Book Review: Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro
Monday, April 8, 2024
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Jean is one of the only midwives for miles around. When she's awoken in the middle of the night -- during a storm -- by a cry of pain, it's instinct that sends her outside. Standing there is a woman she's never seen before, half in the marsh, and to Jean's expert eye, clearly in labor. As Jean helps the woman during and after the birth, it becomes obvious to her that this is the wife of her only neighbor, and that she speaks painfully little English. Doing their best to communicate, Jean finds herself drawn into the mystery of Muirinn's life, put off, for some reason that she can't quite place her finger on, by Muirinn's husband, Tobias. Struggling with her growing feelings for this stranger, Jean gradually discovers that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to her neighbors, and that some secrets are worth killing for.
First and foremost, A Sweet Sting of Salt is perhaps one of the most lushly, gorgeously written books I've had the pleasure of reading in some time. Sutherland is masterly at crafting beautiful sentences, of using words with creativity, but never to the point of making her writing inaccessible or too much. Anyone reviewing this book would be remiss not to mention her talent, and it's obvious to me that she is the type of person who is a natural at what she does. It came as a surprise to me that this was a debut, based on the quality and level of the writing and overall feel of the novel.
Our heroine, Jean, is very likable, feisty but sensible, and although I did like Muirinn as well, I was left with the feeling that we didn't get to know her quite as well. If I was forced to describe her personality, I'd be left sitting a bit blank. She's brave, I suppose, and adventurous, based off of what we hear in the latter half of the book, but beyond that, she struck me as being slightly underdeveloped. Jean fares much better as the narrator of the events taking place, but the relationship between them is rushed. It's perhaps not quite instalove, but something very close to it, and the pacing of their developing interest in each other was a little too quick for my tastes.
In many ways, this book suffers from pacing issues, not only with the relationship between the two main characters. In the beginning everything is happening too fast, and by the middle, too slowly. I think these problems are common for a debut, and while they did lessen my enjoyment some, it wasn't enough to put me off of the book. Most likely, Sutherland's next book will have ironed some of these issues out, so I do advise everyone to take some of the problems I mention here with these elements in mind.
Something else I didn't like was the coincidental nature of the finale. It was a bit unbelievable, even for a book with fantasy elements based off of a folktale. I didn't like how Laurie's story connects with Jean's, and there were times I was inclined to roll my eyes at how perfectly and easily everything seems to pan out for everyone. It's impossible to discuss without spoiling the ending, but that was perhaps the part I liked least. And one more thing I have to mention: the introspection. It's far, far too much. I'm truly surprised that Sutherland's editor didn't catch onto it, and have her cut the majority of it out. It slows the book down considerably, and nearly manages to make it boring.
Overall, I think this is a beautiful book, and most of its problems come with a first time author. Sutherland nonetheless has created something beautiful here, and I can't wait to see what she'll come out with next!
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Sybil and Esme live in Severon, a decadent, sprawling city full of nightclubs, art, and beauty. For the two girls, however, life there is not all it seems: they're struggling, barely supported by their meager jobs, each of them dreaming of a future where they can spread their wings. Sybil longs for adventure, for something beyond the boredom of her humdrum daily life; Esme, on the other hand, is only too content to work at a library and have a home filled with cats. Despite their differences, they're best friends, and when they're drawn into the world of Fae by the beautiful, mysterious Maeve, it's together. Maeve promises them riches that they can't even fathom, if they do one thing for her: steal the royal jewels from the Fae Queen.
It was the intriguing setting of The Absinthe Underground that truly made me decide to request an ARC. The story (partly) takes place in the city of Severon, inspired by Belle Epoque Paris. It's a unique idea for a story, especially when most fantasy books seem to draw their inspiration from medieval Ireland or England. Although it didn't up being quite to my tastes, I would love to see more people following Pacton's lead and giving us stories with unusual settings!
Our two heroines, Sybil and Esme, are complete opposites, but despite their differences (or perhaps because of them), they're inexplicably attracted to each other. Unfortunately, I say inexplicable because aside from small things like enjoying each other's company and finding one another attractive, there's very little character development for either of the girls -- and this impacts their relationship, too. Although I liked both of them well enough and found their narration pleasant, their individual storylines and characterization are remarkably one-dimensional. They both have a set of traits and characteristics that the author has decided for them, and they never veer far from these predetermined boxes. This ends up limiting the narrative and its ultimate conclusion. To make matters worse, the writing tells us and doesn't show us, and this prevents you from feeling totally immersed in the world.
