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amandasbrews's reviews
447 reviews
This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
4.0
i feel like i'm so behind finishing this book LMAO but i did it
Damned If You Do by Alex Brown
5.0
i'm told this is a queer buffy the vampire slayer with mixed rep and i honestly could not be more excited. i want to devour this book, take it in, feel the love. i was reached out to to review because of the mixed asian rep and i'm honestly emotional just for that. i can't wait to read this and tell you all about it <3
The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le
5.0
What is it like when an integral piece of who you are becomes outlawed? With knowledge passed down from her grandmother and her grandmother before that, Nhika is the only one left to carry on the knowledge of her people. In secret, she is forced to practice her bloodcarving abilities, using it to heal people for just enough money to survive. But when a sham medical appointment gets her caught by underground thugs and then bought by an aristocratic family, Nhika is given the chance to learn the knowledge that was stolen from her and her people.
One thing that fantasy as a genre is lacking much of is explicitly diaspora main characters. It’s so strange to me how many people I know who yearn for a place that is no longer theirs and yet I see it so rarely in fantasy. But I feel a special kind of kinship to Nhika for the things that she has been cut off from. The way that she is desperate to learn more about herself and her heritage is a specific kind of solemnity that I know very dearly, and her apprehension to trust anyone in a world that always sees her as the other makes me homesick for a place that doesn’t even exist.
I’m especially fond of how this book highlights two entirely different diaspora experiences in one story. Nhika and Kochin come from the same place but have vastly different experiences and understandings of themselves and their relationship to home, and I think it’s beautiful how Le is able to emphasize how each of them came to their own conclusions. With so few explicitly diaspora stories in second world fantasy stories, it’s refreshing to be so blatantly clear that the diaspora experience is not a linear one and everyone has a different experience. The diaspora experience is not a monolith.
On a smaller note, I really appreciated the emphasis on how propagandized language is used. It parallels the way that states use specific language to encourage the masses to draw conclusions on different peoples. It’s a subtle violence that can radicalize people without them even realizing it and I love the call out here. Nhika is known as a bloodcarver, a name that instills fear because of what she can do to the inside of people’s bodies. But her people, who can no longer speak for themselves, called people like her a heartsoothe, because their purpose is to heal. The difference between the two is so stark, and such a strong example of how language can change the opinions of the masses.
I thoroughly appreciate all the ways that diaspora experience shows up in this story, especially for a second world fantasy. It’s honest and sincere in the details that remind you that the author understands. It’s in the details, in the comments, in the insecurities, in the yearning. This story is told through a lens of diaspora, and in the same way that Nhika finds home in her magic and knowledge, to me, The Last Bloodcarver feels like a glimpse of home.
One thing that fantasy as a genre is lacking much of is explicitly diaspora main characters. It’s so strange to me how many people I know who yearn for a place that is no longer theirs and yet I see it so rarely in fantasy. But I feel a special kind of kinship to Nhika for the things that she has been cut off from. The way that she is desperate to learn more about herself and her heritage is a specific kind of solemnity that I know very dearly, and her apprehension to trust anyone in a world that always sees her as the other makes me homesick for a place that doesn’t even exist.
I’m especially fond of how this book highlights two entirely different diaspora experiences in one story. Nhika and Kochin come from the same place but have vastly different experiences and understandings of themselves and their relationship to home, and I think it’s beautiful how Le is able to emphasize how each of them came to their own conclusions. With so few explicitly diaspora stories in second world fantasy stories, it’s refreshing to be so blatantly clear that the diaspora experience is not a linear one and everyone has a different experience. The diaspora experience is not a monolith.
On a smaller note, I really appreciated the emphasis on how propagandized language is used. It parallels the way that states use specific language to encourage the masses to draw conclusions on different peoples. It’s a subtle violence that can radicalize people without them even realizing it and I love the call out here. Nhika is known as a bloodcarver, a name that instills fear because of what she can do to the inside of people’s bodies. But her people, who can no longer speak for themselves, called people like her a heartsoothe, because their purpose is to heal. The difference between the two is so stark, and such a strong example of how language can change the opinions of the masses.
I thoroughly appreciate all the ways that diaspora experience shows up in this story, especially for a second world fantasy. It’s honest and sincere in the details that remind you that the author understands. It’s in the details, in the comments, in the insecurities, in the yearning. This story is told through a lens of diaspora, and in the same way that Nhika finds home in her magic and knowledge, to me, The Last Bloodcarver feels like a glimpse of home.
Something More by Jackie Khalilieh
5.0
Fully and completely in love with this book, Jackie Khalilieh builds such a delightfully sweet friendship I felt like I was finding someone that would be in my life forever. I LOVED how clearly this story shows the confusion of being a teenager in a way that so many other stories don't capture. It's hard, confusing, and honestly scary to be a teenager and Something More is one of the most honest and sincere stories I've read in such a long time. Highly, highly recommend!
