Book #173 of 2021: Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #33) I generally enjoy the Discworld comic fantasy series, but this entry is perhaps a bit shaggy for my tastes. Although the basic premise of a con artist conscripted into running the failing Ankh-Morpork post office has potential, and that protagonist’s arc is a solid …
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Book #168 of 2021: Long Lost by Jacqueline West This middle-grade ghost story is not particularly spooky, perhaps because the overtly paranormal stuff doesn’t really start until midway through. Mostly, the eleven-year-old protagonist is chafing at her family’s recent move (to benefit her older sister’s prospective Olympic skating career) and getting hooked on a mysterious …
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Book #165 of 2021: The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner The mini-genre of Jewish fantasy / fabulism has been booming lately, which is wonderful for #ownvoices representation and a chance to see myself in such stories, but also means readers can afford to be a little more discerning about what’s on offer. …
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Book #164 of 2021: The Briar King by Greg Keyes (The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone #1) This early 2000s fantasy series is a real hidden gem, one that I’ve always been surprised isn’t more popular. I wouldn’t call it a ripoff of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, but that …
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Book #162 of 2021: Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #31) A tremendously funny and poignant story of a young woman who disguises herself as a lad to enlist in her nation’s army. Author Terry Pratchett strikes a fine balance between showing the camaraderie and bravery of soldiers on the one hand — the reasons …
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Book #161 of 2021: The Descent of Monsters by Neon Yang (Tensorate #3) I think this is my favorite Tensorate novella yet, although it’s a bit of a departure from the previous stories. There’s a brand-new protagonist, a Ministry of Justice official tasked with rubberstamping that a scene of slaughter was caused by arrested rebels …
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Book #159 of 2021: The In-Between by Rebecca K. S. Ansari Too many under-explained elements in the magical side of this middle-grade story, about a young teen who becomes convinced that his next-door neighbor is a harbinger of disaster. Why do the pencils on her desk vanish? What’s ultimately up with that distinctive yet fake …
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Book #155 of 2021: Black Heart by Holly Black (The Curse Workers #3) By finally telling a story that doesn’t hinge on the magical manipulation of memory and emotion, this third entry is the least problematic of its YA urban fantasy trilogy. Unfortunately, it’s also the most boring, with no clear motivation or stakes driving …
Book #153 of 2021: White Gold Wielder by Stephen R. Donaldson (The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant #3) A satisfying conclusion to this second trilogy in the Land, that mystic realm that can be understood as either a real place to which denizens of our world are magically summoned or an internal dreamscape in which …
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Book #150 of 2021: The Red Threads of Fortune by Neon Yang (Tensorate #2) A nice return to the fantasy setting of The Black Tides of Heaven, where children are raised gender-neutral and announce themselves as something else only if/when they’re ready. This spinoff sequel doesn’t really develop the worldbuilding or larger plot much further, …
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