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Thank you to NetGalley and WIlliam Morrow & Custom House for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: death, murder, violence, slavery, racism, misogyny, rape, incest.

Born in the mid-1700s, the daughter of a plantation owner and an enslaved woman, Dolly Thomas is exposed to the horrors of slavery throughout her childhood. Determined, ambitious, and full of charm, Dolly manages to pay for not only her own freedom, but the freedom of her mother and sister -- and ends up creating a life for them all that no one thinks possible for a woman of color in her time.

Reading the premise for this book was so exciting that I knew I had to request it. Not only do I love historical fiction, but I thought that it was so refreshing to see a book written by a black woman about an amazing black woman. Although Riley's writing style didn't immediately catch my attention, her weaving of the story certainly did. While much of the content in this book is extremely difficult to read, it's a necessary read, something that unveils the atrocity of slavery while also uplifting the voices of the enslaved.

Dolly is the star of this beautiful novel, and I cannot begin to even tell you how much she makes this worth reading. Riley's masterful characters, who are vividly, wonderfully captured, feel as real as if you are sitting in the room with them. It seems as if Dolly has taken you into her confidence, and is whispering into your ear with her snappish wit and her endless supply of magnetism. The tale of her life, her hardships, her wins and losses, is so captivating that at the end, I nearly found myself in tears.

I truly cannot recommend this highly enough. Riley is a prolific writer of historical fiction and romance, and although I hadn't previously heard of her, I will certainly be looking into reading more of her books in the future. 

Book Review: The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

 

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Content Warning: murder, violence, suicide, torture.

Miao Wang is a well-respected scientist who specializes in the research of nanomaterials. When two police officers show up at his door, asking him questions about an elite group of secretive scientists, his guard is immediately up. Something isn't right. Before he realizes just what's going on, he's already been asked to infiltrate this private society, and it doesn't take long for him to get in too deep...

One of the rules I'd set for this month was to read a Hugo Award winner. It wasn't an easy choice for me, particularly since I read very little sci-fi and fantasy, and I must admit I was quite intimidated by the idea of reading this. It was the option that appealed to me the most, but it's a complex book full of in-depth discussions of physics and scientific theory, something I wasn't sure I'd be able to dive into with enthusiasm.

I'm happy to say that I was wrong! While a lot of it is complicated, Liu has a way of explaining it all that makes the process much easier, not to mention actually engaging. This book easily has the most unique, out-of-the-box concept that I've read in a very, very long time. Every piece fits together in a mind-bending puzzle. It's exciting to find the next piece, to connect the dots, and finally begin to understand what is going on in the world of Three-Body. It has the feel of a thriller or mystery, which certainly only added to my enjoyment. 

Liu also utilizes a dark period in Chinese history, the Cultural Revolution during Mao's rule, and does it both effectively and with touching humanity. It was nothing short of a brilliant move to incorporate history into a genre that more often focuses on the futuristic. The characters, too, are wonderfully written, not simply mannequins meant to move along the plot. Wenjie Ye, for example -- one of the book's riveting female physicists -- is a character I'll be thinking about for a long time.

All in all, it turned out to be an absolutely fantastic read. Highly recommended, and if you have an interest in history, this may be the sci-fi book for you. I can't wait to read the rest in the trilogy (there are two others, thankfully already published and translated), and will be on the lookout for more sci-fi novels! 

Book Review: My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

 

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Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: death, violence, murder, gore, animal death, rape, misogyny, racism, child sexual abuse. Please keep in mind that all of the content in this book is very graphic.

Jade Daniels has spent all seventeen years of her life in tiny, backwoods Proofrock, Idaho. She's angry, an outcast amongst her peers who spends her time studying horror movies and hoping that an actual slasher will be knocking on their town's door soon. But when a slasher actually arrives in Proofrock, Jade finds herself caught up in all the gore -- and hoping that her knowledge will keep her ahead of the game.

This one was quite the ride. Of course my interest was piqued by the concept, since I'm a big fan of slashers and 80s' horror films, and the thought of a strong, Native heroine was exciting. I've never read anything by Stephen Graham Jones, but I had heard such good things about his previous books that it was enough for me to request this one. Unfortunately, though, it didn't quite all come together for me.

The main problem I had here was that the story itself just ended up being not that compelling. It takes a very long time for us to actually get into the slasher portion of the book, and while those elements are fun, the rest drags in comparison. There's a portion a little more than halfway through where I truly started to enjoy the craziness going on, but the ending left me feeling disappointed and a touch unsatisfied. 

Graham Jones's signature style is very much present, and while he is undoubtedly an accomplished writer, that style simply doesn't work for me. The sentences were overly long, overly complicated, and we spent the majority of our time in Jade's head as she monologues. While this works for some stories, for this one, it instead felt as if we were stuck in one spot for a little too long. There simply wasn't enough happening.

I do want to make a point of saying that I enjoyed Jade's characterization, and that it's refreshing to watch her go through the world with righteous anger. The rest of the cast is a bit one-dimensional, attempts at changing up horror film tropes and archetypes. It's clear that Graham Jones is trying to subvert our expectations, but sadly, the execution falls a bit flat. There's more that should be discussed here, particularly about Jade's background, but I can't go into too much without spoiling everything. Let's just say that there are some tropes that should be retired.

All in all, this one just wasn't for me. But, if you're a fan of Graham Jones's previous works, I have a feeling you'll enjoy this one. Horror fans should also give it a go, because once the slasher gets going, there's quite a bit of bloody fun!