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izzalice's reviews
331 reviews
The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
4.5
The Stone Sky is a brilliant finale to the series that made me realise just how much I cared about all of these characters, even when their motives were in opposition. The individual character arcs and stories came together in such a clever and satisfying way and I will forever be in awe of Jemisin’s mind.
I think after the unravelling of the narrative style in The Fifth Season, it was always going to be difficult for the next two books to match up in quite the same way and yet I was still so intrigued by the different plotlines and history of the world. I loved having more of Hoa’s perspective in the last book and it really added depth to such an expansive overall tale.
Please do check the content warnings for this series before diving in but also you should definitely give this series a go- it’s absolutely fantastic and each instalment is very likely to leave you staring at a wall or the ceiling afterwards in astonishment.
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
3.5
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis is a cosy sci-fi novel centred around the Grand Abeona Hotel: home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. Along the way you meet various different staff/guests on the hotel’s tour across the galaxy and slowly unravel an intriguing, broader plotline.
Floating Hotel has a nice, interweaving narrative that touches on many characters’ lives and the roles they play in the story as a whole. This is such a fascinating concept for a novel and I liked seeing how the hotel ran, particularly with Carl’s first few chapters. I felt like I was instantly pulled into a shiny new world and was very happy to be along for the ride.
I have to admit that I had pretty low expectations going into Floating Hotel as I wasn’t a fan of Frontier (Curtis’ first novel) but I enjoyed her second one a lot more! I don’t personally get on too well with Curtis’ general writing style- I found it difficult to connect with characters as some of their stories are told in snippets that felt pretty lacklustre/disjointed but I think the overall narrative of Floating Hotel makes up for these shortcomings in a way that that wasn’t apparent in Frontier and I liked all the different strands the reader gets to follow. I’ve also come to the conclusion that cosy sci-fi/fantasy as a sub-genre is definitely not my favourite so take this review with a pinch of salt.
Overall, whilst not a genre I typically reach for I did enjoy my time with Floating Hotel and think there’s a lot of merit here. If you’re after a cosy, fairly low-stakes novel with a fresh narrative that jumps around in time and perspectives, I think it’s definitely worth picking this one up!
The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
4.5
After finishing The Fifth Season, I moved straight onto the sequel (and I’m onto The Stone Sky now) and wow this series has me so hooked. I like the introduction of Nassun’s perspective in The Obelisk Gate and how she becomes linked with someone from Essun’s past. Her journey with Jija was both tense and interesting to read and you begin to really understand her as a character. I’m so excited to have more of her POV.
I liked learning more about the history of the world, in particular Hoa’s backstory and how this is has already impacted and going to impact events in the series which blew my mind more than a little bit (although I should expect this from Jemisin by now). With this sequel comes both the introduction and reintroduction of characters which really added to the narrative and I was so intrigued by the politics and community in Castrima.
The Obelisk Gate definitely felt slower than the first book since the protagonist is pretty much in the same place in this one but having Nassun’s perspective and the interludes helped to balance it out and I thoroughly enjoyed this read!
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
3.0
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger is a magical tale that follows two perspectives- Nina, a Lipan girl in our world who’s always believed in the old stories and animal people and Oli, a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on Earth, and a strange sickness that befalls Oli's best friend, will drive their worlds together in ways they haven't been in centuries.
I listened to this as an audiobook and I have to admit that I didn’t get on too well with the narration, particularly when the two perspective characters met. If I’d read a physical copy, I may have gotten on with it better because I did really like the traditional storytelling structure and the overall arc. The links between the two worlds are so cleverly thought out and I liked both stories individually too. I did feel that the middle dragged on a bit and I wish that Nina and Oli had met earlier on in the novel as the end also felt quite rushed.
Overall, I enjoyed this read but I don’t think audio was the best way for me to have taken it in.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
How do I even go about reviewing this masterpiece? The Fifth Season is a brilliant blend of speculative/sci-fi/fantasy/dystopian fiction that explores a land called the Stillness where devastating natural disasters and apocalyptic catastrophes are the norm, caused by Father Earth enacting revenge on people called Orogenes- who have earth manipulating abilities- for taking his only son. We start the tale with a mother discovering the murder of her son and the kidnapping of her daughter and so begins a journey across a breaking land to find her. I could give more of a summary than this but I honestly think, aside from content warnings which I’d advise looking into, it’s best to go into this book pretty blind.
