The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Memory Police is a dystopian novel following the story of an unnamed author living on an unnamed island. One by one, things disappear on the island, though no one knows why. As objects such as perfume, birds, books, and hats disappear, the memory of these objects also recedes. Some civilians retain their memories, however, and are hunted by the Memory Police, a government organization determined to rid the island of these “dangerous” individuals. 

I loved this book from start to finish. Some of my favorite books don’t have specific plots and are more character studies, which is something I also really liked about The Memory Police. I love being introduced to a character in the middle of a story already in the process of taking place. For this book in particular, we begin the story at a time where the disappearances and the Memory Police are very familiar to our narrator. 

The relationships in this book are realistic and one of the strongest/most important aspects of the story. The Memory Police emphasizes the importance of human connection, our relationship to the past, memories, and the strength we gain from those we love. The thread to which our souls are tied to our memories is so fragile, yet so detrimental to our personhood. 

I read that Yoko Ogawa was inspired by Anne Frank’s diary and the story definitely reflects Nazi Germany and the S.S. Guards, but I was really impressed by the author’s ability to build a unique world for the Memory Police to operate in. 

Overall, I really loved this book. Metaphors live and breathe in The Memory Police and the story affected me on a deep, emotional level. The Memory Police is filled to the brim with loss, love, friendship, and pain, so I only recommend this if you are in the mood for a sadder story with a lot of heart. It’s definitely one of my favorite reads of the year!

Babel by R.F. Kuang

Babel by R.F. Kuang
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Robin Swift, born in Canton and orphaned by the Cholera pandemic, is brought to London by Professor Lovell, a professor at Oxford's Royal Institute of Translation (Babel). Robin is ruthlessly trained day and night in the subject of languages and translation to fulfil Professor Lovell's orders of his enrollment at Babel. Years later, Robin is ready for Babel and learns just how the magic of language can change the world - but soon, Robin realizes that there is a cost to the knowledge and power that Babel holds. 

This is one of the most extraordinary books I have ever read. The amount of work, knowledge, research, imagination, organization, and CONFIDENCE that R.F. Kuang had to have had in order to put this together far surpasses my understanding of what humans are capable of. Babel is genuinely incredible. There is so much genre-meshing here - Babel is fantasy, dark academia, historical fiction, and political! This is, by far, one of my favorite coming of age stories I have ever read. 

I really grew to love these characters and the setting absolutely envelops you - I swear I could see everything Kuang described. Some of the criticisms that Babel has received are valid, although I don't agree with all of them. Some have said that this book reads like a textbook. That's true, but it's something I adored about the story. I loved learning about the history of translation as well as the political repercussions that go along with the gathering (and hoarding) of information and resources. 

I rated Babel 5 stars for all of these reasons, although I do have a few personal criticisms. Firstly, I feel like the supporting characters needed/deserved more. Poppy War is a great example of secondary characters having fully fleshed out histories/origins. Secondly, I hated the ending. I just really wasn't happy with it, though, admittedly, it was a good way to end the book.

Babel is a masterpiece. I need a sequel ASAP! I highly recommend this for fantasy lovers and/or history buffs. The political content is beautifully done, which is always expected from R.F Kuang at this point. Wow. Just wow - I adored this book!

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Piranesi was an incredible reading experience. As I was moving through this story, I was constantly feeling amazed that an actual human being could create something like this just by using their mind. It was completely phenomenal. 

Firstly, I read this book very quickly - I literally couldn't pull myself out of the world of Piranesi. The book consists of a series of journal entries composed by a nameless man who refers to himself as Piranesi. He lives in a castle-like building that has no beginning or ending. Inside of this building, an ocean, an endless amount of statues, and random skeletons can be found. Sometimes, Piranesi is visited by a man he calls "The Other." One day, The Other tells Piranesi that danger is imminent and they defeat it before it can wreak its havoc - but are they on the same team?

