Rutabaga's Reads 2023: Part 5

Time for the first YA compilation post of 2023! This set contains two familiar authors and one that’s new-to-me. Are you familiar with any or all of them? What have you been reading?

Blade Breaker (June 28, 2022) by Victoria Aveyard.

*This is the middle novel in a trilogy.*

Allward is a world divided. The Companions^ have just won their first battle, forcing the kraken back to its monstrous world, but they’re far from winning the war. They travel over Allward from the vast desert of Ibal to the wine-laden prince of Trec and back to Galland. They encounter the Tempestborn, Hell Mel’s vessel. Meliz an-Amarat. Corayne’s mother. They’re angling to close another Spindle, but they’re waylaid by time, monsters and assassins. Allies are needed, but who can the Companions trust when they’re the most wanted individuals in the entire Ward? Because anyone out there could take Corayne - dead or alive, according to the posters plastered around - to the power-hungry Queen Erida of Galland (out to conquer all of the realms of the Ward) and her prince consort, Prince of Old Cor Taristan. Taristan is seemingly invincible with power granted to him by What Waits, the Torn King of Asunder who waits to be free of Asunder, hence the reason Taristan and Ronin, the wizard priest, are looking for more Spindles to tear open. Conquering the entire Ward looks easily possible for Erida and Taristan with the Ashlanders of Asunder, an army of skeletons and rotting corpses. It should also be easy to track down Corayne and/or Konegin, her scheming cousin, yet they both continue to elude them. The Companions and their allies, including Dom’s Vederan cousin, Ridha, a princess of Iona and daughter of the Monarch (Isibel), must rally the world against a common enemy with their wickedly unstoppable army. The fate of Allward rests on the edge of a blade.

            Reading this epic fantasy is to read chaos. It’s not that it’s disjointed; there is simply so much going on all the time. Aveyard volleys amongst multiple character perspectives, and even though each voice is distinct, there are too many perspectives (six). My heart wasn’t really into reading this 578-page YA novel, and I know this affected my attitude toward it. Still, it is a masterpiece of fantastical proportions that schemes with realm takeover and brims with violence, survival and treacherous journeying. It is easy to feel hatred toward the evil antagonists of the story and want to rally allies for the Companions. The world is richly-imagined, the plot busy and complex, the characters deeply flawed but also doggedly resistant. The diversity of skin tones and inclusion of queer and nonbinary characters is casually represented and easily accepted. The pace of this middle novel in the Realm Breaker trilogy is relentless, the adventure unceasing.

            Book 1: Realm Breaker

            ^The Companions

            +Corayne an-Amarat: Teenager, the daughter of a pirate and a Corblood heir she never knew, with the world on her shoulders

            +Andry Trelland: Formerly a Gallish squire, now a fugitive as much as Corayne, has an honest face

            +Domacridhan: Of the Vedera, an immortal of Iona, who grieves

            +Sorasa Sarn: An Amhara Guild assassin, outcast, who will face her past, and it will be ugly

            +Sigaalbeta Bhur Bhar a.k.a. Sigil: A bounty hunter of the Temurijon, a broad woman whose resting face is also fierce

            +Charlon “Charlie” Armont: A fugitive priest with a remarkable talent for forgery

            +Valtik: An old sorceress with mighty power who sings to herself a lot, usually in Jydi, talks in rhyme

Girls of Fate and Fury (Nov. 30, 2021) by Natasha Ngan.

*This is the final novel in a trilogy.*

*There is a trigger warning.*

Papers (Paper caste) are fully human and are unadorned with no animal-demon features. Of all the castes, they’re the most mistreated. Paper Girls are nothing more than pieces for the king to use and discard, to be “good little cut-out girls with nothing but reams of blank pages in place of hearts.” Lei has been forcibly returned to the Hidden Palace, a place with opulent walls that house the scars of trauma and tragedy and is ruled by the sadistic Demon King of Ikhara. While allies work to figure out how to get her out of the palace, Lei determines to stay until she can free the other Paper Girls, save the Demon Queen (Shala), figure out how to remove the magic cuff and its counterpart or at least nullify it, and kill the Demon King. The last time Lei and Wren saw each other was amidst a furious battle, and they’d had a heavy conversation in which painful things were said and a divide was rent. But the thing about being apart, both in significant peril, means they miss each other like a piece of them is actually missing. The showdown is coming. How many allies will give their lives to bring down a Demon King? “Fire in. Fear out.”

