Screamcatcher: Sa'be Most Monstrous Series: Screamcatcher, Book 4 Author: Christy J. Breedlove Genre: YA Fantasy / Sci-Fi / Supernatural / Paranormal Publication Date: 9th August 2022 Book Description: Jory Pike and the Badlands Paranormal Society get a strange and frantic call from a woman who claims her property has been invaded by unknown trespassers who have terrorized her and her husband and killed their two dogs. She says her husband has gone hunting for the culprits and disappeared. The Sherriff’s office performed a routine investigation and mysteriously quit. The woman also called a first nations tribe tracker to help her, but after a short investigation, he claimed she had something more dangerous than a bear and wanted nothing to do with it. Jory’s 91 year-old grandfather, a full blood Ojibwe, believes he knows what this mystery is all about and demands to go on the hunt. Four teenagers and a seemingly fragile old man find out, too late, in the deep Shasta forest, that they are the ones being hunted. Buy Links: Amazon US | UK BOOK SUMMARY The Badlands Paranormal Society ("BPS") are back for another wild and weird adventure. On their previous expedition, they were up against an unknown assailant, leaving them in the complete dark as to how to defeat the enemy, but this time, however, when Tonya Duke Wininger calls BPS seeking help after her dogs were killed and her husband went missing three days ago after he went out searching for the killer, Jory's grandfather, Albert White Feather Pike, thinks he knows what the mysterious assailant might be, and so he demands to tag along for the ride. While everyone might not be on board with some of Albert's suggestions, he insists that they follow his instructions if they wish to survive, as their assailant is smarter than its letting on. But what exactly is it Albert thinks the team's up against? Could the culprit be the mystical Sasquatch, aka Bigfoot, or the Ojibwe Sa'be, as Albert would say? VERDICT Like the previous books, this was an entertaining adventure with likeable characters and a solid plot. I've said this before, and I'll say it again, Breedlove does well with creating a tense atmosphere full of suspense, and the fact that the action takes place mostly in one setting adds to the mystery and adventure and that slight tinge of horror that crops up every now and again. I liked the inclusion of Albert in this one. He has a wealth of knowledge, which added a lot of excitement to the story. I liked the fact that we had something to work with in this one, as it allowed us to get a better insight into each characters' skills and allowed us to witness just how difficult their field of work is and how brilliantly they work as a team. While we had more insight into what the team was up against and there were some tense scenes, I thought the threat was a little underplayed. I thought the buildup of tension and suspense was more frightful than the actual enemy. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and would recommend it to anyone looking for an adventure full of suspense and mystery. RATING: Source: Author
From Sarah Hollowell, author of A Dark and Starless Forest, comes a spine-tingling, deliriously creepy YA speculative thriller about two best friends trapped in a corn maze with corpses that look just like them. Best friends and high school seniors Sadie and Logan make their first mistake when they ditch their end-of-year field trip to the amusement park in favor of exploring some old, forgotten backroads. The last thing they expect to come across is a giant, abandoned corn maze. But with a whole day of playing hooking unspooling before them, they make their second mistake. Or perhaps their third? Maybe even their fourth. Because Sadie and Logan have definitely entered this maze before. And again before that. When they stumble on the corpses in the maze, identical to them in every way (if you can ignore the stab and gunshot wounds)--from their clothes to their hidden scars to their dyed hair, to that one missing tooth--they quickly realize they've not only entered this maze before, they've died in it too. A lot. And no matter what they try, they can't figure out what--or who--is hunting them. Deeply unnerving, clever, and atmospheric, this time-bending, mind-bending speculative horror is a poignant meditation on the lasting effects of trauma and the healing powers of connection and forgiveness--all while delivering more surprise twists and turns than a haunted corn maze. | Author: Sarah Hollowell | Publisher: Clarion Books | Publication Date: Sep 12, 2023 | Number of Pages: 400 pages | Language: English | Binding: Hardcover | ISBN-10: 0063251817 | ISBN-13: 9780063251816
Hi, reader friends! Today, we welcome author friend Morgan L. Busse to celebrate her newest release, Flight of the Raven, with a Prism Book Tours giveaway! If you’d like to check out my revie…
Information Goodreads: Monster, She WroteSeries: NoneSource: Quirk Books for ReviewPublished: September 17, 2019 Official Summary Meet the women writers who defied convention to craft some of liter…
January || February || March || April || May || June || July || August || September || October 2nd You Can Go Your Own Way by Eric Smith No one ever said love would be easy…but did they mention it …
