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

Content Warning: murder, violence, death, suicide, cancer, animal death, sexual harassment, abortion, misogyny, alcoholism.

It's 1963. Cat Gray has had a double shock: the death of her mother, and the assassination of President Kennedy. Running off adrenaline and rage after reading the letter her mother left for her, she hunts down Elizabeth Bentley, notorious Communist spy queen turned FBI informant, with the intent to kill. But as Cat becomes captivated by Elizabeth's story of a life full of risks and an attempt to do something meaningful, she slowly starts to wonder if Elizabeth is really the villain she's been painted as, or if there's more beneath this woman's powerful façade -- and what it means for the mystery of Cat's own background...

As I'm sure you can tell by books previously reviewed here, I have a penchant for Russia and the history of Communism. When I saw this book, and realized that it was actually a fictionalized tale of the real-life Elizabeth Bentley, I knew it'd be on my list. From page one I was drawn in by this story, not only because of Thornton's vivid and powerful writing, but also because of her portrayal of a woman who has been pilloried by history.

It's easy to sympathize with Elizabeth, perhaps not only in spite of her mistakes, but because of them. She is far from perfect, a quasi-traitor to her country who often acts selfishly, but she's also dangerously clever and determined to try and remedy the pain she has caused throughout her life. I loved the deep, dark parts of her, as well as the caustic and biting humor she employs throughout the telling of her story. Thornton succeeded in making Elizabeth relatable, even lovable, but doesn't sugarcoat the sometimes damning truth.

The relationships that Elizabeth forms during her life as a spy were a highlight of the book for me, particularly when it comes to the wonderfully sweet and fascinating dynamic she forms with her handler, whom she falls head over heels for. I rooted for Elizabeth, and I also enjoyed the weaving of Cat's story in with the rest of the narrative. It isn't often that I say this, but there's really nothing I would change about this amazing, thrilling novel!

Highly recommended. 

Book Review: Tales of Ming Courtesans by Alice Poon

 

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Content Warning: violence, death (including that of a child), prostitution, murder, suicide, rape, sexual assault, abuse (physical, sexual, verbal and emotional).

Liu Rushi, Chen Yuanyuan, and Li Xiangjun were three of the renowned Eight Beauties of Qinhuai. Each coming from a background of hardship, all three sold to "thin horse breeders," a colloquial name for people who ran the slave and concubine market, these three women ended up having extraordinary lives -- sometimes at the cost of their own happiness and love. Known for their artistic talents, intelligence, and striking beauty, as well as their political knowledge and their challenging of societal norms, this novel follows their lives through friendship, love, tragedy, death and the end of the Ming Empire.

I previously read another of Alice Poon's novels, The Green Phoenix. I gave that one four stars, and although the writing style wasn't my favorite, I enjoyed it wholeheartedly. This one, unfortunately, didn't quite meet the mark for me. While I admire Poon's dedication to history and accurate details, and all three main characters were sympathetic and likable, it ultimately left me feeling as if I were being told everything rather than experiencing it. There is some context to this type of storytelling, as it is Rushi's daughter who is reading her memoir and also being told their stories by relatives, but the downside to this is that it becomes difficult to be immersed. 

To be fair, I have been in a bit of a reading slump, and I've struggled to read anything that truly captures my imagination these last couple of weeks. There were many things I enjoyed and liked about this book, like the previously mentioned dedication to accurate historical details, but the writing once again left me a bit cold -- as well as the fact that much of the language used feels too modern, and sometimes forces you out of the story. It felt especially strange in conjunction with the otherwise wonderfully rendered historical settings and details. 

That being said, I wouldn't not recommend this book, and I think if you are interested in the lives of these three very fascinating women, it's worth a read. As someone who has a deep interest in Chinese history, culture, and literature, it was still an enjoyable read and I'm glad I learned some new things!

Book Review: Tomie by Junji Ito

 

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Content Warning: murder, violence, death, domestic abuse (emotional, physical, verbal, and implied sexual), dismemberment, cannibalism, misogyny, body horror, gore.