            I don’t recall if each book contains a trigger warning, but this one does and is right to. It states: “Please be aware that this book contains scenes of violence and self-harm, and references to sexual abuse and trauma recovery.”

            The final novel in the Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy is epic and reading it brings a near-constant rush of adrenaline. Ikhara is a world of magic, but also one of the Sickness, Qi draining, meaning magic is ebbing. It’s glittering and elegant, but also brutal and blood-soaked. The world-building is lush, but the world is toxic. There is wonder and violence, the action sequences so frequent that it can be hard to catch one’s breath. It is a trilogy with a strong LGBTQIA+ pairing. The story can unfold as tenderly as new love, but usually cuts as sharp as a blade or a demon’s talon. Ngan’s writing is impressive, but be aware that it’s a brutal story and is not a walk-in-the-park to read. The battles are climactic and heavy, the story full of fire, but themes of overcoming trauma and the fierceness of love – friendship, too – run satisfyingly deep.

            P.S. My favorite throughout the trilogy has been Kenzo. Moon caste. He’s a wolf demon. Young Lill is a close second. She’s a doe-eared demon.

            Book One: Girls of Paper and Fire

            Book Two: Girls of Storm and Shadow

When You Wish Upon a Lantern (Feb. 14, 2023) by Gloria Chao.

*This is a standalone novel.*

Chicago teens Liya Huang and Kai Jiang are Taiwanese Americans living in Chinatown. Their families are feuding, like the Capulets and Montagues or the Hatfields and McCoys. No. Wait. They’re like Cowherd and Weaver Girl¹ – Niúláng and Zhīnǚ – and the magpie bridge. Liya and Kai have been friends since they were children with their parents’ businesses next door to each other (Liya: When You Wish Upon a Lantern; Kai: Once Upon a Mooncake). They share an alley, much to the anger and chagrin of Mr. Huang, who is very vocal about what he thinks of those Jiangs! Kai is not like his father or his older brother, not that Mr. Huang can be convinced. Liya’s avoided Kai for months, ever since the boba incident, in which she vomited all over their shared table. So. Humiliating. It’s when Liya discovers that her family’s lantern store is struggling that she goes to Kai and shares a secret: she and Nǎinai are the ones that secretly fulfilled the wishes people wrote on their sky lanterns. Her grandmother has since passed away from cancer. Liya wants to return to the wish-granting that her Nǎinai started, which Liya stopped once she passed away, and put plans into action to save the store. With Liya and Kai working together and rekindling their friendship, might something more bloom? Or will their feuding families make the way impossible, ruining any wishes they have for one another?

            In this culturally rich YA story with alternating points-of-view, cringe moments, laugh-out-loud dialogue and insecurities to navigate, my first novel from Chao is as luminous as a floating lantern and as golden as a mooncake. It’s easy to ship Liya and Kai, for they’re so obviously meant for each other. Duty to family is a present, natural theme, though Kai’s brother’s treatment of him and referring to him as “Poop Son” had the mama bear in me roaring (though I’m not a mom, nor a bear). There are barbed words, but mostly this narrative pulses with warmth and the magic of first love. It’s charming and heartfelt with a deep connection to their community. To read this is to be seamlessly immersed in traditions and folktales that are folded into the narrative just so. “May your wishes find the light!”

            Sugary sweet lines that made me chuckle: “...Kai is a hot baker. He’s a cinnamon roll who can make cinnamon rolls.” (--Stephanie Lee to Liya, p. 213)

            ¹ The mythology is significant to me, because Cowherd and Cloud Weaver (a.k.a. Weaver Girl) are included in “Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies,” which is the book I finished right before this one.

Rutabaga's Reads 2020: Part 8

The amount of young-adult (YA) books I’ve been reading so far this year remains a strong percentage, so here I am with the second YA compilation of the year!

Chain of Gold (Mar. 3, 2020) by Cassandra Clare.