The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei
5.0
Asuka has trained most of her life to be selected to go on the world’s last ditch effort to save humanity. And, estranged from her mother, The Phoenix and it’s crew are all she has left. So when an explosion happens on the spaceship, Asuka is determined to find the cause of the explosion before everyone in the crew loses faith in the mission.
The Deep Sky is an epic space thriller that doesn’t let you forget about the humanity of the people that go on adventures like these. It is wide in scope and sincere in characterization. In an striking balance, it makes us think about how the earth came to the brink of demise while mourning the estrangement from our parents but also understanding the barriers between us.
Told in a non-linear timeline, Kitasei beautifully casts a wide net, exposing us to our deepest imaginings about the future of earth and humanity while grounding us in the tension between family members that you wish would understand you. In the middle of an epic space thriller, as the characters are tumbling away from earth at rapid speeds, Kitasei brings us closer and closer to home. As the action rises onboard the ship, the narrative slowly gets closer and closer to the individualized internal self in a stunning dichotomy.
As we got closer to the individual, I began to feel Asuka’s pain, I became grounded in the familiarity of her unbelonging. I felt a kinship to Asuka’s yearning to run away to the stars, a parallel feeling of being an imposter for claiming her heritage. The Deep Sky is vast, action-packed, and introspective; it’s a story that will stick with you through the stars.
Read on Bookish Brews
The Deep Sky is an epic space thriller that doesn’t let you forget about the humanity of the people that go on adventures like these. It is wide in scope and sincere in characterization. In an striking balance, it makes us think about how the earth came to the brink of demise while mourning the estrangement from our parents but also understanding the barriers between us.
Told in a non-linear timeline, Kitasei beautifully casts a wide net, exposing us to our deepest imaginings about the future of earth and humanity while grounding us in the tension between family members that you wish would understand you. In the middle of an epic space thriller, as the characters are tumbling away from earth at rapid speeds, Kitasei brings us closer and closer to home. As the action rises onboard the ship, the narrative slowly gets closer and closer to the individualized internal self in a stunning dichotomy.
As we got closer to the individual, I began to feel Asuka’s pain, I became grounded in the familiarity of her unbelonging. I felt a kinship to Asuka’s yearning to run away to the stars, a parallel feeling of being an imposter for claiming her heritage. The Deep Sky is vast, action-packed, and introspective; it’s a story that will stick with you through the stars.
Read on Bookish Brews
Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones
I loveee sailor moon and so i love that this is a sailor moon inspired fantasy. The story is super fun and full of intrigue. The forbidden magic and the way we can be powerful too. It's so so exciting to see a character grow into her powers like this.
Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
Did someone say "Qing dynasty-inspired world of towering pagodas, monstrous airships and cut-throat politics" I'm so here for this silkpunk story fdkljfa
edit 9/21/2023: LOOK AT THIS STUNNING COVER!!!!! IM SCREAMING
edit 9/21/2023: LOOK AT THIS STUNNING COVER!!!!! IM SCREAMING
Night of the Living Queers by Shelly Page, Alex Brown
4.0
The love for halloween and all things spooky is really Felt in this through every single story. Honestly such a delight!!
The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker
5.0
KYLIE LEE BAKER HAS KILLED ME AGAIN I NEED TO GATHER MY THOUGHTS AND COME BACK TO THIS IT WAS SO GOOD
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Pre-read: Kylie's first book was the first fantasy book I ever read with openly mixed Asian characters and her books mean so much to me. I just got a copy of this and I'm SO excited!!! More books by Kylie Lee Baker PLEASE
Merged review:
KYLIE LEE BAKER HAS KILLED ME AGAIN I NEED TO GATHER MY THOUGHTS AND COME BACK TO THIS IT WAS SO GOOD
------
Pre-read: Kylie's first book was the first fantasy book I ever read with openly mixed Asian characters and her books mean so much to me. I just got a copy of this and I'm SO excited!!! More books by Kylie Lee Baker PLEASE
------
Pre-read: Kylie's first book was the first fantasy book I ever read with openly mixed Asian characters and her books mean so much to me. I just got a copy of this and I'm SO excited!!! More books by Kylie Lee Baker PLEASE
Merged review:
KYLIE LEE BAKER HAS KILLED ME AGAIN I NEED TO GATHER MY THOUGHTS AND COME BACK TO THIS IT WAS SO GOOD
------
Pre-read: Kylie's first book was the first fantasy book I ever read with openly mixed Asian characters and her books mean so much to me. I just got a copy of this and I'm SO excited!!! More books by Kylie Lee Baker PLEASE