in well-researched history.

The Gilded Wolves dealt deftly with issues of racial discrimination, colonialism, and cultural appropriation; the characters' backgrounds informed their behavior and motivations, adding a layer of unflinching realism. And speaking of characters—I've never been so invested in every single member of an ensemble-cast storyline before! Chokshi wove six character threads (four of which are POV) in such a way that I was never bored with one character's chapters or in a hurry to move on to a different character's subplot.

The plot itself was full of unexpected twists, making this a hard novel to put down. Dialogue and character relationships were some of my favorite aspects of the book; each voice was distinct and all the interactions between different groups and combinations of characters were an absolute treat. Between the characters and that heart-stopping ending, I'm more than ready for the sequel! (It doesn't even have a release date yet, so I'll have to find some patience somewhere.) In related news, I'm sold on Roshani Chokshi as an author and I'm excited to try the Star-Touched Queen series!

I recommend The Gilded Wolves to fans of ensemble fantasy in the vein of Six of Crows; also to people who enjoyed The Night Circus and Caraval.

[ETA: I'm seeing a lot of other reviews comparing this book to the Dregs (Six of Crows) duology, often unfavorably. While I saw the similarity in the ensemble-cast-committing-heists thing, I personally don't think there's too much overlap otherwise. I wasn't a huge fan of Six of Crows and never read the second book, but The Gilded Wolves ticked a lot of boxes for me, enjoyment-wise.]

4.5 stars - rounded up because I really liked it and a lot of other ratings seem to be bashing it for reasons I consider unfair (the inclusion of a gay character, for example)

I loved Star Wars as a kid, up to and including the books from the canon that was retconned in favor of the new trilogy. (I had two and a half shelves of those books that I read multiple times each; I think they're still in my parents' house.) I'm not the biggest fan of the new canon, so it's taken me a while to check out any of the books. What persuaded me to pick up Aftermath was, ironically, an attempt at re-reading one of my old favorites. It turned out to have aged poorly (or maybe my worldview has changed). Anyway, I turned to Chuck Wendig for an updated take on the Star Wars universe, and I wasn't disappointed! Aftermath contains all the aspects of sci-fi I love: space battles; struggles between good and evil (or at least between varying shades of moral grayness); and best of all, stories that draw from and relate to real life.

I'm excited to move forward in the Aftermath trilogy and I think the series has a lot of promise. Who knows, maybe the new canon will win me over! I'd definitely recommend this book to fans of Star Wars and sci-fi in general.

(Note: I alternated between reading my hardcover copy and listening to the audiobook. The narrator is solid and the sound effects are great!)

4/5 stars - every bit as good as Labyrinth Lost!

I had reservations about the Brooklyn Brujas trilogy when I found out the second and third books would feature Alex's sisters instead of Alex as the main character. In Labyrinth Lost, Lula Mortiz is Alex's older sister: beautiful, a model bruja, and often a source of frustration for Alex. In Bruja Born, Lula comes into her own as a protagonist in ways that build on her established character while framing her more sympathetically.

Without giving away too much, I'd say this novel was surprising in the best possible way. I adored Lula's snark and her inner strength—author Zoraida Córdova's much-appreciated demonstration that strong women come in forms other than the oft-portrayed 'action girl.'

Relatedly, I enjoyed that Lula was shown adapting to her disability at the end of the book, instead of the author finding a way to hand-wave the results of Lula's injuries with magic.

Bruja Born further develops the world of bruja magic, referencing (and introducing) some of the supernatural beings who live alongside the Mortiz family. In contrast with the first book, this one takes place wholly in the human world. The contrast between magic and mundane is fun, and the real-world setting elevates the stakes. It was also nice to see some of the characters from the last book through fresh eyes. Family, which was a major theme in Labyrinth Lost, also featured heavily in Bruja Born.

I only have two quibbles with the novel, and one didn't influence my rating. The first (the one that bothered me more) was Rishi's conspicuous absence. Spoiler for the previous book:

Alex and Rishi ended up in a relationship at the end of Labyrinth Lost, effectively ending the romantic tension between Alex and Nova. Throughout that book, I had a nagging sense that Córdova favored Alex/Nova over Alex/Rishi, because however much I liked the idea of Alex and Rishi as a couple, they lacked chemistry, which came down to the writing.

Given how the previous book ended, there was no compelling reason for her not to be included in the companion novel the way Nova was. The second minor flaw was a number of odd typos and word-level errors that must've been missed during the proofreading phase. They were annoying but not distracting, so they didn't lower my rating.

Overall, Bruja Born was an enjoyable read with well-executed emotional moments that earned their drama and plenty of cinematically narrated action. I'd recommend it to fans of urban fantasy and anyone who picked up the first book; even if you didn't enjoy that one, the change in POV and setting might make this more your cup of tea!