Into the Mist Taine McKenna Adventures Book 1 by Lee Murray Genre: SciFi Action, Thriller When NZDF Sergeant Taine McKenna and his squad are tasked with escorting a bunch of civilian contractors into Te Urewera National Park, it seems a strange job for the army. Militant Tūhoe separatists are active in the area, and with its cloying mist and steep ravines, the forest is a treacherous place in winter. Yet nothing has prepared Taine for the true danger that awaits them. Death incarnate. They backtrack toward civilisation, stalked by a prehistoric creature intent on picking them off one by one. With their weapons ineffective, the babysitting job has become a race for survival. Desperate to bring his charges out alive, Taine draws on ancient tribal wisdom. Will it be enough to stop the nightmare? And when the mist clears, will anyone be left? Goodreads * Amazon Into the Sounds Taine McKenna Adventures Book 2 On leave, and out of his head with boredom, NZDF Sergeant Taine McKenna joins biologist Jules Asher, on a Conservation Department deer culling expedition to New Zealand’s southernmost national park, where soaring peaks give way to valleys gouged from clay and rock, and icy rivers bleed into watery canyons too deep to fathom. Despite covering an area the size of the Serengeti, only eighteen people live in the isolated region, so it’s a surprise when the hunters stumble on the nation’s Tūrehu tribe, becoming some of only a handful to ever encounter the elusive ghost people. But a band of mercenaries saw them first, and, hell-bent on exploiting the tribes’ survivors, they’re prepared to kill anyone who gets in their way. As a soldier, McKenna is duty-bound to protect all New Zealanders, but after centuries of persecution will the Tūrehu allow him to help them? Besides, there is something else lurking in the sounds, and it has its own agenda. When the waters clear, will anyone be allowed to leave? “Murray pretty much nails small unit tactics.” ‒ Justin Coates, author of The Apocalypse Drive “A fantastic blend of military fiction, a very real primordial monster, and powerful mythology.” ‒ Paul Mannering, author of Hard Corps, Hell’s Teeth, and Eat. Goodreads * Amazon Into the Ashes Taine McKenna Adventures Book 3 No longer content to rumble in anger, the great mountain warriors of New Zealand’s central plateau, the Kāhui Tupua, are preparing again for battle. At least, that’s how the Māori elders tell it. The nation’s leaders scoff at the danger. That is; until the ground opens and all hell breaks loose. The armed forces are hastily deployed; NZDF Sergeant Taine McKenna and his section tasked with evacuating civilians and tourists from Tongariro National Park. It is too little, too late. With earthquakes coming thick and fast and the mountains spewing rock and ash, McKenna and his men are cut off. Their only hope of rescuing the stranded civilians is to find another route out, but a busload of prison evacuees has other ideas. And, deep beneath the earth’s crust, other forces are stirring. “INTO THE ASHES is a kick-ass thriller with twists you will never see coming! Lee Murray serves up a nail-biter of a weird-science action adventure. Brava!” —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author of DEEP SILENCE and V-WARS Goodreads * Amazon Lee Murray is a Bram Stoker-nominated writer and editor horror fiction, and multi-award-winning writer of dark speculative fiction (Sir Julius Vogel, Australian Shadows). Her works include the Taine McKenna adventure series, and supernatural crime-noir series The Path of Ra (co-written with Dan Rabarts). She is the editor of ten dark fiction anthologies, the latest being Hellhole: An Anthology of Subterranean Terror (Adrenalin Press). Lee lives with her family in New Zealand where she conjures up stories from her office overlooking a cow paddock. Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Wood by Chelsea Bobulski Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Publication Date: August 1, 2017 Rating: 4 stars Source: ARC sent by the publisher Summary (from Goodreads): After her father goes missing in the woods that they protect, Winter tries to seek the truth in what happened, why the wood is changing, and what it all has to do with the arrival of a mysterious stranger in this thrilling YA debut. When Winter’s dad goes missing during his nightly patrol of the wood, it falls to her to patrol the time portals and protect the travelers who slip through them. Winter can't help but think there's more to her dad's disappearance than she's being told. She soon finds a young man traveling in the wood named Henry who knows more than he should. He believes if they can work together to find his missing parents, they could discover the truth about Winter’s dad. The wood is poisoned, changing into something sinister—torturing travelers lost in it. Winter must put her trust in Henry in order to find the truth and those they’ve lost. Bobulski’s eerie debut is filled with friendship, family, and the responsibilities we choose and those we do not. What I Liked: I'm not sure what interested me in this book in the first place, but by the time I picked up the galley, I'd forgotten what the book was about or why it appealed to me months ago when I requested it. Nevertheless, it was an intriguing and curious read, and I didn't stop reading until I was finished. I will be looking out for more books by Bobulski in the future. When Winter's father disappeared mysteriously 20 months ago, Winter became the new guardian of the wood. As guardian, like her father and grandfather and so many generations of the Parish family, Winter must protect the wood, and direct travelers who have lost their way. The wood is full of thresholds from different times and places, and travelers sometimes wander into the wood and need to be shown their way back to their threshold. Winter is forever tied to the wood, now that she is the new guardian. But something strange has been happening in the wood. Darkness has been creeping in, and two council members have disappeared. What's more, the son of the council members wants Winter's help to find them. Henry is no guardian or council member, but he knows about the wood, and he has more knowledge and power than Winter thought. It is up to Winter and Henry to find out where Henry's parents went, what is happening to the wood, and how the events are related. One of the strongest and best aspects of this book was the setting. The wood is no ordinary forest. After first glance, it is, but after walking further into the wood, it becomes something else. The wood is eerie and magical, haunting and beautiful. It is its own being, alive and with a mind of its own. And with a dark force moving with the wood, the wood has become sinister. I liked Winter almost immediately. She has a difficult life, being tied to the