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Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao Published by Del Ray on January 14, 2025 Genres:Fantasy Pages: 384 Format: Hardcover Source: Illumicrate
Content Warnings: Death, Blood, Injury, Loss of a Parent, Abortion, Grief, Alcohol Consumption, Abandonment
Rating:
On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets. Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike its other customers, for he offers help instead of seeking it. Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice—by way of rain puddles, rides on paper cranes, the bridge between midnight and morning, and a night market in the clouds. But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own—and risk making a choice that she will never be able to take back.
I really wanted to love this book, but it just fell flat. I'm not saying it's bad; it just wasn't the amazing, epic adventure I was hoping it would be. I kept seeing Water Moon described as akin to Howl's Moving Castle or a Studio Ghibli film, and while I can definitely see the whimsy, it failed to live up to the hype. So what went wrong?
First and foremost, it felt like the plot went nowhere. Sure, the protagonists were constantly on the move, jumping through puddles, sailing on a song, or being folded into bits to move between realms, but there was very little plot progression during this magical journey. It was the same repetitive theme over and over: run away from the big bads, safe, then run some more. During this time, we do learn all about the world in which Hana lives, which is incredible. The world-building is beautifully executedand immersive, akin to a Studio Ghibli film but without the engaging story.
On top of the overall lack of plot, the romance is underdeveloped and boring. Hana and Keishin fall in love almost immediately, but there is no build-up, character development, or meaningful interactions between the two. There is a potential plot element that could explain their instant attraction, but you don't discover this until the very end, and it just feels...forced. The juxtaposition of the whimsy with sex scenes was messy and not well executed on top of a lukewarm romance. Don't get me wrong, I was happy the two end up together and think they make a cute couple in light of all the details, but its not a grand love story that I'll remember for the rest of my life.
As mentioned earlier, I absolutely loved the world-building. I even loved Hana's character development. She felt three-dimensional and interesting, while Keishin felt predictable and out of place. I didn't care whether his character stayed or left. Honestly, this was a trip Hana should have taken with her father, not some random stranger who magically appears in her shop one morning. Keishin's only purpose it to progress a subpar romance.
Water Moonwould make for a fantastic movie, but I wouldn't recommend wasting your time reading it unless you are just interested in a new experience. I will hand it to Sotto Yambao that the story was unique and very whimsical, but it could have been executed better.
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What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould Published by Wednesday Books on December 10, 2024 Genres:Horror, LGBT, Folklore Pages: 336 Format: Hardcover Source: OwlCrate December 2024
Content Warnings: Gore, Violence, Mentions of Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Suicide, Self Harm, Drug Use
Rating:
Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to find two men in her bedroom. No stranger to a fight, she calls to her foster parents for help, but it soon becomes clear this is a planned abduction—one everyone but Devin signed up for. She’s shoved in a van and driven deep into the Idaho woods, where she’s dropped off with a cohort of equally confused teens. Finally, two camp counselors inform them that they've all been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. If the campers can learn to change their self-destructive ways—and survive a fifty-days hike through the wilderness—they’ll come out the other side as better versions of themselves. Or so the counselors say. Devin is immediately determined to escape. She’s also determined to ignore Sheridan, the cruel-mouthed, lavender-haired bully who mocks every group exercise. But there’s something strange about these woods—inhuman faces appearing between the trees, visions of people who shouldn't be there flashing in the leaves—and when the campers wake up to find both counselors missing, therapy becomes the least of their problems. Stranded and left to fend for themselves, the teens quickly realize they’ll have to trust each other if they want to survive. But what lies in the woods may not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other—and if the monsters have their way, no one will leave the woods alive.
First and foremost, the OwlCrate edition of What the Woods Took is absolutely stunning, and I am thankful I decided to renew my subscription for the month of December. It has gorgeous stenciled edges, an eerie dust jacket redesign, and a beautifully decorated hardcover. As for the actual story, it was a thrilling read.
What the Woods Took is an interesting critique on wilderness rehabilitation camps and retreats for troubled teens. These programs have a history of being sketchy, and the science behind them just isn't there. While modern camps and retreats might not be dealing with real monsters hunting everyone involved, they do have a habit of bringing out the worst in us. Gould does an excellent job showing how forcing children to break can bring out those demons, with campers turning against each other in a fight for survival. She sprinkles in a bit of psychological horror as well, making it difficult to determine what is and is not real, which adds to the eeriness of it all.
