Rutabaga's Reads 2019: Part 22

Here is another trilogy in which I’ve had each book since its respective release day, and I’m only now getting around to publishing this post. 2019 barely remains, but here this post finally is.

Lady Midnight (Mar. 8, 2016) by Cassandra Clare.

It’s been five years since Emma Carstairs’ parents were murdered, their mutilated bodies washed ashore from the ocean with an unknown language scrawled on their bodies. The Clave blamed their murders on Sebastian Morgenstern, and he’s deceased, so case closed, but Emma knows differently. Her best friend and parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, believes her, as do the other Blackthorn siblings, and their tutor, Diana Wrayburn. She gathers information from any source she can, including from Johnny Rook. His information is good, but it comes at a hefty price, and his “office” is located in the Shadow Market, a place Nephilim are not supposed to go, save on official Shadowhunter business. New deaths have been occurring near the Los Angeles Institute, where Emma and the Blackthorns live, along with Cristina Mendoza Rosales, on her travel year from the Mexico City Institute. Some of them are fey, but with the Cold Peace, no one is supposed to offer them aid or ask for their help or communicate with them at all. But they are visited by a few, and they leave someone conditionally with them. The oldest Blackthorn, Mark, who’s half-faerie, and has been with the Wild Hunt these past five years (though much more time has passed in Faerie). Who’s behind the killings? Who is the Guardian?

            Mental health issues are not met with understanding amongst Shadowhunters, so Julian has spent these past years doing what Uncle Arthur cannot, even though Arthur is the head of the institute. Arthur’s mind was broken as a young man by the fey. Julian has kept the gravity of Arthur’s mental health a secret, except from warlock-friend Malcolm Fade. With Mark having been stolen away to the Wild Hunt and Helen, also half-faerie, exiled to Wrangel Island, Julian has been the oldest. He’s had to grow up too fast too soon in order to care for his four younger siblings: Tiberius (Ty) and Livia (Livvy), twin 15-year-olds, Drusilla (Dru), age 13, and Octavian (Tavvy), age 7. Then there’s the secret of Emma, his parabatai, with whom romantic love (eros) is forbidden. But what if Emma harbors a similar secret?

            For those familiar with Clare’s world of Shadowhunters, this is a mostly enjoyable start to The Dark Artifices trilogy, though it is drawn out. With a focus on the love of parabatai expected to be platonic, the reader already knows a romantic love story is going to brew between the main characters, so that part of the plot did not feel fresh. Fortunately, the Shadowhunter universe remains a literary multiplex of fierce warrior heroics, teenage neuroticism, ichor-drenched action, dangerous secrets, a grudge-filled obsession fueled by misplaced blame, and snarky banter. Fans will appreciate visits from familiar characters such as Magnus Bane, Clary Fairchild and Jace Herondale.

Lord of Shadows (May 23, 2017) by Cassandra Clare.

Romantic love is forbidden, and Emma knows why. It isn’t for some fluffy reason or that the Clave is being the usual stuffy Clave. No. While romantic love with one’s parabatai can bring power in runes placed on one another, it can also destroy, making loved ones enemies, turning sanity to madness. Emma determines to make Julian un-love her. Ideally, she’d separate herself from him, but that would separate her from all of the Blackthorns, and she cannot abandon them when they’re threatened on multiple sides from multiple foes. Centurions have descended upon the Los Angeles Institute, unofficially led by Zara Dearborn. It’s clear she has her own agenda, which centers on her hatred of Downworlders. When someone thought to be dead resurfaces in one’s decomposing glory, danger comes to the doors of the institute. Diana convinces the Blackthorns, Emma and Christopher “Kit” Herondale to seek refuge in the London Institute.

