I read and blogged about this Medusa retelling back in 2023, and the book just got better with a second read. I loved the snark and the fresh take on this myth, and I loved discussing it in June with Orcs & Aliens. Told from Medusa's point of view, this should be required reading for those studying Greek mythology. It's that good.
The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni (2024), 320 pgs.
As the full moon rises over the imperial palace in Tokyo, Mike Brink prepares to face his greatest challenge yet: solving the unsolvable Dragon Box. He has confronted many puzzles like this before--solving each with ease, due to his savant-like ability to recognize patterns and photographic memory--but this puzzle box is unique in that every person who has attempted to solve it has died in the process. With Sakura, the Emperor's aide with mysterious motives, at his side and the imperial guards watching on, can Brink figure out how to open the murderous Dragon Box before the full moon sets? And, perhaps even more importantly, can he trust those around him?
My experience reading The Puzzle Box reminded me of watching an action movie. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. Each scene unfolded in my mind as if I were watching it onscreen. Dramatic reveals, strategically placed on the final pages of key chapters, felt primed for film transitions. I could almost hear the swells of music in the most action-packed scenes. Fans of the MCU, Bullet Train, or The DaVinci Code will enjoy this book.
Dr. Mina Murray has dedicated her professional life to helping women deal with trauma. After all, she has her own experiences with traumatic experiences, ones that manifest in obsessive behavior that she hasn't allowed herself to address. When Mina's estranged friend Lucy contacts her for help, Mina soon discovers that Lucy is exhibiting the same mysterious symptoms as a Jane Doe she recently treated, and they're by no means the only women experiencing these problems.
This retelling of Dracula focuses on what's happening to the women that are preyed upon while simultaneously giving Mina and the other female characters more agency than the original. It's well done, and timely, and with a Welsh setting, is still wonderfully gothic (though it has me craving bara brith now).
In the late 1830s, an aspiring writer went to stay at the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson and over the next decade, became a sought after literary critic, founding mother of the women's rights movement, and bestselling author. Yet few today know of Margaret Fuller, who died in 1850 at the age of 40. This book tells her story, from that first visit to Emerson's home through her work becoming a literary critic and foreign correspondent covering Italy's bid for unification. Peppered throughout the book are many literary heavyweights including, Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott (who was a little girl at the time), Nathaniel Hawthorne, George Sand, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
I don't know much about the Transcendentalists, much less Margaret Fuller, but after reading this book, I can honestly say I want to learn more about her. The first half of the book felt very focused on the men around Fuller, which seemed unfortunate for a book about such a fiery feminist, though the second half (which roughly corresponds with when she stopped spending so much time at Emerson's house) finds Fuller finally in the spotlight, and as such, is a much better part of the book. I can only wish that the whole book had been that way, and that I could have heard more about her travels as a single woman (which was very risque at the time). I suppose I'll have to track down some of her own writings to learn more about that.
This was my second reading of this feminist retelling of Ragnarok, and I stand by everything I wrote in my original blog post — it's compelling, fascinating, and absolutely heartbreaking in the best possible way. I can't wait to see what the Orcs & Aliens book club makes of it on Feb. 12!
This DC Black Label title with slightly more mature themes has stunning art by Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, and Nicola Scott. It has won a couple Eisner Awards. The book is available on Hoopla. The many two-page spreads contained so much beautiful detail that it was a bit difficult to read on my phone screen. I had to zoom in many times to appreciate and read it. This is not a Wonder Woman adventure. It is an origin story of the Amazons from Wonder Woman mythology with Hippolyta, who would raise Diana, as the central protagonist. With all the God and Goddess characters it feels like Clash of the Titans, somewhere between the style of the old and new movie versions. The graphic novel fully realizes ancient Greek culture and mythology. DeConnick imagines a believable origin for Hippolyta who becomes a leader among the supernatural and mortal women of Themyscira.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, 830 pages
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, 
