Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Rating: ★★★

Libby can be very motivating when it comes to reading. I started Firekeeper’s Daughter, but didn’t finish before my loan expired. I had to put another hold on. When it came in again, I read so fast to finish in time! I also have about 4 or 5 other books right now because all of my holds came in at the same time. There’s no way I’m going to finish more than one of those.

Anyway, let’s talk about this book. Our main character, Daunis, is half Ojibwe, but because of a technicality on her birth certificate, she’s not formally accepted by the tribe. She lives between her white family and her native family. The story blooms from Daunis’ difficulty with her identity, family, and tradition. Interjected is a criminal investigation about meth being sold on reservations. Daunis is recruited to work undercover. She struggles because this is her community and she doesn’t want to betray them, but she also wants to help them. Also, the story takes place in the early 2000s. This doesn’t necessarily affect the plot all that much. I even forgot most of the time, until I realized how little technology played a part in the characters’ lives.

I enjoyed this book and was interested in the plot. There are moments that made me a little emotional surrounding grief and loss. Daunis’ relationship with her mother didn’t exactly remind me of my own, but there are things they say to each other that moved me. Daunis’ feelings about herself in relation to her parents’ lives, however, felt personal to me. Living between parents who are separated for whatever reason is difficult. The book shows how it is to live with grief in many different ways, and those moments were very special.

However, in some ways it felt convoluted, convenient, and predictable. I found myself thinking, “I wish this written better,” meaning the structure of the mystery and overall story. There are many revelations and different characters. I do like that since the book is about Daunis’ life, which is wide and varied. The book was rich in that sense. But working out the mystery could have been done more clearly. The two aspects of the book – Daunis’ life and the mystery – simply don’t mesh well.

I suppose on the one hand, they shouldn’t exactly mesh. After all, this mystery is disturbing her life. However, what I mean is how the story is created. It felt messy and unresolved. I was able to predict several revelations. I wonder what it would have been like if Daunis’ life was even more forward and the mystery took a complete backseat. For example, if Daunis only heard rumors and someone else was working undercover. If the book was a study on Daunis’ identity, grief, family, etc., even more than it already is, I think this could have been a great book.

Additionally, the romantic plot almost made me angry. I don’t read or enjoy romance, so most of the time a romantic plot needs to be done really well for me to like it. A lot of the time it feels like every book puts in romance just to have it there. With Firekeeper’s Daughter, it makes sense to a degree. Daunis is undercover and having this boyfriend is her cover. But she then is distracted multiple times by how hot he is and how drawn she feels to him. It felt out of character and forced so it could lead to romance instead of just being undercover.

Overall, I might read this book again. It had its moments. I can’t say the mystery was the most interesting part, though, so I do wish it was in the background more.

Trigger Warning for this book: sexual assault. It doesn’t go into detail, but an assault happens on the page.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Rating: ★★★★

It’s been a while since I finished a book, but I’ve started many. According to my Goodreads, I’m currently reading 9 books. A few I own, and a few are from the library (Libby). I don’t read quite fast enough, so my loan usually expires before I finish. Then I have to put it on hold again. With Anne of Green Gables, I didn’t finish within the allotted two weeks either, but no one else had it on hold luckily!

I’ve never read Anne before and I knew nothing about it. I thought it was about an orphaned, red-headed girl who got treated badly but had an imagination. That doesn’t seem right at all after reading this book. Yes, she was badly treated in her past and she does have quite the imagination, but Anne is about something entirely different.

Anne is an orphan, and by accident she is adopted by siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables on Prince Edward Island. They are both loving in their own way, and Anne is raised in a remarkable way. She is free to be herself. Sometimes her temper or pride get her into difficult situations, but it all works out. This book isn’t here to challenge the reader in any real way. It’s meant to be pleasant and lovable.

For me, this book romanticizes childhood, but I don’t mean that in any kind of negative way. I’m tempted to write that, “We all want…,” but I will only speak for myself. I desperately want to remember how it felt to be a child. The imagination and the dreams. The magic, fun, play, laughter, ambition, hope… How so many things were new and exciting. How the world seemed great and full of possibility. I think this book romanticizes all of that, but in a way that it should be romanticized. We, as adults, should try so hard to remember those feelings.