What the Woods Took is told from multiple perspectives, mostly that of Devin and Oliver, who quickly bond over their shared experiences. We occasionally hear from Sheridan, Devin's rival, with the rest of the campers' stories being told through dialogue. As the plot progresses, we get a deeper look into the trauma each camper has experienced, from child abuse and foster care to sibling loss and parental estrangement. As someone who works with teens on a daily basis, insights into a child's trauma informs their behavior. Children are not inherently bad; they just make bad choices. I fell in love with every single camper and cried right along with them as they suffered unimaginable horrors in their fight to escape a forest trying to kill them.
The character development and world-building were so good I couldn't put the book down. It was incredibly engaging and very fast-paced, but the ending left something to be desired. It fell flat for me, and that's why I ended up rating the book 3.5 out of 5 stars. Ending a book like this is difficult, and while everything was wrapped up in a nice little bow, it felt forced and out of place, almost dreamlike, but not in a good way. I think I would have appreciated a more open ending that left me unsure of what really went on, but Gould did dive into some of the things that happen after someone survives a horrific event, especially if it is "unbelievable."
Overall, What the Woods Took is a quick, eerie read that isa perfect palette cleanser between series or if you are in a reading slump.
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We Shall Be Monsters by Alyssa Wees Published by Del Ray on November 12, 2024 Genres:Fantasy Pages: 320 Format: Paperback Source: Gifted
Content Warnings: Death, Blood, Gore, Intergeneration Trauma, Patriarchy, Loss of a Parent
Rating:
Gemma Cassata lives with her mother in an isolated antiques shop in Michigan, near a seductive patch of woods concealing an enchanted gateway to fairyland. Gemma knows she’s not supposed to go into the woods—her mother, Virginia, has warned her multiple times about the monsters that lurk there—and yet she can’t resist. Virginia understands her daughter’s defiance. She knows the allure of the woods all too well. Her own mother warned her about the monsters, and Virginia also did not listen—until a witch cursed her true love just days before their child’s birth. So Virginia will do whatever she can to protect her daughter—even if it means stealing Gemma’s memories. But everything changes when Gemma gets too close to the truth, and the witch takes Virginia . Now it is up to Gemma to venture deep into the mysterious woods to rescue her mother and break the curse. Told in the alternating viewpoints of Gemma and Virginia, this novel is not only a tale of a girl’s fantastical quest through a darkly magical fairyland but also an exploration of the complex bonds between children and their parents.
Where The Waking Forest took place entirely beyond our realm, We Shall Be Monsters does not. Instead it takes place right in our own backyard of Michigan, where I was born, changing the way I view the dense forest behind my own home. There is something different about the woods up North, something almost primordial...Wees uses this to her advantage, creating an utterly terrifying yet oddly welcoming enchanted forest.
We Shall Be Monsters is a dual perspective novel, told from both mother's (Virginia) and daughter's (Gemma) point of view. The time line is not necessarily linear, but its made plain when we are in the past versus when we are in current time. I loved the back and forth story of mother and daughter as they struggle with the decisions that they have made and those that have been made for them. As Gemma approaches her 15th birthday, things become increasingly obvious that something bad is going to happen, prompting Gemma to go on the adventure of a life time to save her mother who was stolen by monsters years before. The story does an excellent job exploring intergenerational trauma, and how younger generations can work with older generations to break these cycles for the benefit of everyone. I wish this part of the story had been explored in more detail, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
The story is fast-paced and the world-building is enough to leave you feeling uncomfortable yet determined to persevere with Gemma and Virginia as they grapple with they consequences of their choices. The character development for both Virginia and Gemma is phenomenal, but the other characters often fell flat or felt one-dimensional. Sylvanus, the elusive faery prince, started out fantastic, but quickly devolved into nothing more than blood lust. In fact, he wrongfully kills innocent creatures, which left me feeling sick to my stomach. I did not love his character by the end, which is unfortunate because I believed he had so much potential
However, after the big-bad is finally defeated, we are given a chance to see into the lives of other creatures in the forest, in particular one who struggled with what was expected of her. I wish Wees had given us so much more here than she did because her commentary on societal expectations of women is something to be applauded. Very briefly, Wees explores how society's expectations of women, particularly those related to patriarchy, often force women into situations they do not want. Women are expected to marry and bare children, but that isn't a path many women want, including one of the characters in this book. Despite not wanting to marry or have children, some women still do, which results in children being neglected at best and killed at worst.Living in a patriarchal society hurts everyone, especially women and children, and We Shall Be Monsters makes this very clear.