            An unsanctioned and secret mission takes Julian, Emma, Cristina and Mark to Faerie. Here, they recover someone sentenced to death, and they all entered because of individual truths that a phouka told them that would come to pass if they entered Faerie and, of course, paid the toll. Before they leave Faerie, the Unseelie King aims to kill them and post-Faerie-realm calls upon the Riders of Mannan (there are seven, they’re all immortal siblings, and none have ever been killed), but in the Unseelie lands they are rescued by a Seelie Faerie, who happens to be a maternal aunt to Mark and Helen. They meet with the Seelie Queen, and she wants the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of immense and terrible power. How can they trust her promises when Faeries are known to twist truths to suit themselves amidst their spectacular revels and waiting dangers?

            This middle novel of the bestselling YA Shadowhunters trilogy is a miasma of romantic drama and relationship triangles, occupational adventures and daily dangers (oftentimes related), family ties and bonds of friendship, noisome Centurions, Faeries – both cunning and murderous – and death. “Lord of Shadows” is a book courting darkness that could slay like a Mantid demon. Tendrils of light, like the quicksilver brilliance of a fleck of diamond, are few, but can be found in unexpected places (like Gwyn ap Nudd and his attraction to Diana). The romantic drama continues to underwhelm me, but the pace is decent enough considering the book’s volume.

Queen of Air and Darkness (Dec. 4, 2018) by Cassandra Clare.

Tragedy for an innocent fallen blankets the Blackthorn family and Emma with suffocating weight. Julian decides he does not want to feel anything anymore at all. Ty wants to bring the deceased back to life and is willing to use questionable means to get the ingredients needed for such a spell. Mostly, though, grief will have to wait. The Dearborns remain in the picture – both Zara and her father, Horace – and they will go to great lengths to be in power. They are driven by avarice and egoism. Horace sends Emma and Julian on a quest to Faerie, but it isn’t so much a quest as a suicide mission. Their time in Faerie isn’t rewarded with a return to the mortal world, but to Thule, an alternate world of desolation and evil. Thule is the world as it would be if Clary Fairchild hadn’t defeated Sebastian Morgenstern. In Thule, Sebastian rules, Jace Herondale is no hero, the Endarkened continue to exist and Livvy Blackthorn is a lead rebel/freedom fighter. In Thule, Livvy is the lone Blackthorn who isn’t dead or turned. Thule is poisonous to Nephilim; runes do nothing in that world, which explains why there are guns when Shadowhunters do not use such mundane weapons. In a world without good magic, overrun by demons and hellbeasts and Endarkened, one must turn to other means of weaponry. Returned to the mortal world, the Cohort (Dearborn and company) is readying for a climactic announcement that is ruined by, well, the good guys. Losses are heavy, but relationships are solidified (there are multiple storylines going on), a familiar couple ties the knot, and the Seelie Queen receives the one she longs for most.

            In volume alone, this book is a lot. The hardcover version I have is 880 pages. There are currently only two authors whose books I’d happily read if they had such high page counts, and this is not one of them. After reading the trilogy, I understand the route that she went, but there are too many threads, too many characters to follow. I enjoy when any book or series has strong supporting characters that you feel like you kind of know, but that doesn’t mean I need to be involved in following their romance issues. I also thought having an alternate world in Thule was unnecessary, though, again, I understand why she went that route to get to where she wanted to end the trilogy.

            Despite the sheer length of the story, there’s no doubt that Clare’s functioning magic system is fascinating and unique to her. The forbidden love from so many sides can too easily become gag-inducing and eye-rolling due to its schmaltziness, but it’s countered with darkness. Focusing on the two main characters, there’s Julian, who became too serious and adult when he was still a child, and Emma, whose trauma as a youth caused her to become obsessed with revenge, adopt a flippant attitude and seemingly relish reckless moments. Everyone in the stories seems to be preternaturally beautiful or uncannily pretty, so deal with that how you will. Overall, any Shadowhunter fan will have long ago added this to their bookshelf, I’d expect, but I didn’t feel that this was the author’s best work.

Rutabaga's Reads 2019: Part 14

Normally I read the book before I watch the movie, but in this case, I watched the movie first. I have my out-of-state brother and sister-in-law to thank for this trilogy, and I wholly enjoyed the ridiculous extravagance of the stories.