The narrative style of The Fifth Season is so layered and interesting. The story is told in a combination of second person, third person and an omniscient narrator. The irony of praising worldbuilding in a book about a world falling apart is not lost on me but wow Jemisin has such an incredible gift in creating a simultaneously stunning and terrifying landscape. I’ll give you the same warning I received before starting this book- you’ve got to trust the process, you’ll probably feel quite lost in parts but the payoff is absolutely worth it.
There are countless aspects to love in this book- fresh storytelling, intriguing magic systems, a protagonist that I grew to care so much about, and a gripping narrative that nearly made me throw the book a few times- that I feel no amount of my words can do justice and I cannot believe that this had been sat on my shelf for as long as it had. I finished The Fifth Season and immediately started the sequel!
Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold
5.0
Thank you to Penguin for sending me an arc!
“The fear of the empowered woman certainly did not fade with the advance of the twentieth century, and with a handful of more recent exceptions, Filson Young’s tale of Monstrous Belle and the tragic Crippen continues to persist, weaving its presence into twenty-first century examinations of the case.”
“The fear of the empowered woman certainly did not fade with the advance of the twentieth century, and with a handful of more recent exceptions, Filson Young’s tale of Monstrous Belle and the tragic Crippen continues to persist, weaving its presence into twenty-first century examinations of the case.”
The murder of Belle Elmore in 1910 is one of the most infamous true crime cases of the twentieth century and it has always been told as a killer’s tale. In Story of a Murder, Hallie Rubenhold expertly reconstructs the narrative to focus not just on Belle, but the women who fought tirelessly for justice. It also takes a wide angled lens on the Edwardian world, and what among its values we still mistakenly cling to.
Story of a Murder is a fantastically written, incredibly well researched piece of history that thoroughly gripped me. Hallie Rubenhold presents in-depth biographies of not just Belle, t turning journalist narratives about her around, but biographies of Crippen’s first wife, Charlotte who mysteriously passed away, Crippen himself as he becomes enmeshed with shady medical practises and scams (and consequently how he uses these things to his advantage later on), and finally Ethel Le Neve, Crippen’s mistress who may have played a much more vital role in Belle’s disappearance than you’d be lead to believe.
The Five by Hallie Rubenhold (a biography of the women killed by Jack the Ripper) is one of my favourite non-fiction books of all time so I knew I was also going to love Story of a Murder too. This is not just a history of a true crime case, this is a history of a period in time. A brilliant read that I highly recommend.
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
5.0
In her memoir, Jennette McCurdy sheds light on her experience growing up with a narcissist and the struggles that arose in the face of being a child star; a dream that was never her own. I listened to the audiobook which McCurdy herself narrates and at parts, I read in tandem with my physical copy of the book too.
This is a raw, vulnerably honest look at a child growing up with a manipulative, abusive parent and the complex feelings McCurdy develops about their relationship as she gets older. Throughout, McCurdy doesn’t shy away from the gritty realities of how her upbringing and her experiences on set drastically impact her self-image and the relationships she forms with others. Please be aware that this book goes into heavy detail about McCurdy’s struggle with eating disorders and it’s a very difficult read at times.
This makes for an uncomfortable yet gripping read and I’m so glad McCurdy was able to get help for what she’s been through.
Imago by Octavia E. Butler
3.0
This felt more like a spin-off than a continuation and conclusion of a trilogy. I feel Imago didn't add anything particularly ground-breaking or new to the overall narrative and it fell quite flat for me.
I still very much enjoy Octavia E. Butler's writing style and her ability to write the otherwordly with disturbing familiarity. Being in Jodahs' head was definitely uncomfortable and highlighted even more the intentions of the alien race.
I still very much enjoy Octavia E. Butler's writing style and her ability to write the otherwordly with disturbing familiarity. Being in Jodahs' head was definitely uncomfortable and highlighted even more the intentions of the alien race.