February 2024 Book Reviews
February is my birthday month, as well as being the birthdays of several friends. So I'll be honest, I had my fingers crossed for a few little "gifts" for myself and others. Overall, this feels like a really strong month for new releases — from mysteries for middle-grade readers and adults alike to paranormal rebellions and romances, along with a much more down-to-earth YA piece.
Thanks as always to the publishers for sending these titles along. I wish I still had that glossy newsstand platform to really shout about these, but a blog's not nothing. If you dig in to any of these books, be sure to let me know!
CITY SPIES: MISSION MANHATTAN
James Ponti
Score: A
The fact that Mission Manhattan is five books deep into the City Spies series won't stop new readers from being able to jump right in. Our heroes are the young members of a secret branch of MI6: highly talented teens, trained to take on spy missions where an adult presence. They're also a family, led both parentally and professionally by their mutually adoptive father (nicknamed "Mother"). And, just as the City Spies themselves are from (and codenamed after) locations around the world, their latest mission takes them all around the globe.
What starts as an undercover mission at a youth environmental rally turns into an investigation into a potential murder plot. As young spy Rio takes the lead, the team travels to Manhattan to find out who's truly behind the attempted killing. But there's trouble within the City Spies as a difficult family tie could compromise the mission.
I'm a big believer that a book being accessible to younger readers doesn't mean it's dumbed down. This entry in the City Spies series definitely fits that bill. Alongside being a good fit for middle readers, it's an excellent first step into the genre. Young readers learn the basis of spycraft, and thus spy fiction, alongside the City Spies. Plus, with its unflinching view of the ups and downs of family, it's an excellent choice for families to read together.
THE TAINTED CUP
Robert Jackson Bennett
Score: A+
The people of the Empire engage in magic of a sort: genetic enhancements give people superhuman abilities ranging from impossible strength to eidetic memory. One such person is Dinios Kol, an engraver — so named because he can "engrave" anything he sees or hears into his memory permanently. Now he's serving as the new assistant to Ana Dolabra, a brilliant but eccentric investigator who insists on wearing a blindfold at nearly all times and refuses to leave her home.
Their first case together in distant Daretana is a grisly murder: a nobleman killed after a tree has grown out of him. As Ana begins to put the pieces together with Din's help, the bodies continue to stack up. Worse still, there are leviathians at the walls, threatening the Empire and its people once again. And the walls are weakening... suspiciously so. Under Ana's tutelage, Din helps to solve a mystery that twists and turns through the Empire's upper eschelons — and learns more about his own abilities as well.
The Tainted Cup is a must-read if you're looking for Sherlock Holmes-style fiction that isn't yet another straightforward Holmesian detective. Ana and Din build on the Holmes and Watson relationship in their own way, adding a brilliant layer of fantasy worldbuilding. Moreover, the story's revelations about Ana and Din are just as rewarding as the mystery itself. While the book wraps satisfyingly, I would love nothing more than further adventures with this pair.
TO CAGE A GOD
Elizabeth May
Score: B
In a fantasy world inspired by Imperial Russia, the ruling class rules with the power of dragon gods. Magic is literally etched into their bones, allowing them to literally cage these draconic beings and siphon their power. But some years ago, Galina and Sera's mother learned this process herself, using her daughters as guinea pigs. Now grown up, the two will divide and conquer to bring down a kingdom.
As Galina infiltrates the palace under the guise of a wronged noble child, Sera reconnects with her roguish lover — who still has no idea she wields the same power as their imperial oppressors. With Galina established as the "Common God," the pair work to bring her dragon god's power to its full potential. As Sera rekindles her romance and Galina finds herself falling for an isolated princess, the clock is ticking. Their lives, and the lives of their spies and allies, are on the line. And if they don't unleash their god powers on the ruling class, it might be turned on them instead — be it from the inside or the outside.
To Cage a God leans heavily into physical pain (both passive and self-inflicted) as being part and parcel of its magic. While it makes for excellent metaphors and dialogues across the board, there are times when it pushes a bit hard. If you're a fan of hurt/comfort stories, that might be a bonus. That aside, it's a rare inspiration for a fantasy setting, and one that's played with beautifully. This is the first book of a duology; and while the first book was interesting, the setup for the second sounds like it will be even better.
CONDITIONS OF A HEART
Bethany Mangle
Score: A
Brynn has done an impressive job paving the way toward a perfect senior year. She's on track to be prom queen, she's head of the yearbook committee, and she aspires to become a doctor. Not a soul outside her family knows she lives with Ehlers Danlos syndrome, and that's exactly how she wants it. And it's going great, until she gets suspended and removed from her senior activities after being blamed for starting a fight she was attempting to break up.
With her already fractured life falling to pieces, she finds herself once again crossing paths with her ex-boyfriend Oliver — whom she pushed away rather than letting him find out about a major surgery. With her secret becoming harder to keep, her family at odds from the inside, and her fears of being hated for her disability all converging, Brynn has to weigh her options. Should "Pretend Brynn" remain at the wheel, or should she be her true self in public?
Author Bethany Mangle mentions that she's written this from her own experience, but acknowledges that not everyone with EDS will have the same experiences. Nonetheless, it's a compelling look at living with a hidden disability, and the expectations we place on ourselves (and that the world places on us). It's also a post-COVID book with a very different angle, acknowledging that many of us have health concerns that aren't neatly boxed into a handful of years. Moreover, though, it's a message for those of us with disabilities: no matter who's hurt us in the past, people who truly care about us want to know the real us.
WHERE THE DARK STANDS STILL
A.B. Poranek
Score: A+
Liska's village is frightened of her, and even what remains of her own family doesn't know what to do with her. Cursed with dangerous magic, she realizes she has only one choice: find a way to rid herself of it. But when she goes into the forest to seek out a magic flower that will grant her wish, she meets the forest's guardian: the ancient Leszy, said to be a demon. He offers her a deal: serve him for a year, and she may have the flower.
But it's not a simple year of cleaning the House Under the Rowan Tree and making preserves for winter. The Leszy wants Liska to hone her magic. Meanwhile, she begins unearthing the House's ghosts — figurative and literal. The Leszy's 700-year history isn't a pleasant one; but there's also more to this strange figure than even he is at first willing to reveal. As Liska learns more about her own magic and the Leszy's tragic past, she begins to get in touch with her own powers. And, against her better judgment, she begins to fall in love.
Where the Dark Stands Still is steeped in Slavic folklore, but you don't need to understand the references to appreciate the story. For as dark as the story gets, there are touches of humor and romance throughout that keep it balanced — making it feel more like a classic fairy tale than anything else. The ending is a tearjerker, but also strangely hopeful. It's a must read for lovers of paranormal romance who are looking for their heroes to be both equal in the relationship and mutually able to grow and change.
About the Author
0 comments