Crazy Rich Asians (June 11, 2013) by Kevin Kwan.

When her boyfriend asks her to accompany him to his best friend’s wedding, in which he’s the best man, Rachel Chu is excited. Not only is the wedding overseas, but she’ll finally get to meet Nicholas Young’s family! As she and Nick are university professors (she of economics and he of history), Rachel is blindsided when she arrives in Singapore. First, there was the luxurious flight in first class, though she had thought that Nick shouldn’t have splurged on something so extravagantly expensive. Then they’re greeted at the airport by the groom- and bride-to-be, Colin Khoo and Araminta Lee. It turns out the Khoo family is one of the richest families in the world and Araminta is very famous, the supermodel daughter of one of China’s richest men and luxury hotel queen mother. Araminta is a celebrated fashion icon, though both appear down-to-earth, yet theirs is the wedding of the year. It’s a media frenzy to rival any royal wedding! Rachel is unprepared for all the judgment about her lineage (or lack thereof) all the way down to the clothes she wears (and the designers that she clearly doesn’t). She is out of her league and even moreso the first time she’s admitted to Tyersall Park, which is outfitted with Gurkha* guards, no less, and is so vast and protected that it seems remote, like they’re not in Singapore anymore.

            Nick should’ve prepared Rachel for this life and for his family. But how do you explain that you come from a family that’s elite-of-the-elite? His mother, Eleanor, does not approve of her, nor does Shang Su Yi, his ah ma (paternal grandma), and he’s always been close to her. Others around her have shown petty jealousy and downright maliciousness (the fish incident) that she should come in her cheap, no-name clothes on the arm of one of Singapore’s most handsome, phenomenally rich and eligible bachelors. Fortunately, there are those who’ve only shown Rachel kindness. From her college friend, Goh Peik Lin (whose family is ultra-rich), to Astrid Leong Teo, Nick’s beautiful cousin, to Colin and Araminta and Oliver T’sien, another of Nick’s cousins, friends are present but few in a land and lifestyle completely new to Rachel.

            Talk about a grand adventure-of-a-novel! This satirical novel is over-the-top ridiculous yet elegant. Despite all the Asians headlining and decorating the novel, the story remains culturally intense. From Mainland Chinese to overseas Chinese to “ABC” (American-born Chinese), judgment isn’t reserved solely for Rachel and her American self. Reading this story has been wicked good fun, though it doesn’t stop me from wanting to roll my eyes at the extremely vapid and materialistic snobbery. All the same, if given the opportunity, I’d suggest reading this 1,500-carat-gem-of-a-novel on your private jet wearing next season’s Oscar de la Renta with your Chopard by De Rigo sunglasses atop your head and Hermès bag in its own chair while sipping your Ono Champagne Cocktail next to your jet’s koi pond!

*Gurkha: “They are the deadliest soldiers in the world. … The Sultan of Brunei only uses Gurkhas as his private protection force.” (p. 157)

China Rich Girlfriend (June 16, 2015) by Kevin Kwan.

As providence would have it, Eleanor Young’s path crosses with Bao Shaoyen’s. Shaoyen is an immensely wealthy client of her nephew, Edison “Eddie” Cheng, and she’s dealing with trauma that has befallen her son, Carlton (it’s his own fault). When Eleanor and her friends are shown a picture of Carlton, his features are immediately shocking. He looks just like Rachel (except, you know, Rachel has long hair and wears makeup). The resemblance is so strong that Eleanor finally asks Bao Gaoliang (once known as Kao Wei) if he knew a Kerry Ching (Rachel’s mom, though she goes by Kerry Chu) who was married to an abusive man by the name of Zhou Fang Min (yep). He’s completely open to a relationship with his long-lost daughter and in fact finds a connection with her that he’s never had with Carlton (“He had never seen his father display physical affection for anyone like that before, not even his mother.”). Carlton is also very open to knowing Rachel and seems to thrive on having a half-sibling. His not-girlfriend and daughter of one of the richest billionaires in China, Collette Bing, also seems fond of Rachel and Nick, inviting them on her family’s private jet for a massive spending spree and sending delectable foods direct to their lavish hotel suite (suite courtesy of Gaoliang). Unfortunately, Shaoyen is wholly against meeting Rachel, much less welcoming her into their home. She worries about the scandal it’ll bring to their lives when people learn that Gaoliang fathered a child out of wedlock, and she thinks Carlton has betrayed her for wanting to know Rachel.