I haven’t read up on any history of this book. I know when it was published, and that’s about it. I’m afraid if I read about the book, I’ll be spoiled for the rest of the series. I would like to continue reading it, and even the smallest spoilers usually bother me. So I’m unsure of any intent by the author, or history of the author herself.

The reason I’m not giving the book a full five stars is because roughly the last third bothered me. Most of the book was so detailed with how Anne was growing up between the ages of about 11 and 13. And then suddenly she’s flying through the years, and I think the book ends with her being almost 17. The chapters dedicated to “young” Anne are darling. I couldn’t stop reading. I enjoyed all of Anne’s eccentricities, and Marilla’s reserved amusement. Then all of sudden, Marilla remarks that Anne doesn’t talk as much anymore. What happened between then and now?

I would have loved more time dedicated to those teenage years. Again, I don’t know how the book was published – was it serialized? I don’t know how the author wrote it – was she rushed in the end, or was a series planned from the beginning? In any case, it looks like there are eight books in total. I suppose the story from here will dedicated to Anne as an adult. I’m sure it will be interesting, but the two-thirds of Anne of Green Gables dedicated to young Anne was so special.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Rating: ★★★★★

I’ve never read an Earthsea book, and I knew nothing about the world except that it was fantasy. I didn’t even know the name, “Ged.” I’d heard in many places how respected Le Guin is, but reading Earthsea was something I just would get around to one day.

Well, I got my library card and began using the Libby app. I’ve been reading ebooks on my tablet instead of my phone, and it’s much more enjoyable. And that’s how I put a hold on A Wizard of Earthsea. I knew of the book, and it was there, and when it became available, I read it.

Well, what a surprise and a delight. It’s a fantastical book following a young man as he becomes a wizard. However, he’s arrogant and proud, believing in his own greatness. This nearly ruins him, and then he must right his wrongs and discover how he can be that wizard.

The book is short, so I don’t want to share too many details. Learning about the world of Earthsea should be done by the book itself. It’s a quick, smooth read. The writing pulls you along as though you were listening to someone tell a great story at a party. You don’t want them to stop. You need to know what happens.

Le Guin’s style made me think not only of Lord of the Rings but also Narnia. It felt like a mix to me. It’s a fantasical history of sorts, and it’s so pleasant and enjoyable to experience. I can’t wait to read the next one.

How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica

Rating: ★★★

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for review from Netgalley. Thank you to Tin House Books.

I believe the prologue of How We Named the Stars is absolutely beautiful. I cried a little when I read it the first time, and then read it again when I finished the book. The entire book itself is full of beautiful, emotional writing. When I finished, I discovered Ordorica is a poet, so that makes sense.

With that said, I want to say the book lacks substance because so much relies on language alone. Most of the book is just paragraphs of Daniel’s, the narrator, thoughts. Not exactly much happens until the third part. Until then, so much is just what’s in his head. However, it’s difficult to say the book lacks substance since the point seems to be emotional, not plot-focused. Still, it fell flat for me.

Speaking of the plot, essentially it’s supposed to be adjacent to a love story between Daniel and Sam. At least, that’s how I feel. Perhaps others would say it’s a full-on love story. But as I said, so much is in Daniel’s head. I find it hard to discuss this without spoilers, but the links between Daniel and others felt weak. If more time was spent with those other characters, where we as readers see them being themselves instead of Daniel telling us about them, perhaps the links would feel stronger. Besides Daniel and Sam, and really just Daniel, there is nothing to be said of these characters. I know nothing about them or their development. With Sam, I had trouble understanding why Sam felt the way he did. It was like, it just happened because it needed to be that way for the book. There was no development of character or feelings.

In the third part of the book, things change in many ways and there are so many scenes with other people. People talking and things happening. This was like a breath of fresh air. To be honest, while reading the first and second parts, I was getting frustrated. It was Daniel’s constant thoughts. If there was a scene with dialogue, each line was followed by a paragraph of Daniel’s thoughts. I didn’t know if the whole book would be this way, but I didn’t want to give up. The prose itself was lovely.