The only criticism I can come up with for this story is that the ending is somewhat predictable, but it really does not detract from the book whatsoever. Otherwise, this book was such a pleasure to read and experience. Piranesi is surreal, well planned, and effortlessly put together - it's honestly such an inspiration!

Thrust by Lidia Yuknavitch

 *Trigger Warnings* rape, incest, sexual themes, child sexualization

Thrust by Lidia Yuknavitch
⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was, without a doubt, the wildest ride a book has ever taken me on. The story follows Laisve, a young girl from the late twenty-first century, as she travels through time to connect the people and stories that lead to her life being created. On her journey, her actions are not only helping her to survive, but also to save lives. That sounds like a fun, little fairy tale but trust me - it's not.

Thrust was a surrealist's fever dream, except every single detail in this story serves a purpose. The way that these stories are interwoven is so incredibly impressive. Lidia Yuknavitch's talent blew me away. As readers, we are thrown into various timelines, histories, and perspectives. It can feel a little overwhelming to keep up with it at times, but it's manageable!

The ideas in this book are executed perfectly which helps emphasise just how poignant and intriguing they are. The historical fiction aspects of the story are also amazing and the characterization is very well done. This book is genuinely such a whirlwind. 

Even though Thrust was amazing, there were a few things that I didn't enjoy as much. There is almost constant sexualization of Laisve, who is a literal child. There are also a lot of incestual themes as well as two separate incidents of actual physical incest. In addition to that, Thrust is packed with erotica, although personally, I didn't find that the story benefitted much from it.

With the exception of those criticisms, this story was so unique and wild. It was politically stimulating and Lidia Yuknavitch highlighted so many important topics like misogyny, climate change, juvenile delinquency, etc. 

I would definitely recommend it, but please be aware of the content warnings first!

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Fairy Tale by Stephen King
⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Fairy Tale by Stephen King, we are introduced to Charlie, a seventeen year old whose mother died tragically when he was a young boy. To cope with such a monumental loss, Charlie's dad becomes a raging alcoholic. One day, Charlie asks God for a favor - if God can help his father with his sobriety, Charlie will do whatever God asks of him when the time comes. Years go by and when duty finally calls, it is in the shape of Mr. Bowditch, the neighborhood's grouchy old hermit, and his dog Radar. Meeting Mr. Bowditch triggers a domino effect in which Charlie is thrown into the adventure of a lifetime.

So Stephen King wrote his own twisted fairytale - and I loved almost every page of it! This is a portal story - almost all of Charlie's journey takes place in the "Other World," also known as Empis. The setting of Empis was pure magic; the world is filled with humans, giant bugs, royalty, and like any good fairytale - villains and monsters. Stephen King effortlessly combined horror and fantasy in this book!

As much as I loved Fairy Tale, there were a few things that brought this rating down from five stars to four. Firstly, the ending is very rushed. There's so much buildup and backstory but the ending just kind of... happens. Also, the epilogue genuinely made me mad. I don't think it should have been included at all. It totally made the rest of the story less impactful and detracted from my enjoyment of the tale overall. The story could have been even darker and a little longer as well, in my opinion.

The characters were the heart of this book and each one, even the villains, had their own charms. The characterization was amazing as per usual with Mr. King. Radar is literally the best fictional dog ever and Charlie is such a great main character.

There's so much more I could say but this review would be way too long! I absolutely adored Fairy Tale and I loved the time I spent in Empis with Charlie. I definitely recommend this book, but only if you're NOT new to Stephen King. I don't think this would be a good introduction to his body of work. Overall, this story was awesome!

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon is, in its own right, a coming of age story. We meet Vern freshly after her escape from Cainland - an all-Black cult focused on unlearning and undoing all of the colonization and violence of White Supremacy, both in the past and present. She is 15 years old and giving birth whilst hiding in a forest from a hunter known as the Fiend, whose orders are to drag her back to Cainland, dead or alive. We follow Vern’s journey from child, to mother, to refugee, and finally - to warrior. 