            Astrid Leong Teo has got her own drama to work through. Gone is the sensible, thoughtful husband, and in its place is someone she doesn’t know. Wealth has gone to Michael’s head and suddenly he “needs” a bigger house, a collection of expensive cars, Astrid in better jewelry and better clothes (she is already a fashion icon to anyone who’s anyone and knows who she is) and only perfection in their five-year-old son, Cassian, including harsh discipline (e.g. being locked in a dark closet for four hours). Michael once wanted a divorce, but Astrid was desperate to keep him out of love. Where is the love now?

            While second novels usually fall short, this one did nothing of the sort. Vicarious escapism at its finest, I was deliriously entertained by the hoity-toity cast in this story. At the very tip-top of their socioeconomic classes with gargantuan egos to match, there is enough snobbery to outfit entire countries with designer handbags. Cattiness jumps levels, and certain characters behave so dreadfully, yet it makes for such a delicious read. I love when a certain socialite gets put in her place, and where I would’ve rooted for Michael in the first book, I hope he falls hard in the next story. That man needs to take a big ole bite of humble pie. As for the reader, I’d recommend settling into a cozy spot with a generous mound of pearls adorned with nonpareils of platinum + precious gems and topped with diamond sprinkles served in a lavish crystal bowl.

Rich People Problems (May 23, 2017) by Kevin Kwan.

The esteemed and lifetime-pampered matriarch, Young Su Yi, has taken a turn for the worse. Her historically favored grandson, Nicholas Young, has been estranged from her these five years since she disapproved of him marrying Rachel Chu. Rachel convinces Nick to go to Singapore alone and make amends with his beloved grandmother. When he arrives at Tyersall Park, he’s barred entrance as Ah Ma has supposedly said she doesn’t want to see him. This comes from Edison Cheng, his ridiculously pompous and high-end-brand-obsessed cousin who’s prone to screaming tantrums. Eddie thinks if he schemes smartly enough and keeps Nick and Astrid away, he alone will inherit Tyersall Park. Who will actually inherit the massive 64-acre, architectural-folly-of-a-property? What are the contents of Su Yi’s will? What secrets has Su Yi kept all these decades?

            Astrid should be looking toward a future with tech billionaire Charlie Wu (whom she’d long ago once been engaged to), but she looks to be heading toward imminent disaster with two bitter ex-spouses (or soon-to-be). Michael Teo is demanding five billion dollars from the heiress and is threatening to go for full custody of their son, Cassian. Isabel Wu is present with multiple psychotic episodes, one of which includes publicly posting an illegally-obtained video of Astrid and Charlie being intimate. All madness has broken loose in her life to the point that her judgmentally racist mother tells her to leave the country.

            Rachel is not off the hook in this installment, as Eleanor is figuratively foaming at the mouth for a grandchild. Her scheming gets disturbingly elaborate and potentially invasive when she invites Rachel to a Bible Study. A niece flown in from Sydney happens to be a gynecologist and there happens to be a gynecologic exam chair set up in the private prayer room of “The Star Trek House” (Carol Tai’s house). Run away. Quick!

            Meanwhile, the newly minted Kitty Bing is fanatical over the stepdaughter she’s never met, Collette (from “China Rich Girlfriend”). She feels constantly upstaged by her, especially now that Collette fled Asia and married some rich, handsome young man with a title. To Kitty, this is war, and it’s one she plans to win.