wood at all times, unable to tell her best friend why she can't go to college or stay over for dinner. Winter has accepted her fate but she never stops trying to find out what really happened to her father - because she and her mother both now that he didn't simply disappear. Winter is an extremely smart girl, in academics and in general. She is clever and quick-thinking. She also has a good heart and a trusting nature, though she is also protective of her guardian duties. Henry is such a sweetheart. He comes from eighteenth-century England, and he is desperate to find his parents (the missing council members). He isn't a guardian so he shouldn't know anything about the wood, but his parents taught him everything. Henry has impeccable manners and practically lives by chivalry. He isn't without his faults but he also isn't a bad guy. He's the upstanding sort of old-fashioned British boy that we American gals like to swoon over. He is definitely a swoony lad. The story is a little on the predictable side - in which Winter and Henry try to find out what is happening to the wood, and where his parents went. They discover a lot of bad history in the council and the wood, and they discover some truths about Winter's father. This book doesn't just focus on the conflict in the wood. Part of the story is rooted in Winter's relationship with her mother. Since Winter's father died, she and her mother have gone through the motions. When Winter starts sneaking around, hiding Henry and going into the wood more, her relationship with her mother begins to become a little strained. I love that the author made Winter's relationship with her mother an important part of the plot, because it was significant to see how they became even closer. The same can be said about Winter's friendship with her best friend Meredith. Meredith knows nothing about the wood, which makes their friendship a strange and difficult one. Meredith knows something is wrong but Winter won't ever tell her the truth. This was another important relationship for the author to hone in on, and I'm glad she did. And of course, the subtle, slow-burn romance. From the minute Winter lays eyes on Henry, she has a crush, though it's not totally obvious to her at first. I liked the romance - it's slow-burn, and sort of hate-to-love. Well, more like they got off to a rough start. But Henry is a protective sweetheart and Winter is a nurturing intellect and they mesh together really well. They have great chemistry and they get along well. I adore these two. I wanted more kissing and a little more something in terms of their ending but I was satisfied overall, with the romance. I was satisfied with this book in general! It's an intriguing and eerie story, with a tough heroine, a nice hero, and a high-stakes climax (though it won't appear that way, at first). I'm glad I gave this book a chance! What I Did Not Like: There is this aspect of the ending that, well, let me leave it at that. The ending in general is good and fits the story. But there is one thing that I personally wanted to see, and it didn't happen. That's okay though! It would be cool if the author wrote some sort of epilogue. But only if that epilogue featured That Thing that I wanted (and others readers will probably want too). Would I Recommend It: YA paranormal readers might like this one. Fantasy readers too. It is set in modern times, but it deals a little with time-travel, and a creepy forest. And a hot British boy from the eighteenth century who is a sweetie but also excellent with a sword. Not to forget our smart heroine who is selfless and kind. I recommend this book if you're looking for an intriguing and somewhat quick read! Rating: 4 stars. I believe this is a standalone but I wouldn't mind seeing another book follow this one! Or maybe an epilogue. In any case, I will definitely look for more books by Bobulski in the future (related to this one or not). Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!
After reading and loving Sweet Black Waves by Kristina Perez, I was eager to continue on with the trilogy. Wild Savage Stars is book two and yes, there will be spoilers for book one in this revie…
Review of The Supervillain and Me by Danielle Banas
I love Alexandra Bracken’s versatility in her speculative fiction writing. From time traveling to fiber arts magic to Greek gods and hunters, she really can flex that creative muscle. Lore is…
Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult Published on 2005 Pages: 308 Format: Hardcover Source: Library Buy on Amazon In...
This post is aimed squarely at my fellow writers. *** Since the act of reviewing a book was made available to every Tom, Dick or Harriet, and before you even think about writing one, there are a fe…
Audible is great, Margaret Atwood is great, and Oryx and Crake? Brilliant. Title: Oryx and Crake Author: Margaret Atwood Publication date: May 2003 Genre: Speculative fiction, Dystopia, Science Fic…
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Innocence Treatment by Ari Goelman, hosted by Rock Star Book Tours! I’m taking the day off from Shattering Stigmas to chat about this book, do a review, and then give you a chance to win your own copy, yay! I found myself quite fond of this book, which is why when I saw the announcement for the blog tour, I jumped on it! I have […]
Why books for teens should be honest about tough subjects.
What if you were once a voracious reader, but mild cognitive impairment, and ultimately full-blown Alzheimer’s took away one of your greatest pleasures? Last week, Dr. Tonia Vojtkofsky announ…
Want to know what YA books will be hitting shelves summer of '17? We've got you covered with this official summer 2017 cover reveal list!
Even if you're not usually one for horror, the fall season brings out the love of spooky things in many readers. I'm pretty much the definition of a wimp when it comes to all things supernatural, so when I do gravitate towards eerie reads, they'll…
Greg Bear books in order for his many series, including Forge of Gold, Eon, Songs of Earth and Power...
