Reading Recap: October

Trying to catch up is not easy when you read SIX (yup, six!) books last month. I had a great reading month with a lot of amazing books.

Here's the line-up:

Speaking Bones She Who Became the Sun Scarred Vicious Vengeful A Study in Drowning

As always -- there are no spoilers BUT if you have not read previous books in the series, I would read with caution.

And at the end I've listed a few of my favorite quotes from this month.

Hope you enjoy.

October Stats:

• 2,469 pages read

• 16.3 hours listened

October Reads:

Speaking Bones by Ken Liu

The stunning culmination to the Dandelion Dynasty series! I did it!

This book is a tome -- which of course you would know if you've made it this far in the series. 1000+ pages of historical silkpunk fantasy with an omniscient narrator and incredible worldbuilding.⁠ ⁠

The style of this book is so different from other novels. Liu plays with time, jumping forward and backward to show how plots were hatched or inventions were created in this fantastic world.

The plot follows characters over two sprawling continents over nearly a century, showcasing how governments change, the effects of war and occupation, and technological advances in a way that is often overlooked in fantasy. It is skillfully done, with an incredible attention to detail and many thought-provoking themes.⁠ ⁠

The characters are also fabulous, realistic in all of their brilliance and flaws. You hate them, you love them, your jaw literally drops to the floor when you find out what some of them have done.⁠ ⁠ I wasn't sure how this book would end. Since it reads like a history, I was worried it wouldn't "feel complete" at the end. But Liu does a great job, and it was a stunning end to a great series.⁠ ⁠

If you are looking for a long epic fantasy, give the first book The Grace of Kings a try.⁠

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan ⁠

From the brink of starvation to monkhood, a girl pretends to be her brother as she strives to fulfill his fate: greatness. When war and rebellion disrupt her life at the monastery, Zhu is propelled further onto her journey. And she soon learns that there is nothing she won't do to survive. More than that, there is nothing she won't do to be great.⁠ ⁠

This story is a beautifully-written historical fantasy set in China during Mongol rule. Described as a Mulan-inspired retelling, it explores themes of ambition, power, and betrayal in addition to the role of gender and identity. ⁠

I was captivated by page 1. The story of Zhu Chongba immediately drew me in. However, I was a little disoriented when the book switches to other POV characters about a quarter of the way through the book. Eventually, I did get into those other characters, but I definitely found that jarring so reader be warned. ⁠ ⁠

The audiobook is narrated by Natalie Naudus who does a fabulous job. I look forward to reading the sequel soon.⁠

Scarred by Emily McIntire

Sara has one goal: marry and then kill the King and his brother, ending the Faasa line forever to avenge her father. The Scarred Prince has a different goal: take the throne for himself. But when the two meet, they realize that their hatred for each other is starting to look a lot like desire. And perhaps their goals are more aligned than they realized at the start.⁠ ⁠

This book is a Lion King reimagining as a royalty romance. It was a quick, spicy read filled with forbidden love and enemies-to-lovers vibes. And it had the added bonus of giving us a strong, stabby FMC.⁠ ⁠

As a toddler mom who has been watching a LOT of Lion King over the past three years (and I mean a LOT), it was so fun to find the Easter Eggs in this book. Some of them are obvious (Yes, "Scar" is the scarred prince), some of them less so (Sara Beatreaux = SaraBI, clever!).⁠ ⁠

The only weird part was that the MMC is named Tristan and that's my husband's name and something about it was just ... awkward for me at times. So ... if your partner is named Tristan, heads up.⁠

Vicious & Vengeful by V.E. Schwab ⁠

Vicious: Two brilliant roommates -- Victor Vale and Eli Cardale -- are searching to discover if extraordinary individuals exist. And if they do, they are determined to become one. Years later, the two friends are now enemies and they will stop at nothing to destroy each other.⁠ ⁠

Vengeful picks up a few years after the end of Vicious. Following Victor, Eli, and Sydney as well as a cast of new characters, they search for freedom, friendship, answers, and revenge ... but Marcella Riggins has finally found what she's always been searching for: power.

Vicious was a reread for me, but boy did it hit just like the first time. V.E. Schwab writes a stunning story with gorgeous prose, dual timelines, and a bucket full of revenge. X-men meets gritty comic book vibes with morally grey characters that you can't get enough of.

Vengeful was also fantastic. I loved following my favorite from the first book, and it was fun to see some of the new additions to the story. The tension, the stakes, the twists and turns ... everything was so beautiful done in perfect Schwab style.

Both of these books make you question what it takes to be a hero. And what it means to be a villain. And everything blurred in between these two options.

If I'm not mistaken, V.E. Schwab just started on book 3 recently!

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Effy Sayre, architecture student, is obsessed with Myrddin's story of Angharad, the famous epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with and then destroys the Fairy King. When she's chosen to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy realizes she's signed up for an impossible task. She also meets her rival, Preston Héloury, the literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. The two rivals soon realize they must work together to determine the truth before the darkness drowns them both.

A Study in Drowning is a dark academia rivals-to-lovers young adult fantasy filled with sweet romance and all the mystery vibes. The prose is beautiful, the forbidding setting is unique, and the tone was perfect for an October read. I really loved the way Reid blends belief in folklore and fairytales next to the skepticism of intellectualism.

Beyond the darkness of the Fairy King and his power, this book touched on some real-world darkness like misogyny in academia, victim-blaming of women taken advantage of by men in positions of power, and the dismissal of young girls for being 'too much' or 'hysterical'. Effy is a not a badass stabby FMC but rather a softer young girl trying to find her own voice in a world that wants to keep her quiet. Both she and Preston were authentically-flawed characters who felt so real that you couldn't help but root for them.

Quotes of the Month:

So many good quotes in these books. The authors are all stunning writers, and some of these lines just hit so well.

“All Eli had to do was smile. All Victor had to do was lie. Both proved frighteningly effective.” - Vicious

“She didn't just want greatness. She wanted the world.” - She Who Became the Sun

“I was a woman when it was convenient to blame me, and a girl when they wanted to use me." - A Study in Drowning