Sorrowland is a story unlike any I’ve ever experienced. It is brutal, romantic, violent, warm, and full of love. There is so much to unpack about this story. Sorrowland offers up so many takeaways regarding race, sexual identity, and gender norms. 

It was incredibly refreshing to read a story with these topics interwoven and spoken about with pure honesty. Rivers Solomon didn’t sugarcoat the very serious and real struggles that POC and LGBTQIA people face on a daily basis. Sorrowland sinks its teeth into these topics and it draws blood. There are so many themes of abuse in Vern’s story. Sometimes it is approached in a subtle manner and other times it’s right in your face, but what is most compelling is the influence of the violence that our systems/people in power commit daily against Black people, both metaphorically and literally. 

Vern’s story is one that left a mark on me. There are metaphysical moments scattered through this story, but it is indeed a real story that takes place in front of blind eyes every single day. This story is one of perseverance and strength. Rivers Solomon is a genius and their talent in storytelling is one I hope will continue to bless us in the future. Don’t ignore this gem of a novel! I highly recommend it!

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Three Dark Crowns
by Kendare Blake
⭐⭐⭐

Three Dark Crowns has an incredibly promising plot. In every generation, a set of triplets are born and it is their destiny to battle it out and end each other’s lives in the hope of claiming the throne. Each of the sisters is born with a power - Queen Katharine is a poisoner, Queen Arsinoe is a naturalist, and Queen Mirabella is an elemental. There’s a lot more to this story but these are the basics. 

Firstly, I’ll begin with what I loved about this story - strong female characters! Every woman in this tale knows who she is and what she wants. They are powerful and brave but still capable of love and compassion. That is a rare combination! 

This is the kind of book where we switch characters with each chapter. I found myself heavily invested in Arsinoe and Katharine’s stories. Their stories contained multitudes - love, friendship, betrayal, and magic - whereas Mirabella’s chapters, though still enjoyable, felt a little lackluster. 

Three Dark Crowns has an extremely large cast. Like… really large. Each Queen has an entire entourage behind them, not to mention suitors, priestesses, family, friends, etc. If you aren’t used to juggling so many characters at once, you may struggle in the beginning. By the middle of the story, however, you’ll probably have a good handle on them. 

I enjoyed this book and will definitely pick up the sequel, however I didn’t rate this story higher for a few reasons. There were twists in this story that I simply just didn’t like! Also, this story is all setup. There are a few moments of tension and suspense but this is entirely a story made of character development. Nothing much happens outside of the Queens’ personal relationships. I wish the last hundred pages were used differently. I would’ve enjoyed more insight into the traditions, such as the Hunt. The ending came very slowly but it also felt rushed. There weren’t many details to really emphasize the meaning of it all. 

Overall, this book was good! I am invested in the characters and the ending was strong enough to hook me in for the sequel! If you like witches and blood traditions, as well as love and friendship, then I would highly suggest picking this book up!

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert 
⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Dune series has continued to awe me with Frank Herbert’s ability to imagine and create a future world that is not altogether an unrealistic prediction whilst currently in the twenty first century. The world is demanding, dangerous, has themes of segregation, and overall is incredibly realistic considering the Science Fiction/Fantasy aspect of these novels. Most importantly, however, Herbert has excelled at writing stories about people - people in power, people who are oppressed and marginalized, people who are lost in their power, and people who are fighting for power. 

Dune: Messiah picks up years after the first story concludes. Paul Atreides is now deep into his emperorship, and we are beginning to see the long term effects of his rule on society. Paul struggles with his morality in this story; has he helped his world or has he hurt it?