            All of the over-the-top shenanigans in this concluding novel in a trilogy have been more dramatic than the soapiest soap opera or most salacious tabloid. This trilogy is its own name-dropping gossipmonger. The absurdity of it all makes it simultaneously laugh-out-loud funny and eye-roll-inducing. I love it! I love the story all the way down to the often entertaining footnotes. I certainly never pictured loving a series featuring many (but not all) ultra-rich, wealth-obsessed, upper-echelon snobs, but it’s flashy and enthralling and flamboyantly wicked. Kwan’s storytelling navigates this rarefied world with jocularity and verve. So go all out. Find your most expensive everything, take your private plane to your world’s largest yacht somewhere in the tropics and have your personal Michelin-star-rated chef cook you something delectable and delicious while all your well-paid (because you are fair and generous, of course) personal assistants anticipate all you need before you realize you need it.

Rutabaga's Reads 2019: Part 10

Since I’ve mostly been preferring three-book posts when it comes to compilations, I decided a trilogy would be perfect for a post. I’ve had these books since their respective publication dates. I’ve simply been very behind in my reading and was so behind on this one that I figured I might as well wait until I had all three to read. The author may disagree (apologies to Kiersten White), but better late than never, right?

And I Darken (June 28, 2016) by Kiersten White.

Ladislav “Lada” Dracul (or Dragwlya) is everything her father wanted … if she’d been born a boy. The ruthless military governor (tyrant) of Transylvania, Vlad Dracul, a prince of Wallachia, has a gargantuan ego and is appalled that his seed could produce a daughter. He expects that she’ll at least be beautiful “so we can get some use out of her,” but she is the very opposite. However, she appears to have all the rage and ferocity befitting a Dracul. She can be as ruthless, too, but still a conscience lies beneath. That’s mostly attributed to her brother, Radu, who has all the beauty that Lada does not and is sensitive to boot, much to the disgust of their father. Lada understands that ruthlessness is necessary for survival, and this is tested when their father takes them to Edirne in the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans are their enemies, yet this is where their father fled with them to. It is here that Lada and Radu meet Mehmed, the least-favored son of Murad, sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Lada’s attraction to the charismatic Mehmed is overshadowed by the fact that he’s heir to the enemy empire, one which she’s vowed to fight against, while Radu loves Mehmed so much that he might as well wear his heart on his sleeve. It’s a toxic triangle, and there are traitors in their midst.

            To imagine Vlad the Impaler as female, look no further than Lada. The first in the And I Darken YA trilogy, the course of the story seems to be heading toward grisly times in the next two installments. That isn’t to say that discouraged me away from the story. Quite the opposite. “And I Darken” is a multi-faceted jewel, albeit one where the facets are dark, fierce, cunning and violent. It’s brilliantly twisted and as sharp as a freshly sharpened blade. It’s complex, but also disturbing. From her entrance as an angry, squalling babe in 1435 to a fierce and angry teenager through 1451, Lada has made her mark. And it’s ferocious and razor-sharp.

            Best lines: “On our wedding night, I will cut out your tongue and swallow it. Then both tongues that spoke our marriage vows will belong to me, and I will be wed only to myself. You will mostly likely choke to death on your own blood, which will be unfortunate, but I will be both husband and wife and therefore not a widow to be pitied.” -- Lada, in response to attempting to be married off (p. 101).

            “Wait! Please, she did not mean any harm. She was teasing. In Wallachia, it is customary for … betrothed couples to … threaten each other. As a sign of affection. When our parents were betrothed, our mother told our father she would disembowel him and wear his intestines around her neck as jewelry.” -- Radu, trying to smooth over what Lada recently said (p. 103).

Now I Rise (June 27, 2017) by Kiersten White.