I guess all of this boils down to the old adage of “show don’t tell.” This book almost solely tells us what is going on. It was disappointing. My frustration would rate it two stars, but my feelings while reading Ordorica’s use of language would give it four stars. Normally, a three star rating from me usually means it’s a middling book. But I can’t say that’s the case here. There are two strong reactions to this book, and three stars is just the average.

It’s a Privilege Just to Be Here by Emma Sasaki

Rating: ★ – DNF

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for review from Netgalley. Thank you to Alcove Press.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book. I got almost 60 pages in, and I had a lot of difficulty. I understand ARC’s are not finished copies. They’re not polished, perfect, and ready to go. However, this felt like a first draft. There were a lot of basic errors – punctuation, grammar, tense – but also more serious construction issues. It was hard to follow what was happening, and this was right from the opening scene. The narrator, Aki, jumps between current action and dialogue, her own thoughts, something that happened in the past, the history of the person she’s talking to, and other things.

The premise of the book is interesting: an Asian teacher is working at a mostly white, rich, privileged prep school when racist graffiti appears. How will the school, students, and faculty respond to this? I love prep school and boarding school stories, so I was excited for this. What’s more, Aki’s daughter, Meg, attends the school since her mother is a teacher there, so that is an interesting dynamic as well.

However, I didn’t expect this to be comedic, and the presentation of many characters and events seem to lean towards humor. I don’t know if that was intentional or, frankly, bad writing due to being an underdeveloped story. I feel like this book just was not ready to be published. Highly disappointed.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Rating: ★★★

TW: Attempted sexual assault.

I’ve wanted to read one of Moreno-Garcia’s books for quite some time, and Mexican Gothic happened to be the first since I picked up a copy in a spooky, “haunted” bookstore on a trip for my fifth year anniversary. I’m interested in each of her titles, so I didn’t have a preference which book would come first. However, I have to say I’m disappointed this was my first read by her since I was disappointed by the book.

The story is set in a Gothic, haunted house and has many Gothic themes and characteristics. I suppose that was my issue from the beginning. It was like being hit over the head: “This is a Gothic story!” I mean, it’s right there in the title. I’m not sure what my expectation was. Perhaps some sort of subversion, or turning it all on its head? Instead, it became a runaway train. I think the story tries to lean in so hard, too hard, that it verges on ridiculous.

The story centers on Noemí Taboada who has come to this house to help her cousin, who lives with her new husband and his family. Noemí has no idea what she’s in for. She thinks her cousin is simply unwell and needs assistance. But there is so much more going on, and the mysteries and horrors unravel quite slowly before coming down all at once, like an avalanche. The slowness of the first half or so of the book bogged me down a bit. I kept going to see what would happen, but I felt frustrated for most of this book.

Avoiding spoilers, I want to say why I’m giving three stars and not a lower rating. Obviously I haven’t said many positive things here. While the face of the story didn’t do much for me, the undertones, symbolism, and postcolonial lens all work powerfully here. The story takes place in Mexico, where Noemí’s cousin’s family has settled from Europe. They settled there long ago and opened a mine. That alone is not only symbolic, but plainly shows how white settlers come in and rip open indigenous land for their own gain. As the story progresses, there are many things the family does, and have done in the past, which parallel how white settlers have treated indigenous women, lands, wealth, children, economies, power, individuality, and freedom. Trying to defeat such a family, to right such wrongs… what could do it? How much would it take?

I can see, when viewing the story this way, how it works. It’s like looking at a painting, and it’s alright, but when the light changes, it’s beautiful, because you can see things that were hidden before. I think, though, that the main story, or painting, or anything, should be done well and enjoyable. The events of Mexican Gothic were sometimes predictable and uninteresting. Great Gothic stories are classics because of the tension in the main character’s solitude. I didn’t feel that here. I felt bored. With the horror elements, how vulgar and gross they were, even then I wasn’t moved since they felt over the top, but not in a camp way.

In writing this review, I’ve been trying to sort my own thoughts. I’m conflicted because I like what Moreno-Garcia did, but I suppose I don’t like how she did it. Perhaps in the future I could read Mexican Gothic again, after reading some of her other stories, to experience the story again and hopefully enjoy it more.