Messiah was a much shorter book than the original, which caused the story to feel a bit rushed. At first, I really did not feel inspired by the story or the events taking place. I felt as though I was missing all that took place between these two books and really would have enjoyed a deeper look into that empty history. I found myself enjoying the insights into the people and the corners of this world, that previously were not shown to us, than the actual story being told. Thankfully, however, those feelings changed once we reached the second half of the novel. 

The conflict and resolution of Dune: Messiah hooked me and left me breathless when the absolutely unexpected happens. This story left me with the impression that Frank Herbert knew exactly what he was doing and where he was taking this story and its characters. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series!

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

The Cartographers
by Peng Shepherd 
⭐⭐ 

Nell Young, at one point on track to be a specialist in cartography at the New York Public Library, is working a job that she isn't completely fond of and hasn't spoken to her father since the day he fired her and destroyed her entire career. One day, Nell's father is murdered, but not only is the killer a mystery, there was also no way in and no way out of her father's office, except for one door, where a security camera captured absolutely no visitors. Nell starts on a journey to uncover some clues that inevitably lead her down a path that rewrites her past, or at least, the one she remembers. 

I wanted to like this book so badly but it just didn't work for me. I loved the dark academia vibes and the story was moving in a really unique direction, but there just wasn't enough magic for me. Nell as a main character is fine, but her personality tended to be controlling, stubborn, condescending, and she often had tunnel vision. It became frustrating after a while, especially when the right answers are so plainly visible. The twists were also predictable and slightly underwhelming. 

Despite these criticisms, this story was unique and the research done into the art of cartography added so much depth to this book. The Cartographers was generally fine, but it just wasn't a favorite of mine. If you're interested in the synopsis, however, definitely give it a try!

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

 

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Dragon Republic is R.F. Kuang's powerful sequel to The Poppy War! This was one of the best sequels I have ever read! I didn't love it like I loved the first book, but this one came pretty close!

This is a series that is incredibly difficult not to spoil because the beginning and end of each book is like night and day. So much is packed into these pages - it's a nonstop rollercoaster ride, from the very first chapter! 

What I loved the most about The Dragon Republic is the same thing I adored about The Poppy War. Kuang's world building skills are mind-blowing! We learn even more about the mythology in Nikan and, politically speaking, it packs a punch! We meet some new characters, which is great, and we lose some familiar ones - not so great - but the story benefitted from both of these things!

I rated this 4 stars instead of 5 because I felt that Rin's character development was a little slow and Nezha's was a little difficult to justify. Despite those couple of things, this sequel was amazing and I'm so sad (but excited) to be approaching the finale of Rin's story!

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

 *TRIGGER WARNINGS* rape, death, racism, political injustice, abuse, cruelty

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Poppy War's synopsis is pretty convoluted and if I tried to explain exactly what the story is about, we'd be here all day! So instead, here is my paraphrased version - Rin, a war orphan, escapes her abusive foster family by being accepted into Sinegard, a military school made to turn children into cutthroat soldiers. What comes next is war, death, gods, special powers, friendship, fantasy, and devastation. I mean, the world, races, and story that R.F. Kuang built for this story is kind of mind blowing!

Rin's story contains so many important issues that are real in our world - political injustice, civil rights, genocide, war crimes, racism, and so much more. At surface level, this book is an amazing fantasy story, but if you look a little deeper, there is so much written into these pages - friendship, loyalty, love, humanity. There are parts of this book that are lighthearted and funny, and there are parts that are so devastatingly disturbing that they will probably stick with me for a while.

Please be aware - there are many trigger warnings needed for this story - it can be absolutely brutal at certain points. 

The Poppy War is currently in first place for my favorite book so far this year. It is simply brilliant. R.F. Kuang has not only invented her own world, races, society and culture, but she has also created her own unique mythology and history that adds an intricate depth to Rin's world. And the character development! The relationships in this story and how they evolve! This book burned its marks into me, pun totally intended. 

If I could rate this more than 5 stars, I would. Fast paced, haunting, beautiful, and unique - The Poppy War absolutely blew me away!