Book #251 of 2017: Drowned Wednesday by Garth Nix (The Keys to the Kingdom #3) This third volume in Garth Nix’s seven-part Keys to the Kingdom series is the least formulaic so far, which is a welcome change from the one before. I’m still not super invested in the story or these characters – still …
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Book #250 of 2017: Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede (Enchanted Forest Chronicles #2) Even more so than the book before it, this second novel in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles is cute and fun and absolutely hilarious. Author Patricia C. Wrede’s wry comic tone has been honed to perfection here, and I especially like …
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Book #249 of 2017: Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore College dropout Jane is at a crossroads in her life when she accepts a wealthy friend’s invitation to come visit her family’s island manor. While there, the result of one small decision leads Jane off into different branching and genre-hopping adventures, which author Kristin Cashore presents …
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Book #248 of 2017: The Color Purple by Alice Walker This Pulitzer-winning novel speaks powerfully of all the ways that people can be boxed in and abused by society, particularly poor black women in the rural south. Its epistolary format is ideal for carrying the raw emotion of its heroine as she struggles to find …
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Book #247 of 2017: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas I have such mixed feelings about this book, which essentially aims to be Black Lives Matter: the novel. It’s important, and I’m so glad that it exists and has become a bestseller. I love that it’s going to introduce some readers to the widespread …
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Book 246 of 2017: Shardik by Richard Adams (Beklan Empire #1) I loved this 1974 story of a Stone Age civilization treating a giant bear as the incarnation of their god, a sprawling feat of worldbuilding that feels wholly different from the author’s better-known classic Watership Down. It’s slow but engaging, and I appreciate the …
Book #245 of 2017: The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey Among the great strengths of author M.R. Carey’s The Girl with All the Gifts are its unique viewpoint character and the gradual way that it eases readers into some key realizations about her world. But given those strengths, it’s hard not to feel …
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Book #244 of 2017: Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E. K. Johnston Fiction about rape can easily turn maudlin, but E. K. Johnston has written a tightly-focused story of a high school cheerleader who refuses to consider herself a victim, even as she struggles to overcome the trauma. It’s a tricky balance, and sensitive …
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Book #243 of 2017: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman (The Book of Dust #1) A fairly underwhelming prequel to Philip Pullman’s classic His Dark Materials trilogy, La Belle Sauvage consists mainly of characters trading custody of the baby Lyra Belacqua like a tiny squalling MacGuffin. There’s too much focus on setting up the events …
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Book #242 of 2017: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (Grisha #2) Two books in, I’m still pretty lukewarm on this trilogy. It’s good enough to keep reading, especially for the extra background on author Leigh Bardugo’s superior semi-sequel series Six of Crows, but far too much time is spent on the main character’s love …
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