Book Review: My Name is Venus Black

  3.5 stars - this book wasn't for me but might be for you!

My Name Is Venus Black is a beautifully written novel that follows the lives of two families in the aftermath of Venus' crime that set multiple things in motion and altered the courses of many lives. Initially the story is told from two POVs, Venus and Leo, but as the tale progresses more perspectives are included in the mix to give a well-rounded and full picture of what is happening and the impact.

Book Review: The Rending and the Nest

5 stars, fantastic sci-fi and speculative fiction for the adult reader.

The Rending and the Nest is one of the most compelling, unique, sad, and hopeful books that I have read. At its core this is a character-driven book set in a post-apocalyptic setting, using that setting to delve into topics of community and the human condition... when everything we knew from before is left behind, how do we persevere? 

"The most dangerous thing of all is the absence of a story, a narrative to explain what is happening to you. A why with no edges. Because someone will always arrive to invent one."

This is a beautifully written novel about the creation of your own story in the wake of some kind of world event that eliminates 95% of the world's inhabitants. The narrator is Mira, who was 17 years old when the Rending happened and her tale describes the happenings of the six subsequent years. An explanation is never provided for what happened, but much like the characters in the book, that answer became less important to me as I continued to read - the Rending was a new birth for those that remained, a new beginning. The world they inhabit after allowed themselves distance from their past if they so chose. The world After was not necessarily better, just different. While the characters long for the Before as the greener pastures, their lost family and friends, there is some clarity in that people tend to always want something other than where they are - always wanting more, or different - and that was no different in the Before.

This is an amazing book about the human condition and what drives each and every one of us.  I cannot recommend this book enough.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher, Bloomsbury USA, for the ARC and opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Looking for a fun urban fantasy series? Check out Reapers Inc

I have read this book a handful of times and always find myself gravitating toward it when I want something light and entertaining. The Reapers Inc series definitely fits that bill. You may think that all the work and bull**** you have to deal with during life is over when you die... but the Afterlife is just as bustling of a business. Lana Harvey is a low risk and low ambition reaper, one of less than 100 that escort the dead to the Afterlife in order to free up Grim for administrative responsibilities... because running Eternity is a tough business. Unfortunately the peace in place for hundreds of years is at risk due to the ambition of others, and to everyone's chagrin Lana is promoted in charge of solving the problems. But not without a lot of adventure, griping, and demon guts. I love the world that Roquet built in this series. LOVE. Her imagining of the Afterlife is one that satiates my curiosity in such a satisfactory way, and the issues Eternity faces serve as an important allegory are timeless: power, ambition, secrets. There are seven titles in the Reapers Inc series, which wrapped up in the fall of 2016. Often times I find that authors drag on the story to keep a good thing going, and it seems rare that authors have a decided story arc. I was just as engaged with the series in Hellfire and Brimstone as I was with Graveyard Shift. Each installment of the series delves deeper into the characters, their relationships, and the impending war in Eternity. Self published titles often get a bad rap, but this series (despite a few typos) is really a diamond in the rough. I cannot recommend it more... if you like urban fantasy, religious themes, humorous characters, and a strong AF female lead you will love this book and series.

Book Review: Song of a Captive Bird

Breathtaking and powerful, Song of a Captive Bird is an incredible piece of literature. The novel transports the reader to Iran in the 1940s and 1950s and offers a fictionalized account of the life of Forugh Farrokzhad, a woman who disregarded tradition and found her voice through poetry.

I had a difficult time putting the book down, falling asleep with it in my hands two nights in a row. As a person not well versed in Iranian history or literature/poetry, I found myself captivated by Darznik's portrayal of Forugh and felt transported in time. The narrative flows like prose, and the fictionalized telling of Forugh's life is paired with the political and cultural issues of the time. It is clear that Darznik has conducted countless hours of research, and I learned a lot about Iran during the time period.

I really enjoyed Darznik's style of writing and exposition: foreshadowing that constantly hooked me back in and wanting to see what would happen next. In my opinion this style of writing is difficult to execute and rarely works, but as a person without prior knowledge of the source material it kept me engaged.

Themes of freedom, friendship, love, pursuing that which brings you joy, and not silencing yourself. This novel brings to life a woman who inspired the feminist movement in Iran, and I cannot recommend this book enough.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review. Song of a Captive Bird will be released on February 18, 2018.