Don't get me wrong -- their relationship is sweet, and I did enjoy their moments of flirtatiousness very much. But the lack of growth is disappointing especially because the two girls are likable. Another problem that surfaces is that tonally speaking, The Absinthe Underground reads more as middle-grade than YA (in spite of the many, many references to alcohol and drinking, which I found slightly odd). It's a little jarring, as Sybil and Esme are referred to as being seventeen several times, but they come across much younger in their POVs. This isn't necessarily a problem but, for me, it occasionally made the story disjointed.
The primary problem, however, is that everything is so convenient. This is low, low stakes, which isn't always a problem, but for a heist in Fae, it seems a little lackluster. Somehow, someway, everything always works out for Sybil and Esme, to the point where you begin to wonder what's the point of reading anyway, since you know everything will work out in the end. Some people enjoy stories like that, and I have no doubt that there will be many readers who appreciate The Absinthe Underground, but it was boring for me to watch them get into sticky situation after sticky situation only for their problems to be miraculously solved. It gets into unbelievable territory towards the end. Before the last act, I was planning on giving out two and a half stars, but that felt a bit too generous by the last page. It also suffers from everyone being painfully transparent, and you have to either believe that Sybil and Esme are extremely naive, or extremely stupid.
Ultimately, this story just wasn't for me. Again, I have no doubt that many readers, especially young ones, will find a lot to love here, but it simply wasn't my cup of tea.
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
Eliza Jones and Grace Steele are opposites. Eliza is spoiled, the daughter of a wealthy newspaper owner, while Grace has grown up counting every penny, all of her hopes and dreams reliant on her piano. But both of them have something in common: they're enlisting in the WAAC, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, and they will be some of the very first black women to serve. Drawn together despite their differences, Eliza and Grace are challenged not only by racism and misogyny, but also by the hardships of army life -- but amongst their fellow female soldiers, they discover a sisterhood of courageous women that will challenge and encourage them at every turn, especially when they are finally sent overseas.
Originally I had requested this on Netgalley, and when I ended up not getting approved, I decided to pick it up at the book store. It has many things I look for in a book: female-focused, historical (and set during WWII), and a story highlighting the lives of black women. After reading the first few pages, however, I began to have an inkling that this might not be the book for me. I almost never stop reading a book once I've started, though -- unless it's egregiously bad or problematic, it somehow feels unfair not to give it a chance to get its footing. In this case, though, Sisters in Arms ended up being little more than a slog for me.
Our dual protagonists, Eliza and Grace, are both black women in their early twenties, but that's about where the similarities between them stop. For the first half of the book, I found myself liking Eliza best, as she's a little plucky and often makes a genuine effort to help others. Grace, on the other hand, is cold and distant, and while typically that wouldn't bother me in a character, it lends itself to the way that she treats Eliza, which I did not like whatsoever. She's rude, condescending, and sometimes even straight up hateful to Eliza, who does nothing but show her kindness every time they meet. Moreover, both of them come across as extremely juvenile -- until their ages were confirmed on-page, I half wondered if we were supposed to be reading about teenage girls. Everything, somehow, is very sanitary, reminiscent of a Hallmark movie, in spite of the fact that there are some dark moments and topics within.
Most of the time, I'm not particularly bothered if an author's writing style doesn't suit my personal tastes, but unfortunately, Alderson's writing just seemed a bit childish. It was more suited for YA than anything, and at times, disregarding the adult topics, I felt as if I were reading in that genre. The main thing is that I'm not a fan of fluff, and that's primarily what this book is. It's light, and although I don't like using the term "chick lit," that's really the only other way I can think to describe this. Fluff is not for me -- I prefer harder, darker books. So although I personally didn't enjoy this one, I imagine there are many who will, as this is exactly their type of genre.
It's boring, for me, when I read a book where everyone is fundamentally good. The ending nicely ties up all their loose ends with a ribbon, and I didn't find it quite believable or engaging. Eliza's father, for example, is "redeemed," and I found it a little hard to swallow. He is a domineering, manipulative man, and I didn't like the way the ending swept aside his former characterization. Many of the other characters suffer from this treatment at the end, too. I also found the conflict between Eliza and Grace, especially one part towards the end of the novel (which I can't discuss in detail without major spoilers), extremely puerile. The romances have that same problem, with the chemistry seeming forced.
However, I didn't know about the 6888th Central Postal Battalion before this read, and I love that it taught me about a piece of history that I didn't know -- and one that should be taught more often. These were strong, courageous women who rose up against all odds, and there are glimpses in this book of moments like that. For me, this one just didn't work, but I know there are many out there who will appreciate this story and enjoy it.