Currently Reading – January 2024

I don’t usually post anything except reviews; however, I’ve been reading more in the past few weeks than in the past few years. I’ve also been writing and enjoying it, which hasn’t happened in years as well. I don’t think creating a TBR would be a good idea since in the past it’s felt like too much pressure. I like to pick my next read naturally, based on however I feel in the moment. But I am reading a few different books at the moment, so I thought I’d share those. I may be making more “blog posts” here, rather than just reviews, this year. Hopefully this uptick in reading and writing will continue.

Opinions by Roxane Gay

This is Roxane Gay’s latest book, and I think I’ve read almost all of her books. There may be one or two I haven’t read that are less available. I follow her on social media and generally appreciate her point-of-view and, well, opinions. I was excited for this book. I started it some time ago, and it’s basically a compilation of essays or opinion pieces from across the years. I’m unsure why this compilation came out now, what occasion it’s marking, but I am still early in the book.

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

I’ve listened to every episode of this podcast as it aired, and it’s my understanding this book is made up of those episodes plus more content. I adore that podcast, and John Green in general. His earnestness and dedication to hope has inspired me in so many ways. I believe I’ve read all of his books as well. I bought the physical copy of this book when it was first published, though I never read it. Now, though, Spotify offers paid users 15 free hours of audiobook listening. Since I loved the podcast, that’s how I’m reading this book.

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

I’m continuing the Murderbot series. This is the fourth book, but I haven’t actually started it yet. I bought the ebook as soon as I finished Rogue Protocol. For a long time, I only read ebooks on my phone. Lately, I’ve been very into physical copies, so I haven’t read on my phone at all.

Monstress Book One by Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda

I read the first few issues of Monstress a long time ago and always wanted to read more. Well, many issues have come out since, and as a Christmas present I received Book One and Book Two. Book One is a collection of the first 18 issues. I started this, but only read a few pages.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This is the latest book I’ve started, and also the one I’ve been reading the most. I bought a copy when I went on a trip for my fifth year anniversary in October, and I’ve always wanted to read a book by Moreno-Garcia. I think I’ve heard good things about all of their books. I’m just over 100 pages in right now.

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Rating: ★★★★★

I’m so happy I was able to finish this book before the end of the year. I have to say upfront how much I enjoyed it. I felt so hard and so many things while reading this story. That hasn’t happened in a while. I don’t mean to sound old (I’m about to be 36), but a lot of new media I consume doesn’t make me feel much. I thought it was because all stories had been told, that I had seen all the formulas. But now I think it’s the way stories are told. The story of The Bean Trees is not necessarily groundbreaking. But Kingsolver’s prose, the way characters interact, the facts of the world around them, and zooming in on small moments are what make this book great. Those, and so many other things. With this in mind, I’ve started looking more at books published in the past rather than the newest ones. Don’t hold me to that, though.

The Bean Trees can’t really be summarized. A girl leaves rural Kentucky, practically fleeing, because she doesn’t want to die in the dirt there. She ends up in charge of an Indian toddler and living in Arizona with another woman who has her own baby. (As friends. Nothing queer here.) She works in a used tire shop for an older woman who helps refugees trying to make their way to safety while the American government wants to send them back to be killed in their home country. There is so much in this novel, and that’s because life itself is complicated and messy.

I read this book in high school, and for all these years, I’ve remembered that I liked the book. However, I’d forgotten anything significant about it, only that someone (I thought the main character) helps refugees to safety. I bought a copy a long time ago, and I can’t say how happy I am that I’ve read it.

This book deeply affected me. A big theme is motherhood, and the fear of taking care of a child. I don’t have or want children, but my mother died in 2018 and we did not have a wonderful relationship. Certain things resonated with me, and other things I probably just projected my own issues onto. But that happens for all readers, right? Every reading experience will be different. Being able to connect so strongly to a book, though, is a sign of the strength of the book, of the book’s own character and power.

There’s a scene near the very end where the main character calls her own mother back in Kentucky on a payphone. They don’t want to hang up, saying goodbye to each other several times, until the main character finally says she has to go. This moment just made me bawl. I see how it’s because I miss my own mom, that I’d love to talk to her on the phone again. I see exactly how we wouldn’t be able to hang up on each other. Moments like this, the reality of it all, is why this book is so moving and why I could connect with it.

Anyway, I recommend it.