While I enjoyed the story overall, although I do feel parts were rushed or unrealistic. I gave We Shall Be Monsters 3.5 stars, rounded up to 5. I didn't enjoy it as much as The Waking Forest but it was still a fun read while waiting for other books to arrive.
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The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter Series: The Burning #2 Published by Orbit on November 10, 2020 Genres:Epic Fantasy, BIPOC Pages: 529 Format: Paperback Source: Purchased
Content Warnings: Colonization, Genocide, Death, War, Blood, Gore, Sexual Assault, Misogyny, Classism, Racism
Rating:
Tau and his Queen, desperate to delay the impending attack on the capital by the indigenous people of Xidda, craft a dangerous plan. If Tau succeeds, the Queen will have the time she needs to assemble her forces and launch an all out assault on her own capital city, where her sister is being propped up as the 'true' Queen of the Omehi. If the city can be taken, if Tsiora can reclaim her throne, and if she can reunite her people then the Omehi have a chance to survive the onslaught.
I am not going to lie, when I picked up the first book in this series, I thought it was a duology and everything would be tied up nice and neat by the end of The Fires of Vengeance. About half way through, however, I realized my mistake. There was no way Winter could wrap everything up in 2 books. That's when I started doing some digging and realized how wrong I was. Not only is this not a duology, it's intended to be a 4 book series...Great...The third and fourth installment are not out yet, but the third book in the series is set to release this summer. There is no confirmed date for the final book, so heaven knows how long I will have to hold onto these characters in my mind.
Regardless, I was just an enthralled with The Fires of Vengeance as I was with The Rage of Dragons. The story continues with Tau and Tisora as they navigate vengeance, rebellion, and other endless threats and upheavals. I felt much more connected with Tau in this book compared to the one prior. Tau does a lot of growing up, but he still acts impulsively, which is very annoying at times, especially when it results in his friends or family being put into harms way. I have to keep reminding myself that Tau is still a child, and therefore not fully capable of understanding the consequences of his actions. He is definitely an impulsive teenage boy with a chip on his shoulder, but his transformation into a skilled, discipline fighter is something to be admired.
We are also given a much better look into Tisora, the new young queen of the Omehi. She truly shines, even when making mistakes. I loved her character development as well as her insights into the history of the Omehi people. It is Tisora that finally provides us with the information we, the reader, need to understand why the Omehi fled from their ancestral home and why the caste systems are designed the way they are. I love her rebellious streak and her desire to save her people while systemically dismantling systems that have oppressed others for far too long. Of course nothing comes easy for our young queen and her champion, but that's the whole point right?
Winter continues to expand upon his universe with gritty details, history lessons, and beautiful descriptions. Just like before, I felt like I was watching a movie as I read, the characters and landscape blooming across the pages of my mind. The fight scenes, especially those with dragons and demons, were even better than the first book and I can't wait to see where this story takes our main characters.
We also start to get a hint of a couple of different love stories in The Fires of Vengeance. The Rage of Dragons touches on Tau's relationship with Zuri, a childhood friend and Gifted who risks everything to keep Tau and their queen safe during an insurrection. The Fires of Vengeance continues Tau's love story, but at a much slower pace. We are leaning into slow burn romance here, which I look forward to seeing more of in the next book. We also get hints of a relationship between two men in Tau's unit, which was nice to see. I had a feeling there was a bit of this happening, but it was nice to see it confirmed.
If you haven't picked up The Burning series yet, I recommend you do. This one is certain to please and leave you wanting more!
