Month: September 2019

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Book Review: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

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gideon the ninthGideon the Ninth
Tamsyn Muir

Tor.com, 2019
★★★☆☆

Oh, boy. Okay. So why don’t I start by talking about the few things I liked about this book before I go off on a spiel about all the things I deeply disliked.

The Good:

→ The ending kind of saves the day. It’s stellar and harrowing and ties everything together nicely (though even that is bogged down by clunky pacing, as it’s dragged down by an unnecessarily drawn out fight scene). It’s just. It’s clever. Everything fits together nicely. It’s very brutal and it’s intriguing and it’s unexpected and twisty. And it’s just plain cool. Continue reading “Book Review: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir” →

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Wrap-Up: August 2019

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  • The Hidden Face of Eve by Nawal El Saadawi (★★★☆☆)
  • These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling (★★★★☆)
  • Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger (★★★★★)
  • Headscarves and Hymens by Mona Eltahawy (★★★★☆)
  • Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (★★★★☆)
  • Teeth in the Mist by Dawn Kurtagich (★★★★☆)
  • Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (★★★★☆)
  • The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (★★★☆☆)

MONTHLY TOTAL: 8
YEARLY SO FAR: 54

Continue reading “Wrap-Up: August 2019” →
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Book Review: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

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the ten thousand doors of januaryThe Ten Thousand Doors of January
Alix E. Harrow

Orbit, 2019
★★★☆☆

This book is like if Strange the Dreamer and A Darker Shade of Magic got together and had a baby that was then fostered by Margaret Rogerson with occasional visits from Seanan McGuire. I know that’s a completely nonsensical and likely very overwrought metaphor, but there you go.

I don’t quite know what I expected from The Ten Thousand Doors of January – I do know that I was initially very hesitant to read it, and that it was only the hype surrounding it that finally convinced me to pick it up. The summary is quite vague, so I wasn’t quite sure where the book was heading, and it’s certainly in no hurry to tell you. This is a very, very slow-paced book, to the point where I struggled with the pacing at several intervals, and it’s not really so much about adventure and portals and different worlds as it is a coming-of-age story about a lost young girl. Continue reading “Book Review: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow” →