Phoenix Island, the debut novel of author John Dixon, packs quite the wallop from the actual storyline in the book to the story surrounding the book itself. Dixon is an interesting case of a first-…
Title: The Woken Gods Author: Gwenda Bond Publisher: Strange Chemistry, 2013 Seventeen-year-old Kyra Locke’s world is very different from our own because five years ago the ancient gods woke, and since then things have been a bit chaotic for humans. Washington D.C. where Kyra lives is the epicentre of all the action and is where the gods have their headquarters. Kyra’s truly in the thick of things due to the fact that her father works for the Society of the Sun, which acts as an intermediary between gods and mankind. Mostly, the Society has access to relics that help them keep the gods in line. Kyra’s not exactly a happy camper because things between her and her parents aren’t all that great. Her father is absent most of the time and her mom – an oracle – has left the family for unknown reasons. Things truly go south for Kyra when the trickster gods take an unhealthy interest in her, and she finds herself in a race against time to rescue her father from execution for treason. Okay. Deep breath. I wanted to like this book a lot. From the outside, it has all the elements that I treasure, BUT, try as I might, I just couldn’t follow the storyline or understand the characters’ motivations, which seemed to shift continuously. By the time I was done, I was as confused as when I started, and I pride myself on keeping things straight. Not good when I continuously ask, BUT WHY? while I’m reading. I get the idea that Kyra, due to her bloodline, is somehow the centre of a prophecy, and her parents are desperate (to the point of sacrificing all semblance of a normal family life) to try protect her, but their efforts don’t strike me as being all that effective. If she really was in so much danger then why not just leave the city entirely? Why allow her to grow up ignorant of the danger she’s in? The presence of all those gods was a nice touch but I gained the impression that most of them were just waiting in the wings as set dressing for a convenient (and literal) deus ex machine at the grand finale. Anzu, Kyra’s “pet” monster is pretty neat, but I don’t get *why* Kyra is so important to deserve this special attention from a deity. My biggest gripe with the story is the choppiness of the writing. For the most part we’re in Kyra’s first-person point of view – that is fine, perfect. The genre calls for a sassy heroine who’s doing her thing against great odds and Kyra has a lovely voice and she’s not going to take things lying down. Big thumbs up for a strong female lead. BUT. Her storyline is somewhat diluted by the introduction of secondary viewpoint characters (in third person) that get introduced quite far in, so that the shift in point of view is jarring. I’d just gotten used to Kyra when suddenly I must get invested in someone else? I understand *why* the author has done this because the plot calls for her to show what else is happening behind the scenes but then I feel it only serves to weaken the pacing and steals some of Kyra’s thunder. In the end she gains her outcome largely due to the efforts of others. The romance elements feel forced – there simply isn’t enough time to develop romantic attachments but it’s there. However, I’m almost tempted to say this would have been a stronger novel if there’d been more focus on the conflict between Legba, Kyra and her grandfather, and dispensed entirely with the secondary characters (and the romance). Then a word too on some contradictions. A fair amount of emphasis is placed on how technology doesn’t really function properly around the gods due to their innate magic, but then why does a television crew bristling with cameras and technology, go into the heart of things to cover breaking news? They end up riding in a horse-drawn carriage because cars don’t work, but their cameras are fine… I just had to point that out because it jerked me right out of the narrative at the time. I’d have liked to have seen further development of the gods themselves as characters. There is so much potential there. Why are the tricksters banding together? Surely they themselves wouldn’t all be in agreement? What about plots within plots? I wanted to see more of their personalities, wanted to see them interact and be more active. Then we might also have gained a better idea of why Kyra was the lynch pin to the entire saga, and also sympathise more with her plight. All this being said, this is not a bad book. If you’re looking for fast, on-the-edge-of-your-seat urban fantasy with a female lead who totally kicks ass, and that offers a nod to Neil Gaiman’s American Gods then yes, you’ll enjoy this. But, if you’re like me and you wanted a story that digs a little deeper, you might feel the same way I do.
Early Departures by Justin A. Reynolds; The Art of Saving the World by Corinne Duyvis; Vampires Never Get Old: Tales With Fresh Bite by Zoraida Córdova, Natalie C. Parker, et al; These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin
Title: The Big Lie Author: Julie Mayhew Publisher: Candlewick Press Published Date: November 14th, 2017 Genre: Alternate History, Historical fiction, YA Page Count:352 Format: Kindle My Rating: ★ ★ ★.5 Goodreads Summary: In a gripping novel set in present-day England under a Nazi regime, a sheltered teen questions what it means to be "good" -- and how far she's willing to go to break the rules. Nazi England, 2014. Jessika Keller is a good girl -- a champion ice skater, model student of the Bund Deutscher Madel, and dutiful daughter of the Greater German Reich. Her best friend, Clementine, is not so submissive. Passionately different, Clem is outspoken, dangerous, and radical. And the regime has noticed. Jess cannot keep both her perfect life and her dearest friend, her first love. But which can she live without? Haunting, intricate, and unforgettable, The Big Lie unflinchingly interrogates perceptions of revolution, feminism, sexuality, and protest. Back matter includes historical notes from the author discussing her reasons for writing an "alt-history" story and the power of speculative fiction. --------------------------------------------------------------------- My Review: Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review. "You question EVERYTHING. Just because you can. Because it's right there in the laws of your land. But is there nothing you'd greet with a simple Yeah, Okay, fine? What if the love of your friends depended upon it? The love of your family? Would you tell a lie? People who are good don't lie, but a good person might, quite reasonably, leave out something that they didn't realize was really very crucial to everyone else. That isn't a lie. But it can be as bad as telling a lie, I have come to understand." This book I went into it knowing as little as possible because it would be modern time Nazi Europe. Having said that this book won't be for everyone. If you don't like reading alternate history or what could have happened if the Nazi's would have won don't read it. Also, this books is very white and is true to what the Nazi's were going for during WWII. This book is very bleak most of the time. The best I can compare it to is kind of like what North Korea currently is thought to be, or what we kind of know Soviet Russia being before it fell. The Big Lie world is one that is very controlled and everyone must do their part for the Reich just like how it was during WWII for the Nazi's. Now there is no fighting and instead, they are all living 'normal' lives. Neighbors still report neighbors and kids go to special schools and have meetings they attend after. It seemed like very little had changed since the war. Jessika is a character that was seen as the good girl and did what she was told, but she had a secret of her own, one that could get her killed. She is on the LGBT spectrum and that isn't allowed. So instead she hides it as best as she can and she goes about 'normal' life. She is one of the best ice skaters and is set to represent her country. But she's also friends with someone who isn't who they say they are and after a while, things start going terribly wrong. For both of the girls because of this. The Big Lie is told in memories that 2014 Jess is reliving. We see her go from a teenager and living her life, to being held in a camp because of what she does. We see her start a new life after she proves she is good again. But most importantly throughout all of this Jess manages to still keep who she is and she learns a lot about how her country works to control EVERYTHING and why. Overall I have mixed feelings about this book. I always find alternate history books fascinating and terrifying all at the same time. I really liked seeing LGBT in this book and how it was handled while not the way we want it to be handled was true to what the Nazi's believed. LGBT isn't something we've seen very often in Historical Fiction books and seeing it talked about is good and I hope it continues. As for the rest of the book, it was terrifying to think of something like this having happened to Europe. So many more lives would have been destroyed and the aftermath of it is one that I don't want to think of. I do want to say Mayhew made it seem very real and the way she had it all explained while a little confusing worked. I did get a little confused with the timeline though at times, but I just think that's because I had an ARC so some things weren't always marked. "I am good Jessika and Bad. All of it is in me. But I am whole. And I am here."
