Children of Blood and Bone - Tomi Adeyemi

Orisha is divided. 11 years ago, the government carried out a brutal genocide on the minority Magi - people born in clans of magic with powers tied to one of several gods. Zelie is a child of a magi mother and non magic father. Exiled from the home of her heritage, she lives in a tidal flat and eeks out a living in a family of fisherman. During the day, she trains with Mama Agba, a local woman who works to teach the children of magi - diviners - the skills they will need to survive in adulthood. Because few will reach adulthood. Most, shunned for the potential magic in their bodies, will enter the stocks, a brutal indentured servitude akin to slavery.

A new tax on diviners threatens to bankrupt Zelie's family, so she heads to the capital city to sell a rare fish. However, when leaving the trading hall, she's approached for help by Amari, Orisha's princess who, upon seeing the brutal slaughter of her best friend at the hand of her father, is running with a scroll which threatens to bring magic back to all of Orisha.

Together with Zelie's brother, Zane, the two set out to restore magic and rebalance the scales of power in Orisha. Hunted by Amari's brother, beset by enemies on all sides, will Zelie reach the shrine in time to perform the incantation?

This is all very riveting. Voiced by the incomparable Bahni Turpin, the audio of this story does not let up. Children of Blood and Bone is a total original. I can't wait to read the sequel.

4.5/5 Stars. 

The Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss

This book took me just over a month to read. Logistically, big books that aren't on a Kindle are hard to lug around sometimes. I made a lot of things in my purse become non-essential just to fit this 1,000 page behemoth into my bag. But alas, it was worth it.

I've really enjoyed the first two Kingkiller Chronicle's so far. Based on the blurb on the first book about Kvothe I know there is a lot more story to tell. I'm thankful that The Wise Man's Fear helped push the story along. I thought it dragged a bit at the beginning and I was worried I was about to spend another 1,000 pages of Kvothe's time at the University and his somewhat petty squabble with Ambrose. But thankfully, Kvothe decided to take a well earned sabbatical from the University to attempt to engage a patron.

He ends up stepping in it quite a bit, which is his usual, but we learn a little more about the Chandrian or The Seven as their called in Ademre, a taciturn warrior community of people who are known for their sword craft and mercenary skill. He also takes us to Severen where he falls into the service of the Maer, a rich noble with little restraint on his power. And, of course, we get to me Felurian, who's beauty has bewitched men unto death. But not Kvothe of course. It's always interesting to see how he will get out of things, but he always does, because he's very good at very many things. Which, can kind of get old sometimes, but then he usually makes a mistake and you realize he is very young and very foolish, despite his abilities.

I fear Rothfuss may be falling into the trap of being in love with his world to the extent that the books grow to an ungainly size and need to be split up and then the writing takes forever. But just as I know I'll wait as long as it takes to read Winds of Winter, I'm all in on the third book in this series. Whenever it gets around to being published.

4/5 Stars. 

The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

I was hesitant to start such a big book and commit to a series (I can tell myself if I don't like it I don't have to read the rest of the series but who are we kidding here, I even read Allegiant when I wanted to rip out my own eyeballs). But I can confidently say, I'm all in on Kvothe and his story. I want big big things for him. I want to know how an orphaned actor became a hero and then gave it all up to be a lowly innkeeper. I want to know all the things that were hinted at and not yet talked about. I want Ambrose to suffer horribly and come to ruin. 

So yeah, I'm forcing myself to interlude with another book. I made a mistake once of reading two George RR Martin books back to back and halfway through the second had become to resent my choice, and the characters whose intrigue could not be wrapped up succinctly. 

For now, let's recap The Name of the Wind. Kvothe is a young boy travelling with his parents' theater troupe and enjoying life on the road. He's very bright and picks things up very quickly. Then Ben joins the group. He's something called an Arcanist, meaning he's kind of magical, but in a more metaphysical way rather than wands and spells type of thing. He teaches Kvothe about Sympathy (the connection of all things) and Kvothe, being an exceptionally bright student, learns faster and more thoroughly than Ben can account for.

And then, well then Kvothe's family is killed by some very bad beings called The Chandrian and he vows to spend his life avenging his family. But first, he needs to learn how and make it to a place called The University - to do all that learning that Ben started. There he meets the love of his life, a truly brutal adversary, and some very good friends. 

And then this stupid book ends and I have NO IDEA HOW THIS WORKS OUT AND WHY OH WHY DID THIS HAPPEN AND.....

Well you know, good cliff hangers are what keep the folks coming back. Anyway, I loved this in the way I love a good fantasy big book series and although I have the second book sitting on my shelf at home, I'll get to it when the itch doesn't feel quite as urgent, so my mind can truly appreciate the expanse of the world created by Rothfuss.

But, I will say that I wish some of the other characters got half the build out that Kvothe receives. No one else gets as much page time and Denna, the only other "principal" actor in the narrative has some mysterious backstory that Kvothe is too much of a coward to ask about. 