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The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter Series: The Burning #1 Published by Orbit on February 12, 2019 Genres:Epic Fantasy, BIPOC Pages: 578 Format: Paperback Source: Purchased
Content Warnings: Colonization, Genocide, Death, War, Blood, Gore, Sexual Assault, Misogyny, Classism, Racism,
Rating:
The Omehi people have been fighting an unwinnable fight for almost two hundred years. Their society has been built around war and only war. The lucky ones are born gifted. One in every two thousand women has the power to call down dragons. One in every hundred men is able to magically transform himself into a bigger, stronger, faster killing machine. Everyone else is fodder, destined to fight and die in the endless war. Young, gift-less Tau knows all this, but he has a plan of escape. He's going to get himself injured, get out early, and settle down to marriage, children, and land. Only, he doesn't get the chance. Those closest to him are brutally murdered, and his grief swiftly turns to anger. Fixated on revenge, Tau dedicates himself to an unthinkable path. He'll become the greatest swordsman to ever live, a man willing to die a hundred thousand times for the chance to kill the three who betrayed him.
BookTok did not let me down when suggesting I read The Rage of Dragons. I haven't been this excited to see the culmination of a story since I read The Faithful & The Fallen series by John Gwynne, although it's not quite a 5-star series for me like The Faithful & The Fallen. This might be because there haven't been any banger one-liners or moments where I was full-on rooting for the "heroes." In fact, I am not really on the main character's side, or on the side of his people. Let me explain.
The Rage of Dragons is the first in what is expected to be a 4 book series which follows the Omehi people's struggle for survival in a new world after their escape from bloodthirsty, silver-skinned immortals called the Cull. The problem is, the Omehi people do not belong to the new world they have "discovered" on the other side of the Roar (ocean). There are already well-established peoples in this "new" world and in order to take it by force, they have to use their magical abilities and dragons to scorch the new world into submission.
On top of this, there is an extremely oppressive caste system that leaves people broken and destitute based on their blood and whether or not they can serve in the endless war the Omehi rage on the "savages" of their new home. While our main character, Tau, is fighting against this oppressive system, he isn't interested in dismantling it or preventing the war with those indigenous to the land. This is the most frustrating part of the entire series thus far. I want Tau to burn everything to the ground, instead of using the system as it is intended to seek revenge for his father's death. Yes...his father dies, but don't worry, that isn't some great revelation or spoiler. Maybe later books will provide more commentary on dismantling systems of oppression, but as it stands, I am not on the side of the Omehi. For the most part, I have been rooting for them to fail in their conquest.
Despite my frustrations, I thoroughly enjoy the story.The magic system is unique, with the Gifted's abilities arising from the Otherworld, a prison that contains unkillable demons. Slipping into the Otherworld and drawing on its power makes you corporeal in that realm and therefore vulnerable to demon attack. All Gifted are able to shroud while there, thus protecting them from the demons for a time. Over time, however, they tire and their shroud falls. If they are unable to leave fast enough, they fall victim to "demon death," which is beyond horrifying. Omehi Gifted are able to perform a variety of magics, from knocking people's souls into the Otherworld to incapacitate them to enraging their prized Noble fighters, to controlling animals, people, demons, and even dragons. I haven't seen a magical system like this one, and love that only women are able to be Gifted.
In fact, women are the leaders of Omehi society, with husbands and children taking their wife or mother's last name. Women are the rulers and hold almost all of the power, no matter what caste they belong to. Despite their power, there are still signs of misogyny which is frustrating. Queen Tisora, in particular, is often treated as incompetent, fragile, and inexperienced, not just because she is young, but because she is a young woman. Despite this, she rises to the occasion and works tirelessly to do what is best for her people, despite opposition. My greatest complaint about all the women characters in this book is that they are written for the male gaze, but what can you expect from a male author telling a story mostly from the point of view of a man?
The Rage of Dragons is fast-paced, making 578 pages feel like 250, but it's the world-building that really made this story come alive. I could see the entire cast and plot play out in my mind like a movie, every detail of the world springing to life in vibrant technicolor. I pride myself on my vibrant imagination, but Winter's descriptions were so detailed that I could feel the wind whipping against my face. While I may be frustrated with some of the aspects of the story, I was fully engaged the entire time and cannot wait to see what happens to Tau and Queen Tisora in the upcoming books.
I highly recommend picking up The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter if you are interested in fast-paced high fantasy, but not if you want to read about dragons. The dragons play a small part in this story, but their involvement is crucial all the same.