Tim Hawken's Spellraiser is a modern YA fantasy presented in an experimental 100 chapter micro-story format with graphical illustrations by Sofia Behnke.
It's time for the 2nd YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes!!!! The YAmazing Race is a crazy, whirlwind, Apocalypsie blog hop featuring over 50 debut
The story of a girl who develops the power to hear thoughts in the wake of a family tragedy. I love YA contemporary, especially when it’s a drama. As much as I hate how cliche it can be at ti…
A funny thing happens when you're from an underrepresented group. Several funny things, actually. Things that dig their way into your skull whether you like it or not. Of course, I can only speak for myself (as an Asian American... specifically, a Chinese American), but I have a feeling I'm not the only person who experiences these weird brain-twisty things... 10. None of your favorite characters look like you (and you don't even notice) I love Lord of the Rings! But... But... I've always loved reading books, watching TV, and going to the movies. I was a fan of lots of characters and actors, and for most of my life, it never even occurred to me that none of them looked like me. Because white (or straight or cis or able-bodied, etc) characters are just regular characters, right? They're blank slates for personalities. And for the longest time, all I noticed were the personalities and that was all I cared about. I didn't see color. Until I realized it was because there wasn't any. 9. Your cosplay options are extraordinarily limited (if they even exist) Well, at least there's one... I'm a huge Disney fan, but Mulan didn't come out until I was almost 10 years old. Which meant in my prime princess-ing years, Snow White was the closest I could come to playing dress up as a character and being just that character (instead of being Asian Cinderella or Asian Ariel. And I was still Asian Snow White, I just thought having black hair made me closer to the "real thing"). Then, when Mulan came out, I was a little like *slink*. Because while my parents are Chinese, I've always considered myself first and foremost American (especially since, whenever my parents got mad at me, they'd blame it on "you Americans". Meaning I was the Other at school for being too Chinese and the Other at home for being too American). So suddenly I was associated with a character who, don't get me wrong, is totally awesome and kickass and one of my favorite characters ever, but whose culture I wasn't part of. Also, from there on, every time we played the "which Disney princess are you" game, I was ALWAYS FREAKING MULAN. Others would get associated with princesses because of their personalities (oh, you're bookish, so you're Belle. Oh, you're dreamy, so you're Ariel. Etc). Okay, so Disney princesses aren't that big a deal (unless you're a sparkles-loving little girl, as I was, but let's set that aside for a moment). Look around at other fandoms... the options are super-limited too. Star Wars is probably my favorite thing in the world, but who would I dress up as? Asian Leia, maybe. I love the X-Men, but all I have as cosplay options are Jubilee (cute, but so not me), Lady Deathstrike (who gives me serious orientalism vibes), and... well, there are enough X-Men that I'm sure there are more (though let's rule out Wolverine's Japan adventures, which also give me orientalism vibes), but those are the two I can think of. And then there's Firefly, which gives me so much cognitive dissonance because I love the storytelling and the characters, but WHERE ARE THE CHINESE PEOPLE, JOSS??? You have Chinese swearing and Chinese clothes and Chinese food... but NO CHINESE PEOPLE. And no, Fan Dancer #2 doesn't count. Which means I could only ever dress up as Asian River or something. Also, this is cultural appropriation at its finest -- when you nab the decorative aspects of a culture but leave behind the people who created it. (But I still love you, Firefly! And I'd still marathon you any day!) All this brings me to... 8. You can never tell if you're being too sensitive 9 regulars. In a world that's 50% Chinese stuff. 0 Chinese people. It took me years to admit that Firefly's cultural appropriation bothered me. I still feel weird saying it. Because seriously, I love that show. And for a while, I wondered... Is it me? Am I just being a soft, coddled, spoiled Millennial who sees Causes everywhere? Then there are the moments where I'm not sure if I have the right to be offended. For instance, when I first read about Cho Chang (when I was in middle school), my gut reaction was "Holy crap, that name's racist! It's basically Ching Chong!" But no one else seemed to notice, so I quickly went to *slink* "Oh, I'm just being hypersensitive. All the Harry Potter names are funky. It's fine, I guess." Last year, I fell into the Sherlock hole (what is it about Benedict Cumberbatch!), and I loved every single moment of Ep 1. So I wanted to love every single moment of Ep 2, but kept shuddering when the super oriental Asian characters appeared. And I wondered... Is it me? I mean, Chinese gangs are a thing. Chinese pottery experts do exist. So is there actually anything wrong here, or am I just being hypersensitive again? This year, I fell into the Lunar Chronicles hole. Love the series. Love Cinder and Scarlet as tough-girl characters, love that Cinder and Cress are techy girls, love the world-building, love the adventure, love the clever plot. But.... But... But... I very nearly didn't pick it up because I saw the words "New Beijing" in the description and immediately thought *groan* here comes another Firefly. It took me months, MONTHS, of hearing praise for the books to get over that. And the whole time I kept wondering, "Is me avoiding this another symptom of my hypersensitivity?" On the other hand, I thought, "Blah, I already suffered through the icky love-the-content-feel-weird-about-the-appropriation thing once... Can't do it again." Finally, I decided to give