Tag Archives: books

Book Review: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Posted on by CM Schofield

This book is a really good reminder that I need to stop forgetting that YA books exist.

You remember the film Pacific Rim, right? Big, daft action film with giant monsters being punched by giant robots? Imagine that but written by a very angry Chinese feminist. Are a lot of the themes incredibly on the nose? Yes. Did it harm the book? No. In my opinion, it only enhanced it. This was not a subtle book. It was brash and in your face about everything. It was never intended to be subtle. It was here to scream at you, and scream it did. The book is ridiculous and over the top and great fun.

Cover of Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. A Chinese woman in metal-looking armour stands engulfed in red, orange, and yellow wings.

Our main character is Zeitian, whose sister was murdered by one of the celebrity mech warriors who defends the people of Huaxia from the encroaching monsters. She decides to get revenge by volunteering as one of the mech warrior copilots (the problem being that, as a woman, the male pilot is expected to essentially use her as a human sacrifice to power the machine). Don’t worry though – she’s planning to murder him before she ever steps foot in there. What starts out as a dangerous revenge plot rapidly becomes something so much more.

Zeitian’s character growth is phenomenal. I love that she didn’t have the traditional arc of understanding her power – she knew she was a strong woman and she went out there to kick ass. Well, kick everything really. Zeitian was very angry. (In fact, it’s the main complaint I’ve seen from low star reviews of the book but I loved her for it. She suited it and it was nice to have a female character, especially in this setting, be so self-assured, arrogant, and forceful.) Her growth was far more centered on her overcoming her preconceptions and allowing herself to be vulnerable. Y’know, in between mech battles and planning to escape a horrifically oppressive patriarchal society. Look, she’s got a lot on, okay?

The ending was incredible. A lot of the book was predictable fun, but then that ending had my jaw drop with delight. Obviously I can’t say much without ruining it, but Zeitian makes it clear very early that she’s a woman who won’t settle and goddamn does she mean it.

Also, as a very minor spoiler, I did very much appreciate that there was a geometrically accurate love triangle. This is always one of my pet peeves in books that claim to have a love triangle. Most of them mean they have a love Less Than symbol. It’s not the same.

I’m off track, what I should be saying is: Do you like big stupid action books? Do you like angry feminism and even angrier, unapologetic women? Do you like awesome cool Chinese fantasy? You may want to give this a go.

Book Review: Humanborn by Joanna Maciejewska

Posted on by CM Schofield

Ah, Humanborn. Where to start?

Let’s start with the book itself. Joanna Maciejewska’s Humanborn is a novel following Kaja, war veteren, investigator, and refuser of choosing sides. She lives and works in the wreckage of Dublin in a post-magical-war Ireland. You can see already why this might float my boat, right? Well, a concept isn’t enough. It’s got to be done well.

Folks, this book made me stop playing Tears of the Kingdom for a FULL WEEK while I powered through it (don’t forget I am the world’s slowest reader, even if I am loving a book).

Book cover for "Humanborn", book 1 of Shadows of Eireland by Joanna Maciejewska, featuring a wry looking woman with long brown hair who is brandishing a small orb of blue light in one hand.

Maciejewska’s Ireland was enthralling. From the tales of how the magic came to be there, to the creatures now living there, to the treaties and alliances and the workings of the magic itself. To the cost of the magic. I hung on every word telling me about this fantastical world. The intrigue as well of the world outside Ireland stuck in the mind, ever present, with hints woven through the book. That alone would have had me entertained for the whole novel, but then there’s the characters.

I already knew that Maciejewska was a bit of a rockstar when it comes to crafting characters, especially ones who you don’t know if you should trust or not. In Humanborn, she takes it up a notch. Kaja herself was wonderful, complex, and faceted, and then she was surrounded by a complete set of allies, enemies, unlikely friends and uneasy colleagues. And there’s extra plus points because Kaja (in my opinion) even smooched the right one.

The story itself was about Kaja and her task to track down the culprits of terror attacks in the city, but it’s much more than that. It’s about Kaja and her journey into the world of the fae, and her ensuing entanglement with them that might end up affecting her a lot more than she might think.

Urg, look, it’s damn good. I don’t want to spoil anything, just read it.