*This is the first novel in a trilogy.*

Teenage progeny from familiar characters in The Infernal Devices trilogy (and Ghost Jessamine) alight in this tale. The mother of Cordelia Carstairs wants to marry her off and save her from the potential ruin of the Carstairs family with her father, Elias, on trial for a terrible crime he does not recall. But Cordelia doesn’t want to be a bride; she wants to be a Shadowhunter and a merciful hero. She alone currently wields a blade of Wayland the Smith, and like the wand chooses the wizard, so will one of Wayland’s swords choose its bearer. The sword Cortana is a great gift, but is likewise a great responsibility. Cortana can cut through anything, and it’s definitely put to use when Cordelia, her brother (Alastair) and their mother (Sona) go to London. She gets to be with her best friend and future parabatai, Lucie Herondale, and her brother, James, whom she’s unequivocally in love with (and he’s peculiarly infatuated with Grace Blackthorn), along with the Merry Thieves: Thomas Lightwood, Christopher Lightwood and Matthew Fairchild (James’ parabatai). It’s been relatively quiet in London, but there’s a new sort of demon, one that can attack in daylight. The demons’ poison is devastating in the smallest of amounts and is incurable. As the young Shadowhunters work to discover the source of the demon, while others within their close-knit group race to find a cure, family and friends will fall, a dark legacy will be revealed, and they will all see the cruel price of being heroes.

            With the setting placing this story in London in 1903, Clare assembles a large cast of diverse characters. They appreciatively vary in ethnicity, sexual orientation and species (vampire, warlock, Nephilim/Shadowhunter, etc.). And it isn’t YA without tortured love (or a love triangle or a triangle that doesn’t always include love), but the story also explores the importance of friendship. Though lengthy, Clare’s opening to The Last Hours trilogy is a fantasy deeply-imagined, filled with the expected combat of Shadowhunters, bustling intrigue and furtive glances. In this story, one inherits shadows, another gains ghosts her own family cannot see, and love is tangled. Avoid the demon-ichor and ready yourself to ask Magnus Bane about waistcoats. It’s a wild ride with a cliffhanger readying to set up the next installment.

Girls of Storm and Shadow (Nov. 5, 2019) by Natasha Ngan.

*This is the middle novel in a trilogy.*

Although Lei has escaped the horrors of the Hidden Palace, her freedom isn’t free. The cost comes with a hefty bounty on her head for what she did to the Demon King. Lei, now dubbed the Moonchosen, is with Wren, and she meets Wren’s father, Clan Lord Ketai Hanno. He parts ways with them when they all exit the mountains they’re hiding in, but Lei and Wren have company: Merrin (owl-form demon), siblings Nitta and Bo (leopard-form demons), Hiro (a teenaged shaman) and Shifu Caen (Ketai’s closest advisor and resident trainer). They must venture across many miles to try to gain support from clans that haven’t already pledged themselves to the Demon King. These are the White Wing (bird clan), Czo (lizard clan) and Amala (cat clan). The travel isn’t easy, and not everyone is receptive to them. Along the way, secrets are revealed, whether by accusation or one’s own admission, and it rips the fabric of who Lei thought she was fighting for. From what she’s learning, is Lei trading a ruthless Demon King for an equally ruthless Paper ruler? How can the rebel uprising best a vast army fueled by dark magic and terror?

            In the first story, with the talk of the different regions, I’d been wishing for a map of Ikhara. In this story, I got the map (yay!), which brings a picture of where Xienzo is in relation to Han, etc. This installment remains intensive with the strength of Lei’s traumatic memories, her seesawing relationship with Wren that stems from ongoing secrets and the sense of betrayal that occurs when the side she thought was fighting for good is perhaps as brutal as the Demon King. It’s a sturdy fantasy with solid LGBTQ+ representation and diversity (no white default here), though I keep wishing that Lei had some sort of magical ability. Even with all of that going on, I did struggle with this book. Despite the story’s intense moments, the pacing felt slower to me. Was it the days spent on a boat whiling away those days with training and more training? Was it the increase in time spent on Lei and Wren’s relationship that I thought slowed the storyline? Was it Lei’s dramatics, which seemed more frequent than in the first story (not sure if that’s on purpose or not, as if they’re a byproduct of PTSD)? Most likely, it’s a combination of all of them. I did like the rare chapters when readers saw other points-of-view from Aiko, Kenzo and even Mistress Azami. That break-up from Lei’s point-of-view helped immensely, and I wouldn’t have minded more of those chapters and fewer of Lei’s. Fortunately, with the book’s ending, I am intrigued by what’s in store for the final installment in the trilogy.

Stepsister (May 14, 2019) by Jennifer Donnelly.

