Spring Reads & Reviews
The first fantasy novel I can remember falling in love with is Redwall, by Bryan Jacques. His descriptions of food were unparalleled, and I wanted so badly to attend a Redwall feast! I devoured all the Redwall books, and then moved into sci-fi (I loved the Star Wars continuations) and young adult fantasy. As an adult, I have not read as much as I did then—letting life and social media get in the way—but this past year, I’ve made a commitment to return to reading.
I have several go-to’s for when I’m getting back into reading (Sabriel by Garth Nix is the book I’ve probably reread the most), but this spring, I’ve happily discovered new gems that I couldn’t put down.
THE SHOW CHILD by Eowyn Ivey
I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. It was a melancholic, quiet book that snuck up on me and lingered after I’d finished. It’s the type of book that while reading, I’d have to set it down now and then to stare out the window in stillness. I actually heard about it from an Instagram post, where the author of that post noted they’d just finished rereading this book and were processing feelings left over from the experience. It’s beautifully written, takes place in the remote Alaskan wilderness, and centers on the relationship between a couple striving to make a home in the harsh land, as well as the bond they forge with a strange, wild child. I loved the almost eerie sense of wild in the book, as if it had one foot in another world. Highly recommend to readers who like a slower paced plot driven by characters. I own a copy and will absolutely reread this one.
DECIPHER by Stel Pavlou
I grew up reading Michael Crichton (my favorite of his books is Timeline) so this was an exciting find at Bellingham’s used bookstore, Eclipse, as it felt very similar. The hook—MANKIND HAS HAD 12,000 YEARS TO DECIPHER THE MESSAGE. WE HAVE ONE WEEK LEFT—well, hooked me!
I actually started this book a few months ago, got maybe five pages in, then put it down. It began with the scene of a political back-and-forth over the laws (or lack of law) governing the Arctic. At that time, I couldn’t get into the story and considered DNF’ing it. But something stopped me from parting ways and I’m glad I held onto this one during our cross country move. I picked it up again after the Snow Child, ready to attempt a denser book. I had to be in the right mindset, because this one really takes a lot of focus. There is a lot of science…a lot a lot. While impressive, I found myself skimming quite a bit over the paragraphs of scientific dialogue that contained little else. I really enjoyed the overall premise—a hidden, legendary city, impending world ending, eclectic characters—but felt at times that the focus on explanations slowed down the pace and made it harder to digest. In addition to dense science, the author included a lot of historical knowledge, and it was interesting how he tied it all together. Overall I did enjoy the novel, and it held my attention, though I’m not sure if the characters were strong enough for me to merit a future re-read.
THE BONE WITCH by Rin Chupeco
After Decipher, I wanted another good book to maintain my reading streak, but needed something a little less dense. One night, instead of getting caught in the Instagram scroll, I picked up my kindle and checked out the books I had stashed in my library. The Bone Witch stood out to me so I decided to give it a try…and ended up inhaling it over three days. I enjoyed it so much that midway through, I found myself wanting to hold a physical copy. So I ran out to my local Barnes & Noble and bought the paperback, as well as another book by the same author that looked fun, Wicked As You Wish. I was also so pleasantly surprised to find that Barnes had, in fact, split out Fantasy into it’s own section! I missed that the first visit, and was actually complaining to Chris about this lack of organization. But I digress.
The Bone Witch has a strong narrator, an interesting premise, and great pacing. The world and magic system is detailed but not overly so that I got distracted by it. I was excited to see that it’s a trilogy, as there seems to be a lot more to uncover! So here I go, off to purchase the next two.
My Next Reads: Wicked As You Wish, Nettle & Bone, and the other two books in The Bone Witch Trilogy.
