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Upright Women Wanted
Upright Women Wanted
Sarah Gailey | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I had read a brief synopsis of this novel online, and wanted to try it out. I wasn't 100% sure what to expect, besides possibly weird. I enjoyed it. It's a short novel, but it's a good slice-of-life story, set in an old western-type of environment. It's sci fi, being set in a futuristic world, as far as regulations and how the government is running things. But the journey that the characters have to take is like an old western type of story. I enjoyed the growth of the main character in the short amount of time that she was given in this novel. It was an entertaining, quick read.
  
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Redemption's Blade: After the War
Redemption's Blade: After the War
Adrian Tchaikovsky | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Prose is flowing and enjoyable (0 more)
Storyline is not engaging (2 more)
Reading the aftermath of events that you have no knowledge of
I'm still not 100% sure there wasn't an earlier book I'm meant to have read
A sequel to a book not written yet (that sounds more interesting)
*Disclosure - I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*


Over the last few months I have been lucky to read three new Tchaikovsky books. As this was the first fantasy book of those three (the other two being war sci-fi) I had fingers crossed for a return to the heights of the Shadows of the Apt series. I was sadly disappointed.


The scope of this book is truly epic in every sense. The world we are thrown into has a diverse range of beings, species, cities, religions and beliefs and a rich history. The events follow on from the end of a tyrannical reign of the Kinslayer, a power-mad demi-god who tried to break the spirit of those races he didn't just wipe out. We see the Kinslayer-slayer Celestaine's attempts to do good in the aftermath of this war, and try to make one species whole again. This aim leads her on a journey across the world where we are introduced to a range of new peoples and places. The journey goes on from place to place, the company increasing all the while.


I have real respect for Tchaikovsky trying to do something new - tell the story that follows on from a somewhat typical fantasy tale. Sadly for me, the story that went before sounds so much more interesting and engaging - the besting of a truly despicable being. This story is instead something of an empty, largely pointless journey. The ending leads us to believe someone had been luring people with the promise of magical items, to come to him and ultimately their doom - however, the trail leading to him was not exactly clear and the chances of anyone following it would be minimal (let alone someone following it at exactly the right pace to witness certain key events!). The world-building is epic and yet completely forgettable. I found myself forgetting who people were, why they were doing things and I completely missed one major reveal in the final chapters, only to re-read and find that there pretty much was no reveal.


I am a fan of Tchaikovsky's writing style but for me this book was a struggle to get through. I had no feelings towards any of the characters and couldn't remember or care where they had been or why, or what had happened. Not a worthwhile investment of my time.
  
SS
Someday, Someday, Maybe
Lauren Graham | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
7
8.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Quietly Empowering
Realistically, this isn't the most thrilling or exciting story I've ever read. It's a story about a mostly ordinary journey in a realistic world. But when the story was over, it really stayed with me.

It's hard to find a book that is as equally entertaining as it is empowering. This is the first fictional book I've read in a long while where I have cheered out loud "You go girl!" as I went through it.

To anyone interested, I suggest reading / listening to "Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between)" before this book, because of all the fun insights it gives you into "Someday, Someday, Maybe".