4/5

The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

I read and consumed American Gods (you can read that review here) and have watched and been consumed by the brilliant take on the book through the Starz drama starring the immensely talented Ricky Whittle. The Ocean at the End of the Lane has been on my t0-read list for quite some time and I was pleased to see it show up as available on my library queue.

For such a short story, TOEL packs a lot of narrative and drama into its pages. A man returning to his hometown for a funeral decides to pay a visit to his childhood home and is drawn to the farmhouse down the lane from where he grew up. A girl he once knew, Lettie Hempstock lived there and he feels compelled to revisit her home. Upon arriving, his childhood begins to come back to him, in particular a rather harrowing few days following his seventh birthday party.

A lonely and friendless child, the boy happens upon Lettie Hempstock while his father is being questioned by police after a dead body is found in the family car parked on the Hempstock property line. Lettie decides to take the boy with her on an errand. Things around Lettie aren't quite what they seem and while on their errand in Lettie's fields, the boy is bitten on the foot by something. Later that evening, the boy finds a worm in a hole in his foot and attempts to pull it out. The following day, a woman bearing a strange resemblance to the worm arrives at the home to occupy a spare room in the house and serve as the boy and his sister's nanny while their mother returns to work. The nanny, Ursula Monkton brings with her a variety of strange happenings.

There are many things that are really impossible to briefly explain over the rest of the book, but the boy fights against Ursula Monkton for his freedom and the freedom of his family.

The book is so wonderfully strange, but very rich in detail and imagination. In finishing it last night, I was thinking about my own childhood, and what kind of truths I may have learned that are now forgotten. What kinds of things do children understand that adults will never know? What fullness and richness of experience do children live in when everything is new and instructive. I like asking myself these questions and I live even better the books which cause me to ask them.


5/5 Stars.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Screenplay) - J.K. Rowling

This is the first screenplay I have ever read and there was a definite learning curve over the first few scenes in the book. But once I caught the rhythm, this was a fast and fun read. I love the world of Harry Potter, I've read all those books through several time (not this year, I had too ambitious a reading goal for the year) and I recently read the libretto for London play Cursed Child (this is the Harry Potter "sequel" - oh what am I telling you for, you are reading a review of Fantastic Beasts, you're probably aware of what Cursed Child is, you can read that review here). 

In any case, Fantastic Beasts is a much more grown up Harry Potter world, with larger consequences, and no teen angst. However, Rowling's humor and wit are ever present even in the scant dialogue or details surrounding some events. I am not sure when I'll have time to actually go see this movie, so getting to read the screenplay was wonderful. And the amazing thing about reading a screenplay is that it's only part of the picture. So many people work with the words on the paper to bring the vision to life, and so reading a screenplay is only part of the overall picture. I don't feel like it's "ruined" the movie for me at all. 

In this story, Newt Scamander arrives in New York to repatriate a rare creature. He has a serious soft spot for magical creatures and is working to advance awareness of their needs and protection. Upon arrival he runs into Jacob, a no-maj (muggle is a way better word - 0 points to America for coming up with a cool term) baker who is looking for a loan at a bank. Tina, a former Auror who can't quite let go of the duties, and Queenie, Tina's gorgeous sister. Oh also, New Scamander is a Hufflepuff (Pottermore says I am too) so of course I'm wishing him loads of success. 

Newt ends up losing a few of his creatures and in his quest to recover them, Tina, Jacob and Queenie get pulled in for the ride. In the background of all this action, Grindewald is looking to cause an international showdown between the magical and non-magical (you may recall this was the cause of his ultimate falling out with Dumbledore who wasn't really down with that kind of elitism), and a Second Salem movement bent on discovery and eradication of witches has some pretty horrible repression going on with some sad and scared children. 

If anything, I was a little disappointed in the climactic scene/showdown portion of the story, but I'll withhold judgment on that until I see it on screen, as I'm sure some nuance is missing from the screenplay that might make this a little more palatable. 

See the movie or read the screenplay if you are a HP fan. It holds up.

4.5/5 Stars

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne

I don't think I can be objective about this book. I have such a deep love for the entire world J.K. Rowling created when she made Harry Potter. I love all the books, have read the entire series at least three times through, and I even love the movies (although I recognize some are better than others - Order of the Phoenix is my favorite, btw). 

So when this became available, while I didn't go out to the midnight sale (although I wish I had), I did pick this up at the start of a date night out with my husband. "Let's stop by Barnes & Noble before dinner" I casually dropped. He agreed. Target acquired. 

So this book ended up in my hands on Friday night. And then I began reading. And every time I could snatch a spare moment, I read. Until Sunday night came along and through bleary eyes, I finished it around 11 p.m. Way past my bed time, but totally worth it. 

