Engines of Reason

 

Engines of Reason by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 192 pages.

It has been 15 years Nyr and Lyn defeated the impossible demon and saved the world. The fairytale of the precocious princess and the reluctant wizard came to an end, and life got in the way, as rifts opened between people who were important to each other. But a new threat is emerging, a "sorcerer" with more power than he should have, and the only answers are in the secrets of the past.

Elder Race is one of my favorite novellas, and while I didn't think it particularly needed a sequel, I was still very excited when I saw it was getting one. Having now read it, I honestly still think it probably didn't need a sequel. I did enjoy this book, but I don't think it had the magic of the original, which would have been difficult to recapture. It did have some interesting things to say about identity within stories, and the end definitely feels like it might be setting up a longer series, which I'm sure I will continue to read. This book is great if you were invested in the characters of Elder Race, but not quite so exceptional if you were more interested in the structure. 

Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart

 

Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories by GennaRose Nethercott, 259 pages.

This is a collection of contemporary fairy tales; not retellings, but fairy tales for the modern world. I found myself very confused in almost every story, but nevertheless found them very compelling. They are very comfortable in metaphorical and ambiguous spaces, a trait that is often shared in traditional fairy tales. "The Thread Boy" was probably my favorite of the collection, but I've also found myself thinking of "A Lily is a Lily" frequently since finishing the collection. Dark and puzzling, but also entrancing, this collection is hard to look away from and even harder to make sense of. 

 

 

Soon By You

Soon By You by Dahlia Adler, 336 pages

Serial bridesmaid Arielle is sick of losing all of her best friends and closest cousins to marriages and coupled-up events where she doesn't really fit in. But she's also not really the type of woman to settle down. Orthodox wedding singer Judah is the opposite of that: he's determined to find a bride (and the right one, not just *a* wife), but he doesn't do hookups and ascribes to shomer negiah, a prohibition of touching the opposite sex that some Orthodox Jews follow. Yet Judah's gigs and Arielle's bridesmaid duties keep bringing them together, and to the surprise of both of them, sparks fly.

I was really excited to read this book, as I thought it would be great to see a romance that respects Orthodox Judaism's traditions and limitations. And to some degree, this one does that, with plenty of discussion about the wedding traditions, and shomer negiah. However, Judah's deeply held beliefs about remaining shomer negiah go right out the door and go straight to some pretty spicy situations RIDICULOUSLY FAST. That seemed really problematic to me, and distracted me from the connection between the two main characters. That may be a me issue while reading this, but it's definitely something to be aware of if you start reading this thinking the romance and sexual tension will simmer but never scald.

Destination Funeral

Destination Funeral by Paige Harbison, 352 pages

When her magnetic and free-spirited mother Babe dies, Didion is summoned to her late mom's home, forced to spend the weekend with her sister and two friends from childhood, all of whom she has avoided seeing for years. Babe has left the island home to the four "kids" to do with as they wish — the only stipulation is that they must spend the weekend in the house together, with no phones or internet access. The four grudgingly agree, thinking that it's only 48 hours, but something happens when the clock ticks past midnight, and they're stuck reliving the same day over and over and over and over... None of the outside world is aware of it, but the four of them are determined to figure out how to break out of their time loop, even if it means they have to learn some lessons along the way.

This is the second book of Harbison's that I've read, and the second one with a plot device lifted straight from Hollywood — the first was a Sliding Doors "what if" plot, and this one was Groundhog Day (if you didn't read the first paragraph and missed all of the blinking neon arrows that pointed to it). The devices work, but it doesn't show a lot of creativity. Yes, the characters in this book grew and learned, but I didn't particularly like the way it happened. Not a horrible book, but not my favorite by a long shot.

Stitched

Stitched by Eli McCann (2026), 280 pages  

 The Ogden Quilter's Association is in need of new members. It has just been announced that the largest quilting competition in the US will be next to their hometown and they are determined to beat out their rival quilter's guild. Enter two gay men whom have never quilted but are up to the challenge.

This was a very endearing story. I am an unskilled (but trying) quilter and very much enjoyed hearing about their process. Even I, though, knew that their idea for the competition quilt was a bit shaky. The novel really follows the friendship of the women who have been quilting together for decades; how they have worked together, became friends, irritated each other, but still managed to show-up. While the new recruits for the association bring some humor, it is the long-lasting friendship that really drives the novel. It was a fun, quick read. 

