Book #26 of 2020: Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb (The Fitz and the Fool #1) When I first read this novel in 2015, I gave it the following lukewarm review: “Ideally, any sequel should justify its own existence. Why are we returning for another chapter of this story? What new developments require plucking these characters …
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Book #25 of 2020: Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly Less a retelling than a continuation, this novel takes the standard version of the Cinderella fairy tale and imagines a possible redemption story for one of her wicked relations. But it really doesn’t work for me, on just about any level. Worst of all are the under-explained …
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Book #24 of 2020: Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin (Serpent & Dove #1) A reader’s enjoyment of this fantasy debut may depend on their fondness for certain fanfiction tropes about nemeses forced to fake a relationship for appearance’s sake. In this case, it’s a church witchfinder and a secret witch, whose dynamic of grudging …
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Book #22 of 2020: Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly I like the idea behind this wandering maritime adventure — think The Voyage of the Dawn Treader crossed with Disney’s Moana, roughly — but I feel like it would have been stronger if the point-of-view had stuck with the title heroine throughout …
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Book #21 of 2020: Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (Akata Witch #1) This middle-grade series debut has some terrific #ownvoices African-inspired fantasy worldbuilding, but it lags behind in matching that with any significant narrative development or character arcs. So much of the novel consists of either pure exposition about the setting or else the protagonist …
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Book #16 of 2020: Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones (Chrestomanci #1) The start of a long-overdue reread to this fantasy series that I loved as a child, pre-Harry Potter. (And indeed, there are some definite similarities between Harry and this novel’s hero even beyond their distinct Britishness, from the wide-eyed entrance into a world …
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Book #14 of 2020: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5) The action in this series finale is suitably epic, and the parallels to the Trojan War are cute if a little distracting. (These characters all either know a lot about Greek mythology or are the actual mythic figures themselves. …
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Book #13 of 2020: Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust This standalone fantasy novel is a neat feminist retelling of Snow White, especially for how it transforms the evil stepmother / innocent child relationship into a more nuanced interpersonal dynamic. And although the romantic element of the text is fairly understated, having …
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Book #11 of 2020: Fireborne by Rosaria Munda (The Aurelian Cycle #1) Way less bloodthirsty than I would expect for a novel advertised as ‘Game of Thrones meets Red Rising.’ I also have issues with the two protagonists, each of whom is a pretty reactive character with no clear motivation. The premise of the story …
Book #2 of 2020: The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis (The Good Luck Girls #1) I’d like to see more worldbuilding details and more distinctions between two of the supporting characters, but overall this is a rip-roaring YA fantasy western with a mainly female and POC cast. Five teen girls run away from …
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