So much of my liking of this book really has to do with getting to be in the Harry Potter world again. Hanging out with old friends, who are still my age - real life Harry Potter is only three months older than I am (shhhhh.... I know there is no "real life" Harry Potter). I've consigned myself to my Hufflepuff fate, I have recognized I married a Slytherin. Yes, yes, I really am this big of a dork.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child picks up where Deathly Hallows left off - namely Platform 9 3/4 where Harry and Ginny, and Ron and Hermione are dropping their kids at the Hogwarts express. (I'm hoping the stage director managed to make them not look quite so old as they looked at the end of the last movie - because again, I'm the same age as Harry and I don't think anyone I know my age looks quite that old at 37). 

Again, Harry is advising Albus Severus Potter that being a Slytherin is not such a bad thing. And then it happens, Albus meets Scorpius Malfoy on the train, they become best friends, and Albus, wanting to cement the friendship with Scorpius, becomes a Slytherin. 

Time fast forwards as we see Albus is isolated except for his one friend, he bears the burden of being Harry Potter's son and he can't seem to get out from under the weight of it. Meanwhile, Harry, as Minister of Magical Law Enforcement, realizes he is not connecting with his son and is reading his own childhood into Albus' problems. His friend Hermione, Minister of Magic (of course), cannot seem to help him, nor can his wife Ginny.

So Albus becomes increasingly surly and depressed. He gets a horrible idea after his father is visited by an aging Amos Diggory who berates Harry for letting Cedric die all those years ago. Amos wants Harry to use a recently confiscated time-turner to go back in time and save Cedric. Harry knows this is a fools errand. Unfortunately, Albus does not. He believes his father is being selfish, sacrificing others for himself. So he makes a plan with Scorpius to break into the ministry, steal the time-turner and go back in time to save Cedric. 

However, as can be expected, changing the past can have unintended consequences. And in this case, the present changes in slight ways. When Scorpius and Albus return to the present, Ron and Hermione are no longer married, and therefore their children, Rose and Hugo, have never been born. Scorpius is crestfallen as he's been in love with Rose since the beginning of the play. And Cedric is still dead. So the boys make a plan to return to the past another time to mess up Cedric's second task at the tri-wizard tournament. 

This second trip has even more-dire results as it allows Voldemort to rise again and thrusts them into a horrible reality where death eaters rule and Delores Umbridge is back as Headmaster of Hogwarts. Scorpius - now alone because Albus was never born, must find a way to fix all of this, so he calls upon Hermione, Ron and Severus Snape (oh Snape, I'm so glad we get a chance to properly love you after despising you wrongly for so many books). 

Scorpius does manage to fix the mistakes he and Albus made, and if that was the end, it would be enough, but there is someone else who knows of Albus and Scorpius' actions, who decides to use the time-turner to their own ends to bring back Voldemort. There are too many spoilers in the rest of the story to keep going, but you get the drift. 

So I was so so happy while reading, because I really do love the characters and the Harry Potter world. But there are a couple things I had questions about or wasn't really too keen on:

- How old is Amos Diggory? He's in a nursing home, but it's only been 22 years since Cedric died, so even if Amos was in his 40s before then he'd only be in his 60s now, hardly a super old guy.
- Only a mention of Neville but no actual Neville parts? Boo.
- Ron really is an afterthought in this whole thing. He's a stay-at-home dad while his wife is the Minister of Magic, but this play kind of made him a pitiful bumbling mope. This is not how I saw Ron ending up at all. It's disappointing and doesn't do the character and his growth over the prior books justice. 
- I forgot how much 13 year old dialogue is lame.
- And this is probably the biggest one, the Albus/Harry disconnect wasn't there for me. I began to think perhaps Albus was gay and in love with Scorpius who was not and therefore all these statements about Harry not understanding Albus and why he was upset and not listening to him made sense. But, that's not it. So when it came time for them to "work it out" I wasn't really sure what the issue was. So I think the dramatic tension was kind of a let down. 

Other than that of course, I loved this book and I'm so glad it's in the world. Now, for it to come to a theater production near me. This really only gets 4/5 Stars because the story feels only derivative of the earlier books. While it plays catch-up on the "where are they now" theme, it misses some of the real beauty and dare I say, Magic? of the originals. 

The Witch's Daughter - Paula Brackston

I'm mixed on this one. The writing was okay and the story was okay. I wasn't a big fan of the characters and the structure of the narrative.

The book starts with Elizabeth moving to a new town and on the lookout for some kind of danger that keeps following her. She befriends a teenager, Tegan, who proves to be kind of annoying.

Elizabeth starts sharing her history with Tegan who somehow doesn't realize the people in the story are actually earlier versions of Elizabeth until finally Elizabeth tells her a final story about love and loss.

Oh and this guy following Elizabeth disguises himself as other people and although Elizabeth gets a funny feeling around certain people, she never realizes its this guy until he kills a few people.

It's all fine but not excellent.

3/5 Stars.