 

ExtraOrdinary

 

ExtraOrdinary by V.E. Schwab and Enid Balám, 112 pages.

After a near-fatal bus crash, Charlotte Tills gains the ability to see people's deaths in their reflections. Her own reflection is haunted by a strange man, a man in a prison uniform named Eli Ever. Waiting for her fate is driving her crazy, as is seeing her family's deaths in every surface, so she decides to go hunting for him instead. 

 This comic falls between books one and two in Schwab's Villains series, and I'm afraid it just didn't work for me as well as Vicious. I liked what we saw of the new characters, but with so many in a very short book what we saw of them wasn't very much. I also didn't appreciate that we played a little loose with the events of the first book. I expect changes in a comic adaptation to make things shorter, but as there realistically wasn't a lot of point in rehashing the same scenes to start with, it felt like a weakness. There were a few cool concepts, but I wouldn't exactly call it a standout graphic novel.

 

Vicious

 

Vicious by V.E. Schwab, 402 pages.

Ten years ago Victor and Eli discovered the secret to superhuman abilities, running dark and dangerous experiments that changed them both forever. Now their college days are far behind them; Victor has broken out of prison and Eli has gone down a darker path, seeking to eliminate every super-powered person he can find. Victor's drive for revenge will set them on a collision course, and heroics aren't part of the agenda. 

This was a really interesting take on superpowers with a bit of a dark academia bent. I liked how the story moved back and forth between the past and the present, allowing for backstory and getting to the action in a timely way. This book is a lot of fun, and I plan to get to the sequel soon!

Daughters of the Sun and Moon

 Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See (2026), 384 pages

It is 1870 Los Angeles and Dove, Petal, and Moon have just arrived in this foreign land. They soon discover that the Gold Mountain (America) is not as welcoming as promised. While they each end up in very different circumstances, they remain connected as they navigate this new world while trying to survive. 

The novel is a very interesting look into early Chinese immigration, especially through the lens of women. I had not heard of the Night of Horrors or much about violent gangs that ruled the Chinese neighborhoods in early Los Angeles. As with most early immigrants, the number of hardships they faced makes you appreciate how bad it was at home that they kept arriving. I am not sure I would have survived long. I enjoyed the novel but wish there would have been a bit more connection to the main characters. They often seemed separate and aloof - especially since they were dealing with some pretty hard situations.

Please Enjoy Your Stay

Please Enjoy Your Stay by Tara Goedjen, 320 pages

When Mia was a child, her cousin was murdered while they stayed at a remote Austrian inn. Mia's aunt was a true crime writer planning a book about the inn's sordid history when it happened, and while Mia's testimony put the killer behind bars, the court of public opinion pinned the blame on Mia's aunt. While things have died down over the past several years, a new true crime podcast is reopening the case and casting doubt on Mia's testimony. In an attempt to shield her aunt from further scrutiny, Mia finagles her way into a job as a nanny for the influencer who is renovating the inn, hoping that by being back at the scene of the crime, she can find some more proof.

As with a lot of thrillers, there's a serious disconnect between reality and the high-stakes antics of the plot. Most of them, I can forgive. However, the one that I just can't buy is that the helicopter mom influencer would hire a woman with ZERO childcare abilities as the new nanny in a construction zone. It was a good escape, but nothing amazing.

Whistler

Whistler by Ann Patchett (2026) 295 pages

Daphne and her sister Leda are extremely close. They have careers and husbands they love. When Daphne and her husband chance upon their mother's second husband Eddie in a New York City museum, all sorts of feelings come flooding back to Daphne after 40-something years apart. What follows is a series of visits and conversations mostly about how special Eddie was to the girls for the couple of years that Eddie and their mother were together. Eddie and Daphne were in a car accident when she was nine, which seemed to result in the end of their mother and Eddie's marriage, but why? The various relationships between the family members, including Daphne and Leda's mother and father, as well as Daphne's stepdaughters and Leda's son, all mesh beautifully into a book that is hard to set down. And why is there a horse on the book's cover. Read and find out! Highly recommended.