*This is a standalone novel.*

Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, but oft overlooked are her ugly stepsisters. Isabelle de la Paumé is one of those stepsisters (Octavia, a.k.a. Tavi, is the other), and this is Isabelle’s story. What has been written by the Fates, Chance is determined to undo and steals Isabelle’s map. Isabelle must find the three missing pieces of her heart (the boy, the horse and the stepsister) if there’s any chance that she can change her fate, which currently ends in a bloody, violent death in the not-too-distant future. Fate (masquerading in the French village of Saint-Michel as Madame Sèvérine) believes the map of Isabelle’s life should remain as is, while Chance (introducing himself as the Marquis de la Chance) disagrees. Isabelle is possessed of a strong will and can endure great pain, but does she have the courage to find the missing pieces? She didn’t win the handsome prince by trying to be pretty and sweet like Ella. She only made herself bitter, mean and jealous. There will be no fairy godmother for Isabelle, though don’t rule out Tanaquill, the fairy queen. There is nothing grandmotherly about her. Tanaquill is wild, majestic and beautiful, but also sly, fierce and dangerous. Tanaquill chooses no side but her own, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try to give Isabelle tools to overcome Volkmar von Bruch, the evil warlord that has burned towns and killed thousands of innocent men, women and children. Isabelle can bring a new definition to the word beautiful if she’ll but listen to her heart. She can bring out the magic of the human heart.

            For lovers of the original Brothers Grimm tale, Isabelle does cut off her toes in her failed attempt to win the prince. While that is dark and horrifying, Donnelly’s take to use Isabelle’s point-of-view is brilliant, her prose engaging and the action-packed, forward-motion of the storyline is empowering. So impressive is the author’s reimagining that it advocates the story’s autonomy. She didn’t re-imagine “Cinderella,” but instead focused on a character historically viewed as ugly and without any true definition of her own. Donnelly takes Isabelle from zero to hero(ine), showcasing determination and female strength. It shouts to the world that we should all be valued for who we are and not what we look like on the outside. She overcomes hatred and cruelty with wit and wisdom. Donnelly shows us how the same character is capable of both unspeakable cruelty and immense kindness and how the latter can help to be redeeming and transformative. She shows us the magic of being human.

Rutabaga's Reads 2020: Part 1

Presenting my first young-adult (YA) compilation post of 2020!

Girls of Paper and Fire (Nov. 6, 2018) by Natasha Ngan.

*This is the first novel in a trilogy.*

The residents of Ikhara belong to a caste system wholly dependent on their appearance. The Paper caste comprises of those fully human, yet they are oppressed and often thought of as less than human. The Steel caste contains human-demon hybrids that may serve others but are not slaves. The Moon caste includes those who are fully anthropomorphic; they are known as demons. Every year, the Demon King (a bull form) invites eight Paper Girls into his Hidden Palace of Han. It is touted as a high honor, and their families receive extra benefits, but the girls are prisoners, concubines to a brutal and markedly unstable king. Lei would not have caught anyone’s attention, but with eyes the color of liquid gold, “a symbol of the heavens’ good fortune,” the 17-year-old is kidnapped from her dad’s herbal medicine shop in the small village of Xienzo and presented as the first-ever ninth Paper Girl. She wants to resist, but with the threat of her dad’s and Tien’s (a Steel caste worker who’s like family; she affectionately calls Lei a “little nuisance”) blood on her hands, she goes with the king’s general. She has hopes of discovering the whereabouts of her mother, abducted seven years before. She can hardly face the idea of being summoned to the Demon King’s bedroom even though it is the main reason any of the girls are there in the first place, but she discovers friendship with some of her fellow courtesans, including Aoki, the twins Zhen and Zhin, and Wren, the most latter of whom she acquires a very special bond but who also has secrets that she doesn’t want to share, lest she endanger Lei. How will she survive the treacherous court of the Demon King?

            A land of magic, a severe imbalance of power, a strong heroine, forbidden romance and a dangerous kingdom form the intricate layers of a darkly gorgeous story that is lush in its glittering extravagance, compelling in its terrifying portrayal of sexual violence and the threat of it and powerful with dangers looming from multiple sides. The imbalance of power makes me angry and reading of these characters with their pretty, made-up faces and fancy garments representing various Asian cultures to ready themselves for a terrible king’s desires makes me want to spit fire. A story for mature readers with its take on forced prostitution, this is a YA fantasy story that is extremely unsettling and maddening. I commend Ngan’s writing in managing to create a main character who is empowered despite everything. I cheered, I got mad, I was disturbed, and I still want to battle demons. Through the intensity of it all, I have managed to get caught up in this world … with fangs bared, claws out and teeth gnashing.