it a chance. Aaaaaand... Yeah. Though it does a bit better by giving Cinder an Asian love interest (oh hai Prince Kai, you're adorable) and an Asian step-family. So at least there are Asian people this time. Kudos? Cinder isn't described much in the book, and she's said to be "from Europe", so it was implied that she was white until the author came out and said that she's mixed race. Hooray? But it always bugged me how wrong the culture felt. Like... my family is Chinese. I've lived in China. And while reading Cinder, I kept thinking "this feels so Firefly... nominally Asian because of the food and language, but so, so off on the actual culture dynamics." Of course, this is a far-future fantastical world and a retelling of a fairytale, so maybe I'm just being too sensitive because hey, there are mutant wolf-people and cyborgs, so why am I bothering with all this real world worry because It's freaky when you see both at once. *brain hurts* clearly it's just a story, and... HERE I GO AGAIN GODDAMMIT. And on and on and on... It's a weird spot to be in, this cognitive dissonance. Where your gut says "hey, that's kind of offensive!" but your brain says "calm down, Angry Asian Lady, you're overreacting...". You know those optical illusions that are both a rabbit and a duck or something? And you start to see both at the same time and your brain starts flipping back and forth, making you dizzy? Yeah, it's kind of like that. Except about your own opinions. 7. You feel the need to cheer for and defend characters that look like you (even if they suck) Do I *have* to root for her?! Cho Chang sucks. Ugh, I still feel a little guilty typing that, but hey, it's my opinion. She's a token pretty girl in two books, a weeping mess and snitching weakling in another, and a shamed mess in the rest. She. Sucks. And she's the only East Asian character of note in the entire Harry Potter series (if there's another that I'm forgetting, that means they weren't noteworthy enough for me to remember and therefore are solidly a token, not a real character). Which is why the moment the Goblet of Fire movie came out, Katie Leung fansites sprang up all up and down the Internet (never mind she was in the movie for 3 seconds and wasn't particularly good in those 3 seconds). Asians around the world were like "Hooray! Asian Harry Potter character!" Except she sucks. Yet for ages, I felt obligated to root for her because not doing so felt like being a race traitor or something. Like, hey, someone threw me a treat in the form of a character who looks like me, so who am I to be ungrateful? Then there are the "issue" books (and TV shows and movies) that are all about your people, and you feel like you have no choice but to like them because, hey look! They're actually talking about you for once! So when, say, I picked up Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club, I thought I had no choice but to like it. It's been so long since I read that book that I don't recall my exact reaction, but I do remember it was not entirely positive. And yet I kept those thoughts to myself and said only positive things, because how could I *not* root for an Asian author who writes about Asian things? Speaking of issues... 6. You're terrified of being seen as an "issues" person (but don't really have a choice in the matter) I feel like this at times. I go back and forth on "outspoken" thing. Honestly, I'm not really an outspoken person, and I don't want to be. I like seeing multiple perspectives and accepting that there are no simple answers (which may be why I'm going through a lot of these brain-twisty things). It's why some of my friends have dubbed me True Neutral. And yet, despite all the times I've bitten my tongue and contented myself with sipping tea, people remember the few times I do speak up. And suddenly I'm the Angry Asian Lady, which I never wanted to be. So I'm speaking out more, since that mantle will be thrust on me anyway. Might as well be heard. Though it still annoys me that writing about these things (including in this blog post) will transform me into an "issues" person, which will distort the lens through which people see both me and my work. 5. You zero in on characters that look like you (even if they're on 3 pages) Why do I remember her so clearly?! All my focus on Cho Chang might have some Harry Potter readers scratching their heads because honestly, who cares about her? It's Harry and Ron and Hermione and Snape and Dumbledore and a dozen other characters who are actually important. Thing is, though, when you're so used to being invisible, spotting someone who looks like you in fiction makes your eyes pop. You can't not notice. Heck, I noticed every Asian fan dancer and random refugee in the background of Firefly. That Asian Jedi lady who's in Star Wars Episode II for all of 3 seconds during the final battle? I have a very clear mental image of her igniting a green lightsaber and Force-slamming an offscreen battle bot right now (while the rest of the battle that doesn't involve the heroes remains a blur). I don't do this on purpose. I don't scour screens searching for people who look like me. It just HAPPENS. And sometimes, I wish it'd STAHP, because it makes me realize how few of them there are, and that just annoys me. Can I go back to not seeing color? Ignorance is bliss and all... 4. You feel extra pressure to get things right So I've talked about those who got representation wrong, despite what were probably their best intentions (I'm so sorry Joss, Marissa, Ms. Rowling, and Sherlock people! I still love your work! I really do!). Yet I'm sure there are people who, if they read this then read my work, would be like "pot calling the kettle black!" Because maybe the representation in my books is no better in some people's eyes. And because I've written all this (and spoken about things like this), I feel an extra weight in everything I do in my attempts to diversify my own work. Is... Is this okay by my own standards? Let's