Demand the crown. Lada has declared herself the ruling prince of Wallachia, but she hasn’t actually secured it. She left the Ottoman Empire with her most loyal men, leaving behind Sultan Mehmed. His idea of helping her to her throne as prince is to keep Wallachia under Ottoman control. Lada will have none of that and spreads her fury across the countryside. The smallest slight can set off her wrath like a match near a gas leak. She leaves in her wake violent, bloody destruction. She’d never say it aloud (and if she did, odds are she’d kill the person she inadvertently told out of fury with herself), but she needs her younger brother Radu. He’s subtle yet charismatic. But, for the first time in his life, Radu did not choose her. Lada’s got her best friend Bogdan and faithful men like Nicolae and Stefan. And she begrudgingly forms a precarious alliance with a former enemy, one John Hunyadi, a brilliant military commander for Hungary.

            Radu’s desire to please Mehmed burns bright like a lighthouse beacon, but Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople. He’s “defected” per Mehmed’s advisement to infiltrate enemy territory. His wife, Nazira, goes with him to Constantinople, for appearances sake. They “escape” the Ottoman Empire with Cyprian, an ambassador of the court of Constantinople. Cyprian has a good soul and counts Radu and Nazira as friends, which makes Radu feel all the worse for the lies he’s told him in order to secure safe passage to and within Constantinople. But he does this for his Mehmed and the Ottoman Empire. However, the way Cyprian sometimes looks at him makes him pause.

            The middle installment in the And I Darken trilogy is both disturbing and absolutely riveting. White’s characters are charismatic (Radu), toxic (Lada) and cunning (both). As twisted historical fiction, it is painstakingly-detailed and magnificent in scope. The complexity continues in this story, and it’s good that Radu is away from Mehmed for most of the story. His desperate love for him can be, well, annoyingly desperate. I want him to grow as a character and make it through all the darkness that has been his life thus far.

Bright We Burn (July 10, 2018) by Kiersten White.

Wallachia is her mother, and she has taken back her throne. No boyars (many of whom she’s killed) or false allies (killed) or sultans/cousin-kings/allied-kings (wants to kill) will stand in her way. Lada is a prince of Wallachia. She knows she will spend her life defending her throne and someday she will lose. But for now, it is hers. Her closest friends are her best men (such as Bogdan and Stefan), but she is also losing them. Mostly to death. She refuses to acknowledge Sultan Mehmed, self-declared emperor, Hand of God on Earth and Caesar of Rome. In fact, it’s better if the Ottomans stay away, for they likely won’t return. Their corpses will stand as grotesque, rotting, stinking sentinels in a gory display of putrefaction. Welcome to Tirgoviste, capital of Wallachia.

            Radu wishes for a life of quiet, which means, of course, that he does not get it. He’s a bey of the Ottoman Empire under Mehmed. Where once he’d have rejoiced at any special attention from Mehmed, Radu’s feelings have shifted. Radu is not the same person he was before Constantinople and also prior to knowing Cyprian. They were parted when Radu entrusted his wife (in name only) to his care when he’d also admitted his betrayal. Radu has gone to Tirgoviste to make Wallachia a strong country again. Lada has tried to by killing, destroying crops, killing, taking or destroying towns and killing. Radu is the planner, and he’s got sense and charisma. Lada’s approach is more kill-first-and-don’t-bother-asking-questions-later. She loves her country, but at her rate, she will destroy it before it can be truly strong. Wallachia has a chance if Radu will be hers again, at least for a time.

            This concluding novel in White’s And I Darken  trilogy is as brilliantly violent as millions of fireworks lighting up the night sky. Lada is ruthless and violent. And just because she’s a fiercely independent woman doesn’t mean that I automatically, unequivocally rooted for her. Because sometimes, I didn’t root for her. I like that she didn’t win all the time. I didn’t root for those she lost against, either, though I always rooted for Radu. He’s the calm to Lada’s constant storm, a voice of reason against an onslaught of blood. White’s trilogy has been epic, engrossing, complex and nose-crinkling (all those dead bodies really stink after a time). “Bright We Burn” is a worthy finale to a saga filled with passion, love, hate, faith, revenge, loyalty and friendship.