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen

Rating: ★★

Wow, finishing books so close together is really impressive for me. I received The Kingdom of Sweets from Book of the Month, and I chose it because it’s inspired by The Nutcracker. I had vague memories of the ballet, but felt like I liked it. I also thought it’d be fun for Christmas.

I did really enjoy reading this book. I reached for it, looked forward to it. Last night I read for two hours in order to finish it. I go back and forth on my rating, between 2 or 3 stars. I lean towards 3 because of how much I wanted to finish the story, but I’m stuck at 2 because I noticed the flaws I will discuss while reading. I also realized more issues after finishing.

I don’t want to discuss the plot in depth because I hate giving out spoilers. I also went in completely blind, which is my favorite way to read a book. My reviews are not plot descriptions because of this. The story is definitely inspired by The Nutcracker in a loose way. I read the plot of the ballet after finishing and I think Johansen did so much with what was there. There are moments that are directly taken and expanded on in a very interesting way. A new character is introduced, Natasha, and the story is from her point-of-view. Her twin is Clara, and Clara has always had everything: attention, beauty, love. Natasha sticks to the walls and is friends with servants. This dynamic works for them and they aren’t enemies. But it fuels what happens in the story.

The momentum stayed up for me and I just wanted to know what would happen. However, in the last 30% or 40%, I started to feel like the story was falling flat. And that feeling stuck once the book ended. I hate to say this, but there was so much potential. Overall, I think this book suffered from a lack of editing. There are so many ideas: directly from the ballet, inspired by it, and newly formed. I suppose they don’t mesh seamlessly. Early on in the book, I found repetition was common. In the actual Kingdom of Sweets, it makes sense to describe all the different sweets, but it became, well, annoying. This after this after this after this. These types of repetitive descriptions happened multiple times. The writing didn’t feel clear, especially when describing a complicated idea. A few times, I simply couldn’t understand what was happening.

One thing that bothered from the beginning was the fact that this book is nearly all exposition. Yes, there are scenes of dialogue and action. But only very key scenes are acted out in this way. Everything else is told to the reader by Natasha. At one point I though Johansen might be doing this on purpose since there is no speaking in a ballet, which is clever, but she does have scenes with dialogue. You can’t really go halfway with that idea.

Yes, I read the book, and quickly, so how bad can it be? Could I recommend it? Perhaps. Just with the caveat that it is lackluster. It needed to be tightened up and polished.

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

Rating: ★★

It’s been a while since I updated this blog. I haven’t been reading much since June. I did finish the third book of the Murderbot series, but I didn’t do a full review. I enjoyed it and gave it three stars.

The Salt Grows Heavy was recommended to me by a coworker, and they even brought their copy in for me to read. Even though it’s such a short book, it took me a while, about two months, to finish it. I picked it up for a bit, then stopped for a long while. I finished the last half in the past two or three days.

Without looking at a blurb, it’s hard for me to say exactly what this book was about. Maybe that’s my own fault because I went so long between starting and finishing. After looking it up, I’m reminded that this is a story of a mermaid and a plague doctor who become more-or-less trapped in a village of children and surgeons. The story is full of gore and mystery. There’s elements of fantasy and, I suppose, science-fiction, though nothing is fully explained.

I think my issue is with many novellas or short stories I read: the setup isn’t there. I’m not oriented enough when I begin the story, so I don’t understand how things work or where we are. However, I continue on, trying to enjoy it. By the end, the story felt flat, like the big flourish of an ending, or even a climax, wasn’t there. I left disappointed, because I did really enjoy the writing of this novella. It’s creepy and gory. The mythology of the mermaid here is terrifying, and the reader realizes it over time. That’s the novella’s strength. Everything else, though, seems like extras so the author could share this mythology.

The plot was uninteresting to me, and at the end something happens that seems completely out of left field. I don’t know if the author was building to it, if it’s not a spoiler, or if it’s obvious. I’m not going to say what it is just in case, but it seemed so awkward and wrong for the story. Suffice it to say, I didn’t like the ending.

I would definitely read other stories by Khaw because the writing was great. This was the first thing I’ve read from them, so of course I’d try again. Also, it has no bearing on anything, but this cover is absolutely stunning. I would hang this on my wall!