see... I have Aurelia "the Firedragon" Sun, an Asian American teen who fights monsters with double swords. Am I perpetuating orientalism in my own way by having her be another kung-fu-type girl and calling her Firedragon? (I actually got her nickname from my sister, who was the physical model I based the character on. Some of her friends called her Firedragon, and I thought it was cute and fit the character). Then I have the Jane Colt books, in which the two leads are Eurasian, two love main interests are white, the Asian love interest gets all but written out by Book 2, the Asian mom is dead, the dad who actually has a POV chapter is white, the main villains are white... holy crap, did I whitewash my own book?! No... no... of course not... I have the black starship commander, the two Asian hackers (oh crap, is that a stereotype?!), the black interstellar intelligence agent, the black supergenius... Wait, is this all tokenism?! Also, why is everyone black or white or Asian?! Why didn't I write any characters from other backgrounds?! Sure, some of the characters aren't race-specified, but people are going to assume they're white, and that's just tokenism anyway... Also, is this futuristic society too Western? But it's derived from the world I know and I never claimed it was based on any particular culture, and I'm a born-and-bred American, so am I suddenly not allowed to write a Western-ish culture because I criticized someone else's? Am I being lazy for not try? Am I... Well, crap. I'll bet Joss Whedon doesn't go through this mess. 3. You're expected to represent tons of people (that have little to do with you) I can't tell you how many times I've been called upon to answer questions about being Asian. These days, I don't mind talking about my Asian American experience, but there was a period of time when it made me feel uber weird because I felt like I was speaking for a ton of people I didn't know (which is also partly why I tend to heavily disclose everything with "this is just me! this is just my experience! I don't claim to speak for everyone!"). Now, I'm happy to speak about diversity. Eager to, in fact. But always in the context of my own views only. It's when people ask me more general questions about Asia that I start to go *slink*. I mean, I only spent a total of two years on the continent (ten years apart... one when I was 12, one when I was 22). Then again, I have had certain very Chinese experiences, and it is fun to talk about them from time to time. But each time, there's that little bit of terror that I'm going to do someone wrong by getting something wrong or by perpetuating some stereotype. 2. You can never tell if you're doing enough to advance your own cause Nice Canva, Mary. Now, walk the walk. I've made an effort to include diverse characters in the things I write, and yet I always wonder if it's enough. Like, Aurelia "the Firedragon" Sun is the star of her titular novellas, but in the main series those novellas lead up to, she's the secondary character (not a sidekick, but not the main character either). I glance at my character list for the Jane Colt novels and wonder if I've done enough to mix things up. Also, I notice the glaring shortage of LGBTQ+ characters (I'm sorry! I'll do better! Also, let it be known that, though it isn't really explored, Riley is gay, for those of you who were wondering!). On the one hand, I want to be inclusive in my writing. I want to help make the book world a place where no one will have to feel invisible, like I did. On the other hand, I don't want to turn my books into "issues" books (especially since I write spec fic, and I dare to dream that in the futures/alternate worlds I write in, diversity isn't an issue). Not that there's anything wrong with "issues" books. And not that I won't write one in the future (in fact, my next project might turn into one). But when I go for subtle subversion, quietly diversifying my character casts, I wonder if I'm doing enough. I wish I had the privilege to not care. 1. You erase yourself Book with an MC who is half me-looking The first time I plotted Artificial Absolutes, the first of the Jane Colt books, every major character was white. Why? Because this was what the sci-fi I was accustomed to looked like, and this was, in my head, simply normal. The default. The universal. Which is weird, because I'm Chinese American. You'd think I'd default to characters who looked like me, and that my whole initial cast would be Asian, right? Nope. I erased myself. When I realized what I was doing, I immediately went about changing things. Hey, why can't the starship commander and interstellar intelligence agent be black? Why can't the galactic pop star be Asian? And then I got to the main characters... and for some reason, I was uncomfortable making Jane and her brother Asian, partly because I was new at this whole writing thing and hadn't gotten to the "give zero fucks--just write what you want" attitude yet, so I was worried no one would read a sci-fi book with an Asian lead. So I made them Eurasian (heh, compromise, right?). And then I very nearly gave myself a pen name. Not because I didn't like my name, but because "Mary Fan" is obviously female and pretty obviously Asian. Who's gonna read a sci-fi book by an Asian female? I was planning on going with my initials (the only reason I was going to keep my last name was because I couldn't settle on a pen name I liked), but I failed to communicate that to Red Adept. So the cover art came back with my full name printed. I could have asked them to change it, but then I realized that I'd be changing it for all the wrong reasons. There are plenty of good reasons to have a pen name, but hiding and erasing myself wasn't one of them. Maybe that was an unwise decision. Maybe my sales would be better if I were writing as Jack Kent or something. Or maybe this is me overthinking everything. As usual. Like I said. Being underrepresented messes with your head. And it sucks.