Scavenge the Stars (Jan. 7, 2020) by Tara Sim.

*This is the first novel in a purported duology.*

In this gender-swapped retelling of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” Amaya (a.k.a. Silverfish a.k.a. Countess Yamaa) Chandra has worked for years on a debtor ship, told she was sold off by her mother for the misdeeds of her deceased father. The Brackish is a debtor ship of children slaves who are starved, abused and worked almost to death. They’re under the greedy eyes of Captain Zharo. On what should be Silverfish’s last day, she rescues a man called Boon. He promises her unimaginable wealth and revenge against Kamon Mercado, a merchant in the neutral colony of Moray, part of the republic of Rehan under the figurehead Rehanese ruler, between the ever-feuding Rain and Sun Empires. So Amaya takes on the persona of Countess Yamaa and is trained in the ways of the elite to impress the vain and wealthy denizens of Moray. Her aim is to get close to Kamon’s son, Cayo, but she realizes he isn’t like his father at all. And she can’t get close to Kamon’s youngest, a daughter named Soria (she’s two years younger than Cayo), as she has fallen ill with the dreaded ash fever. That’s what took their mother years back, and there is no cure. They cannot figure out where it originated, but Cayo is determined to make his sister well. The only medicine on the market is terribly expensive, and his father is not the rich man he once was. To what ends will Cayo go to get the medicine Soria needs? Will he return to his ways in the Vice Sector? Can those ruled by avarice who also rule their sectors be overthrown by a young man braced with determination and light pockets or a young woman with a fake name and deep pockets of questionable origin?

            The smell of corruption practically wafts from the pages in this novel at times darkly shimmering and overpoweringly rancid. Even corruption has politics, and coupled with a knife-wielding, 17-year-old girl with revenge on her mind, the adventures are perilous and full of attitude. "Scavenge the Stars" is diverse on multiple levels without drawing attention to the diversity, be it by race or orientation or what have you, and those are always points in an author's favor. The characters aren’t outward heroes; they have flaws and make bad judgment calls, too. The setting is lush in its danger and the world-building detailed, though the ending felt a bit rushed, and I wish the book contained a map (I do appreciate good maps of fantasy worlds). I look toward the sequel, but am keeping my guard up. One never knows what malice awaits!

Someday (Oct. 2, 2018) by David Levithan.

*This is the final novel in a trilogy.*

It turns out A isn’t the only one who moves from body to body every day. One such person, known as X, is desperate to meet A, and he decides that Nathan will get him to A. Nathan, a person that A lived as for a day, realized he was missing a day of his life. Normally, A is meticulous in covering evidence of his visits, but enough of something stuck with Nathan that he felt affected. He keeps thinking “Rhiannon,” which brings him to her door. Rhiannon is now dating Alexander, and he’s a good guy, but she isn’t over A. A disappeared, assuming they could never have a real relationship, but Rhiannon is adamant that he shouldn’t have made that decision for the both of them. They eventually decide to meet up, and Nathan finally reveals that X (formerly Reverend Poole) has been stalking him. In X’s desperation to meet with A, he goes so far as to assault Nathan. X is clearly not a good (or stable) person in any form he’s in, nor does he want to be. A knows this and yet he also looks forward to the conversations, having never met anyone who body jumps as he does. Will X’s words be so convincing as to fool A into thinking he’s trustworthy? Or will A work with Rhiannon and Nathan to force X out? Is that even possible?

            The concept of someone living out one’s life in a different body every day intrigued me, which is why I read “Every Day” back in 2016. I got through this entire book before realizing I was not, in fact, reading the second installment, but the final one, and, honestly, I didn’t think I was missing anything by not reading “Another Day.” Levithan tells the story through the primary characters of A, Rhiannon, Nathan and X and also includes insight from other body jumpers of a multitude of ages, giving more credence to the fact that A and X are not alone. The concept is unique, and the author provides a diverse cast of characters for A to inhabit. It isn’t only that he might be male or female for the day, tall or short, Caucasian or not, but that he may inhabit someone who’s battling mental health issues (and not winning), bullying or poverty. “Someday” isn’t primarily a relationship story, but more one of morality. If you jumped bodies every day, would you strive to better the person or would you be destructive, knowing the consequences would be placed on an unwitting individual as you moved on without a worry? What does your soul say?