debut – notabooktuber

My first review of 2020! Here we go.

RATING: ✖✖

Initially, I was enticed by the lure of sci-fi/’young-ish’ adult in the spotlight of modern media frenzy, but found the plot dissolved into minor intrigue and petty drama rather than the focus on the viral dramatics.

SYNOPSIS: The Carls just appeared.

Roaming through New York City at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles

raderasenaresop — Book cover, pic from Goodreads.

across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship–like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor–April and her best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world–from Beijing to Buenos Aires–and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.

Okay, most of us are probably familiar with the other Green’s work. The John Green of the Vlogbrothers, the other half of the CrashCourse founder-squad (I think? Don’t quote me on this.) Anyway, I was all about the John Green hype a few years ago, as a mere tween, engulfed by the awkward teen romances and quote-worthy Pinterest boards his books entailed. As a slighter older awkward teen, I was excited about Hank Green venturing into the writing universe with a debut novel of his own, titled ‘An Absolutely Remarkable Thing’. As I read the initial blurb + first saw the cover design, I was thrilled. Delighted. Absolutely, positively happy.

But then I read the book — and, well … it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. I’ll let you know why.

Continue reading “An Absolutely Remarkable Thing — Hank Green”

RATING: ✖✖✖✖✖

An endlessly exciting fantasy debut from R.F Kuang, The Poppy War’s blend of magic, mystery, Chinese mythology and folklore set in a politically ravaged country fighting a gruesome war makes anyone’s toes curl. One of the best books I’ve read in a while.

SYNOPSIS: When Rin aced the Keju, the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies, it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard, the most elite military school in Nikan, was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.

This book blew my socks off. I glimpsed it on Goodreads, read the blurb, glanced at the gorgeous cover, glanced at the blurb again, then bought it. It sat on my nightstand for a few days, then ended up in my lap, and then with a 5-star review after I devoured its 544 pages in two days when I finally realized how great it is.

Because, by the Phoenix God, was this one hell of a book.

Continue reading “The Poppy War (#1) – R.F Kuang”