Book Review: River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey

Posted on by CM Schofield

So, I was browsing the transgender fantasy section of my local queer bookshop and happened across a book about killer hippos in Louisiana. Naturally, I bought it immediately and I have no regrets.

Book cover for River of Teeth, featuring a host of characters riding through a calm swamp on hippo back.

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey was, by all accounts, a mad and ridiculous book in which our heroes are tasked with clearing out the feral hippos from a section of the Mississippi. It’s a year long gig, but our man Winslow plans on getting it done in a weekend. Good for him. Absolutely nothing will go wrong.

No book is perfect and I did feel that there were points where characters were inconsistent and some things didn’t make a huge amount of sense, but sense was the last thing I was looking for when I picked up a book about murder hippopotami in the United States. The flirtation between the main character and his love interest was slightly too much for me, but to be fair was I chomping at the bit to see some hippos eat someone every time we were on a non hippo-eating-people scene.

This book was great fun. I read it in two sittings, which is lightning fast for me. There was action, there was murder, there was both hippo and non-hippo related mayhem. There was a fat Frenchwoman meteor hammering things from the back of a trained hippo. There was Ruby the Stealth Hippo. It was, most definitely, an operation and not a caper. I’ll be picking up the sequel for definite.

Recommended for anyone who is looking for a quick read filled with action, who appreciates that sometimes things in books can just be that way because it’s cool.

Book Review: Pacts Arcane and Otherwise by Joanna Maciejewska

Posted on by CM Schofield

It’s funny, for someone who both loves reading and loves writing, I sure am terrible at writing book reviews. I still leave something on the book’s Goodreads and Amazon pages to help the authors, but it’s never much more useful than “this is dead good, peeps”. That said, it’s something I’ve been meaning to get on for a good while and, with Joanna Maciejewska’s Pacts Arcane and Otherwise series coming to a close last week, it seemed like a good time to go for it. 

Spoiler alert: I’m not going to write reviews for books I don’t like because I don’t want to trash someone’s baby and I also don’t want to lie. Maybe I should call them book recommendations instead? Anyway-

To celebrate the release of the final book in the series, Demon Siege, I thought I would talk about where it all started and the series so far. It all starts with By The Pact, a high fantasy epic adventure starring quick witted but seemingly mediocre magic user Kamira and her good friend and professional muscle Veelk. Together they stumble across a powerful demon, imprisoned in the ancient ruins they are searching, who traps Kamira into a bargain which will either see him freed or her causing a huge disaster. Fortunately, both Kamira and Veelk are both more than they seem, and each step they take leads them closer and closer to the dark truth of their world. What ensues is a colourful and complex adventure of magic and demons and swords and snark. 

Image of the cover of novel "By the Pact" by Joanna Maciejewska, featuring two human figures looking towards a large crystal with a demon encased inside.

This is a great one for people who enjoy your classic sword and sorcery, but also those who like cutthroat political fantasy tales without crossing over into the grimdark genre. What are some of the major highlights for me, personally?

Pacts Arcane and Otherwise has a great cast of complex characters starting right with Book 1. Kamira, introduced as a low grade arcanist, grows and grows throughout and shows us what she’s made of. Her past and her future are ever expanding and fascinating, and her family history shows its influence so profoundly – despite how much she runs from it! The supporting cast hosts a great mix of altruistic princes, evil royalty, secretive societies, mysterious outcasts, and on and on. It’s a great series for people who love to debate characters – get all your friends to read and then battle to the death over who is Team Ryell and who is Team Put Ryell In The Sea! 

Also, I can’t neglect to mention the world building! Maciejewska has crafted a vibrant and real feeling world, with intricacies and details that reminded me of why I loved Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicle in spite of a certain redheaded bard/wizard/etc. Kaighal is a living and breathing city with layers upon layers, and it doesn’t feel like an island. The world around it and the links are interconnected so well that it’s easy to become immersed in this magical place. 

As with most high fantasy series, the stakes rise exponentially as we move from one book to the next, but Maciejewska has crafted a story which flows without leaps or suspension of belief (y’know, apart from all the demons and magic and stuff). Every plot point has its place and every wall in the story has its foundation, which just keeps me hugely invested in what on earth is going to happen next. 

And now, the series is complete, so I get to find out! Time for me to go and keep reading, biting my nails as I wish for everyone to make it safely out the other side!

(Except you, Ryell. Get in the sea.)