Friday, December 15, 2023
Nnu Ego is the daughter of a proud chief of Ibuza and the one woman who refused to become one of his many wives. Raised up as the apple of her father's eye and the last remnant of the mother who died birthing her, Nnu Ego has high expectations for her life. She wants, as her community says, to "become a woman" -- to get married and have children. Her first marriage is a disaster; her second, considered a victory because of the children she's blessed with. Her relationship with her husband, a city man in Lagos, is fraught with difficulties, and although Nnu Ego is convinced that her life will become better once she has a child, preferably a son, it soon seems to her that the joys of motherhood are overrated -- not to mention few and far in-between.
A poignantly reflective novel that seeks to unravel the complicated relationship women have with motherhood, Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood, published in 1979, is an excellent glimpse into the early burgeoning of black, and specifically African and Nigerian, feminism. Our heroine, Nnu Ego, is at odds with the new way of living emerging in Nigeria. Growing up in a village, she is used to farming, to hardworking men and women and the traditional roles that go alongside this lifestyle. When she arrives in Lagos, keen to meet the new husband that will hopefully fulfill her desire to have children, it's a true and thorough culture shock. Here, in the big city, her husband does something that, in Nnu Ego's eyes, is totally against all of the gender norms of masculinity she's grown up with: he washes and launders his white employers' clothes.
These are just a few of the ways that gender norms are expressed in Emecheta's writing. Most of it focuses on Nnu Ego's expectations of herself, and other women: you don't "become a woman" until you have a husband and until you have a child. Until that happens, you live a half-life, waiting to become fully human. Emecheta compares motherhood and womanhood to slavery over the course of the novel; at one point, Nnu Ego thinks of her children as the chains of her slavery, her husband Nnaife knowing that as long as her children with him live, she is bound to him forever, that she is unable to leave them.
It must be said that this novel is crushing in its bleakness. Time and time again there is subtle hope that Nnu Ego will break free from the cyclical nature of the life she's living, or perhaps that someone else in the novel will, but despair is the most constant emotion that permeates The Joys of Motherhood. Its ending, in particular, is devastating -- however naively, I kept thinking that something had to give. However, I'm so glad that I chose to read this, as it's a truly insightful, deep, and complex narrative that will stick with you long after you've finished the last page.
Highly recommended, and unmissable if you're interested in African feminism.
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Syd Walker is haunted. Fifteen years ago, a single night in her small Oklahoma hometown changed her life forever, driving her to move to Rhode Island and leave behind her family. Although she's sworn she'd never go back, Syd also works for the Bureau of Indian Affairs as an archeologist, and the past has come calling with the discovery of a skull on a piece of land that is near and dear to Syd's heart. When she returns to Picher, she's shocked to find out that her sister, Emma Lou, has vanished -- and begins to suspect that her sister's disappearance is linked to the skull and to that night so many years ago that Syd has been running from ever since.
An exploration of the murdered and missing Indigenous women epidemic, Blood Sisters is set in the small, now abandoned, town of Picher. In 2009, Picher was officially declared as uninhabitable, owing to its high level of toxicity due to waste from mines. Our heroine, Syd, grows up amongst the chat piles, playing with her friends until the day that her life changes forever. While the premise itself is interesting, and the featuring of Picher adds another layer of depth and intrigue, the execution simply did not live up to its potential.
Syd, our narrator, is one of the main problems. She's neither interesting nor likable enough to carry the novel on her back, and what's most jarring about her is that she constantly and consistently makes decisions that are simply unbelievable. In spite of the fact that she works as an archeologist for the BIA, and there seems to be the suggestion of her intelligence, she acts and operates in a way that can only be described as stupid. It's understandable that she values her own life very little, a common problem that arises with survivor's guilt, but she also seems to not think very much about the people in her life and how her actions put them into danger, too. You would think this would be something she'd be highly aware of, due to her past, but apparently, that's not the case.
There's a gimmick that doesn't work well in this book -- I won't spoil it, although it happens very early in the book and continues until the end. It somehow felt cheap, and as if the author was looking for a way to impart information that Syd couldn't know, making the eventual reveal of what's truly happening all the more eyeroll inducing. In a further exploration of what I mentioned with Syd's character, it's also worth noting that none of the other characters fare very well, either. All of them are flat and one-dimensional, and sometimes the characterization (particularly in regards to one character at the end of the book, which I can't go into without spoiling the entirety of the plot) feels like it's out of a bad action movie.
The plot completely and totally goes off the rails. It's melodramatic, it's unbelievable, and it makes you want to put the book down and not pick it back up again. It's hard to believe what you're reading. It becomes so convoluted, so much like the aforementioned B action movie, that it loses any interesting threads it's picked up along the way. I was actually quite shocked that Lillie went down the route that she did, and the second half of the book is where it really all went downhill for me -- ending up with only two stars.
I'm giving Blood Sisters two stars only because the first couple of chapters are pretty good, and I think the premise was unique and interesting, but it's not something I'd pick up to read twice.