I'm a sucker for science fantasy, and this was a very sweet story. I loved the contrasting viewpoints - Lyn with her adventure, demons and wizards perspective, Nyr with his science and bioengineering, and the linguistic difficulties that enable the disconnect. I appreciated a main character with depression, but still getting to be a hero.
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I mostly read science fiction and fantasy books, simple manga in Japanese, and about one non-fiction book a year. See also StoryGraph app.thestorygraph.com/profile/hwesta
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Holly Becker's books
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Holly Becker rated The Past Is Red: 5 stars
The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente
The future is blue. Endless blue...except for a few small places that float across the hot, drowned world left behind …
Holly Becker reviewed Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Review of 'Elder Race' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
Holly Becker reviewed Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard
Review of 'Fireheart Tiger' on 'Storygraph'
3 stars
Didn't enjoy this one. The main character's motivations didn't make sense to me or feel consistent. Maybe I'm missing something?
Holly Becker reviewed Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Review of 'Light From Uncommon Stars' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
The premise of this book is so wacky - abused runaway trans girl violinist + deal-with-demons famous violin teacher + refugees from an intersteller war running a donut shop - that I feel like it shouldn't have worked, but somehow it did. This is a heartwarming tale of a young violinist blossoming in a supportive environment, and a selfish teacher coming to care about her student instead of using them for her own ends, and a strange family coming to understand itself a little better, all with some help from their friends.
I blitzed through this book and loved it.
I blitzed through this book and loved it.
Holly Becker rated A Prayer for the Crown-Shy: 5 stars
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (Monk & Robot, #2)
After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent …
Holly Becker reviewed She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Review of 'She Who Became the Sun' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
A sweeping, slightly fantastical retelling of the rise of the Ming dynasty. I enjoyed the segments from Zhu's perspective and her incredible drive to get what she wants, at any cost. I found the Ouyang and Esen segments less interesting, since they kept making bad decisions that didn't make sense to me. I wish we'd seen Wang Baoxiang's perspective, since I liked him.
Overall, I enjoyed it more than I expected, considering the violence and relatively grim perspective.
Overall, I enjoyed it more than I expected, considering the violence and relatively grim perspective.
Holly Becker reviewed The Ruin of Angels by Max Gladstone
Review of 'The Ruin of Angels' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
The whole premise of this book was bonkers and I loved it. A city with three competing cities you can move between with a thought? A <spoiler>rocket</spoiler> in a fantasy book? I liked seeing Kai and Tara again. I enjoyed the many viewpoints, but it made it harder to stay in the flow while reading.
Holly Becker reviewed Nettles by Vénus Khoury-Ghata
Review of 'Nettles' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
I loved this book.
While not one of Ursula's true horror novels, it is a dark fantasy, and I found the setup to be quite grim, and The Thing <spoiler>with Toothdancer</spoiler> really got to me, in a way that most of her other books don't. Once the story got going though, it was wonderful - an adventure romp through strange, mysterious and terrifying places, a motley crew with varied talents using them to solve problems in usual ways, and a satisfying ending. Recommend.
While not one of Ursula's true horror novels, it is a dark fantasy, and I found the setup to be quite grim, and The Thing <spoiler>with Toothdancer</spoiler> really got to me, in a way that most of her other books don't. Once the story got going though, it was wonderful - an adventure romp through strange, mysterious and terrifying places, a motley crew with varied talents using them to solve problems in usual ways, and a satisfying ending. Recommend.
Holly Becker reviewed When the Tiger Came down the Mountain by Nghi Vo (The Singing Hills Cycle, #2)
Review of 'When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
While I really liked this book, I also disagreed with how the central romance was portrayed. (This seems appropriate, given that it's about conflicting tales of the same story). I liked that the tigers were characterized as fierce and unconstrained by human attitudes towards, well, killing and eating humans. However, this made the romance between <spoiler>Ho Thi Tao and Dieu read as abusive to me; it didn't seem sweet that she loved someone who destroyed her stuff and thought about killing her that much.</spoiler>
That said, this was a very enjoyable book to listen to. Chih and Si-Yu were wonderful, and I'm looking forward to the next one.
That said, this was a very enjoyable book to listen to. Chih and Si-Yu were wonderful, and I'm looking forward to the next one.
Holly Becker rated The Flowers of Vashnoi: 4 stars
Holly Becker reviewed A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark (Dead Djinn Universe, #1)
Review of 'A Master of Djinn' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
A lively romp though a steampunk Cairo filled with magic and Djinn. I really enjoyed it, even though I figured out some of the twists before the narrator, which is unusual for me.
Holly Becker reviewed A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark (Dead Djinn Universe, #0.1)
Holly Becker reviewed The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Holly Becker reviewed In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children, #4)
Review of 'In an Absent Dream' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
I love this book already, and the audiobook does a great job with it. If you've read the previous books in the series you know how this has to end. It's wonderful and heart-wrenching to see how we get there. Probably my favorite book in the series.