The Open Portal (Conquest of the Veil #1)
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But with dreams, there can also be nightmares Lonely and plain-featured, Mona Parker is just...
The Open Portal series Conquest of the Veil Michael Scott Clifton paranormal fantasy
LucyB (47 KP) rated The Raven Boys in Books
Jul 23, 2017
The story focuses on two main characters - Blue, a 16 year old who lives with her witchy mother and who seems to be surrounded by equally spooky aunts, and Gansey, a rich 'Raven boy' from the local public school, who is obsessed with finding the mythical Welsh king Glendower.
So far, so intriguing! And it really was. I found myself propelled through this book, eager to know what was going to happen next, which is the highest praise I can give a book really, I do love a good page-turner. I especially loved that the author so deftly avoided the boring stereotypes. The aunts are all psychic, but are they at all spooky / ethereal? Absolutely not. They're all very practical, down-to-earth, and fairly acerbic to boot. Are public school boys all over-privileged toffs? No! The characters were all impressively well defined, and I LOVED the character of Noah - I saw the twist coming, but wasn't sure how the author would pull it off. She did so, very effectively indeed.
A highly enjoyable read, and I'll be looking out for the next ones in the series.
There was a decent amount of cultural diversity while remaining mostly centered in the US; Chinatown in 1950s San Francisco, 1870s Mexico, Colonial New England, 1930s Hispanic New Mexico, Robin Hood-era Britain.
The stories were really good, I just wish they'd included a bisexual story and a transwoman. They did have an asexual girl, which is a sexuality often overlooked, so that was nice.
It's a great collection of stories, just limited in scope. They could have cut a few F/F stories and added in bisexual, nonbinary, and transwomen, and lived up to the open umbrella of the "queer" label a bit more. I really enjoyed it, I think I'm just a little disappointed because I was expecting more of the spectrum.
The Memory Trees
5.5
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The Memory Trees is a dark magical realism novel about a mysterious family legacy, a centuries-old...
A Companion to Latin American Women Writers
Brigida M. Pastor and Lloyd Hughes Davies
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This volume offers a critical study of a representative selection of Latin American women writers...
The Harpy
9.0
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From the acclaimed author of The End We Start From, The Harpy is a fierce tale of love, betrayal and...
Gothic Magical realism Adult
Finding Esme
9.0
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Twelve-year-old Esme’s life changes when she discovers dinosaur bones on her family’s peach farm...
Texas Middle Grade magical realism
ClareR (5911 KP) rated The Rain Heron in Books
Aug 23, 2021
Further away, near the sea, another mans jealousy of nature has terrible consequences, causing poverty and abandonment of a seaside village.
These threads of story are interwoven with that of a woman who lives alone in the mountains in order to escape the effects of a military coup. But the soldiers come looking for her - and for the Rain Heron.
This is a book about mans need to control nature and their inability to. The more man tries to control it, the more damage is done.
I loved the feel of this novel. It’s a fable of our modern times, about how our actions are having a lasting and devastating effect on our climate and nature.
I would most definitely recommend this book, and Arnott’s previous book as well, Flames, if you haven’t read it. Both are masterpieces in magical realism. Rain Heron is a timely book as we come to realise just what an impact climate change is having on our world, and comes highly recommended from me!
Violeta
10.0
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One extraordinary woman. One hundred years of history. One unforgettable story. Violeta comes...
Historical fiction Magical Realism Literary Fiction Feminism
Devotion is set in the early 19th century in Prussia. Hanne, her family and friends are Old Lutherans, and must worship in secret in the woods. For Hanne, a child of nature, this is the ideal place of worship. But it is dangerous for them all.
Hanne doesn’t make friends easily, and so when Thea arrives in the village with her family, she unexpectedly finds her soul mate.
All the families in the village are given the opportunity to emigrate to Australia, where they will be able to worship their religion without the threat of violence. But the journey doesn’t go as planned. Too many people are packed in to too small a space. Disease is rife. And with disease, comes death.
This is a truly beautiful book. The descriptions of the landscapes and nature of both Prussia and Australia are evocative. The characters are fully rounded and easy to empathise with. In all, it’s my favourite kind of book: slow, quiet, gorgeous prose and imagery on every page.
The real surprise was the magical realism. If I’d known it was in this book, I wouldn’t have been put off one bit, and it really does add something extra special. Oh my god, I cried buckets. It’s just perfection.
Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for my copy of this wonderful book through NetGalley.