Release Date: January 5th, 2016 Source: ARC via publisher Published by: Disney Hyperion Passenger - Alexandra Bracken | Goodreads passage, n. i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes. ii. A journey by water; a voyage. iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time. In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now. Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not. Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever With any book that heavily features cinematic action, there's always the danger (for me) of dissociating from the characters because the focus is more on the plot than their plight. However, this did not happen with Passenger. From the opening pages, I identified with the main characters, Nicholas and Etta, and their character struggles. In the prologue, we are shown a crucial, character-defining moment in Nicholas's life; from that moment on, it's easy to understand his bitterness, his dissociation with the world around him and the privileges and legacy he cannot claim. In the first chapter, Etta is revealed to be a violin prodigy with a competitive, ambitious attitude; she's been waiting a long time for her debut, and she will not back down, a quite refreshing outlook (to me) for a young female character. Both characters are immediately rendered flawed yet sympathetic, with their own struggles to overcome in the duology. Because Outlander is so successful, it seems like there is an increase in YA time-travel novels (for 2016 and beyond). Honestly, I like this trend, and I want to emphasize how Passenger is different from others in YA that I've read. Perhaps the most key element to this difference is the emphasis in Passenger on travelers not belonging to any one culture. In Passenger, time-traveling has become heavily regulated due to one family bending the others under its heel and a diminished ability to time-travel because of a decline in the population of the genetic predisposition therein. Alex Bracken has imagined several details to accompany the time-traveler "belonging" aspect of her world-building: people being orphaned from their time, shifting timelines because of the actions of certain characters and the war between families for power over the time passages; the discussion of wealth and power inherent to the privilege of time traveling and changing history. In order to survive the trials put by the dominating family with the most time travelers, people have been forced to take desperate action. People from that family, and others, have to learn several languages and the ability to blend in with the tenor and feel of a time period, even when its attitudes are so different from their own. Alex Bracken doesn't seem to skimp on historical detail, even when they're not accepted in our own time but are clearly markers of the struggles faced by characters from their own time period. Altogether Passenger is a fascinating look into history and culture with its well-developed world-building. I once saw that teachers recommended YA historical fiction to their students as a way of encouraging their interest in history; I can see Passenger among these novels, for it is clear that Alexandra Bracken has done her research to make the atmosphere and attitudes realistic. The romance between Etta and Nicholas is of the slow-burn kind. While the two are indeed instantly attracted to each other, neither knows what to make of and whether to trust the other. Through their shared trials on their quest to retrieve a valuable object, they get to know one another and that attraction is allowed to simmer. However, the romance never takes over the main quest plot or the suspense that Alex Bracken builds about their motives and those of the other characters. In short, Passenger will have a huge audience. Also, it would make for an amazing movie, and I would not be surprised if, in the coming weeks, we hear of a Hollywood studio snatching the rights to this book. Check out the book trailer if you don't believe me. If you're a The Darkest Minds fan, I do think that you're going like Passenger; there's a similar blend of cinematic action, romance, suspense, and emotionally charged situations. I also would recommend this to fans of A Thousand Pieces of You. Of the time travel YA novels published so far (that I have read!), ATPoY seems the most similar. Cinematic in scope and sharpened by suspense, family drama, flawed, interesting characters, and an intense romantic bond, Passenger is sure to nab its own legion of fans eager for the sequel, especially after that explosive ending.
Honey and Salt by David Perlmutter Genre: YA Fantasy Bravery comes in all forms: fighting bullies and fighting your own demons. Honey and Salt is a superhero novella that will draw you in the jus…
Prince Charming the medieval version of Chuck Norris or an ineffective pretty boy? Neither in this debut author's upcoming 'Charming.'
Ana and Thea from The Book Smugglers discuss awesome young adult and middle grade books written by women-and why you should read them-for Women in SF&F Month.
BLURB: When Lucas tested positive for the warrior gene—a genetic abnormality believed to predispose humans to violence—he was shipped off to the Bake Shop, an impregnable government facility. There, he underwent a battery of psychological tests aimed at making him crack. Now, labeled safe to return to normal life, he’s ready to put the horrific experience behind him. Then the van transporting him home is forced off the road by a group of rebels who insist there’s more going on at the facility than anyone knows. To find the truth and save a friend’s brother who’s being held prisoner, Lucas infiltrates the Bake Shop’s inner sanctum. But a power outage leads to a security breach that strands Lucas in the dark . . . with a prison full of potential killers who could snap at any moment. REVIEW BY: Arianna, age 12 years, 11 months MAY CONTAIN SPOILER: This book had my heart both racing and aching! My favorite character is Carly because she is a truly awesome girl! She is bossy, strong, and kind all rolled into one. She has a special kind of girl power! My favorite part is when all of the facilities get shut down because no-one needs that kind of evil in the world. I recommend this book for anyone who likes dystopian novels, break outs and friends. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 13 and up. This book's publishing date is November 8, 2015.