Tomie Kawakami is just like any other teenager. She's interested in fashion, expensive jewelry, and good food. Well, aside from the fact that she can tempt men into doing anything (and I do mean anything), and that she is an immortal seductress who can never die. Tomie goes about her many lives, leaving destruction and suffering in her path, and it isn't long before those who encounter her realize that there's no escape...

How excited I was to find this deluxe edition! It includes every Tomie story, from her beginnings as a wronged-against schoolgirl, to terrorizing a male fashion model who has it all, and many more in between. Tomie is one of those figures that has a large cult following, perhaps because of her sheer evil in combination with her startling beauty. She is the quintessential female monster. 

I was surprised that many of the starred reviews for this were on the lower side. I must admit I've never had the pleasure of reading Ito's Uzumaki or Gyo (those will definitely be next on my list!), which I saw many people citing as better and a more accurate representation of Ito's genius, but I personally found Tomie to be right up my alley -- a metaphorical tale of the dangers of beauty standards, embodied by the femme fatale herself. It's both horrifying (sometimes even disgusting in its horrors, although I mean this in the best way) and wonderfully crafted.

And Tomie is a perfect manifestation of the frightening beauty standards that women feel the need to force themselves into. It doesn't matter if we must suffer to do so -- after all, isn't to be beautiful to suffer? They are ever-evolving, much like Tomie, and no matter how hard we try to refuse them or change them, they continue to plague us and drag us down. 

If you love horror, I highly recommend this amazing collection! It was enjoyable enough that it took me about six days to read it, and it clocks in at around 750 pages. Ito is, indeed, the master of horror with meaning and a beating heart beneath it. 

Book Review: Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson

 

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Content Warning: death, rape, incest, abortion, violence, child abuse, spousal abuse, pedophilia, alcoholism, animal death, forced pregnancy. Please be aware that this book deals with extremely heavy topics, many of them graphic in text.

Tan-Tan lives on Toussaint. Her father is the mayor of their county, and so she lives a relatively comfortable life, in spite of the way her beautiful, spirited mother neglects her. But suddenly Tan-Tan's world is turned upside down when her father commits a crime that forces him to be exiled to the brutal planet of New Half-Way Tree, Toussaint's shadow-side, a place where dangerous creatures from folklore abound. Taking Tan-Tan with him, she soon discovers that her father is no longer the kind man who adores her. As she grows up, Tan-Tan will become the Robber Queen, feared and revered by those who tell stories of her...and hopefully, in the process, save herself from the painful trauma of her childhood.

There's something truly magical about the worlds that Hopkinson creates. In this case, it's a mixture of folklore, fantasy and science-fiction, a blend of different Caribbean cultures narrated in Creole. Our main character, Tan-Tan, is like all of Hopkinson's heroines -- powerful, complex, and totally and authentically human. Plagued by the horrors of her childhood, and trying desperately to escape from her past, this book is a riveting look into the life of woman forced to carry her abuser's baggage. 

Hopkinson's prose is both beautiful and horrifying, graphically relating to us the events that are taking place in Tan-Tan's life. Interspersed with snatches of folk tales about Tan-Tan, each of them make it clear that she is suffering under the weight of her guilt. From the moment the first traumatic incident occurs, Tan-Tan, like so many others who experience deep and lasting trauma, finds herself splitting into two: the "bad" Tan-Tan, who whispers self-hatred into her ear, and the "good" Tan-Tan, who remains loyal to her abuser in spite of his cruelty.

It's mostly the pacing that brought this down to three and a half stars. Still a good rating, mind you, and I enjoyed this book greatly; but it was prone to lingering, and it was a good while before I felt that the story truly began. To be fair, there was a lot of explaining needed, due to the sci-fi and fantasy elements, but I was both confused and a little bored in the beginning. However, once the plot picks up, things move very fast, and get interesting very quickly. I must mention the depth that went into this book, particularly the fascinating culture of the Douens, a species that lives on the planet. The worldbuilding could never be called shallow or superficial. 

This is by no means an easy read, and if the abovementioned triggers are things that you personally are affected by, I would not recommend picking this one up. It's beautiful and has an ending that will bring you tears (of both joy and pure relief), but the journey there is painful and incredibly dark. That aside, however, I would highly recommend this to those who love sci-fi, especially the kind that is diverse and has an amazingly written black woman protagonist! 

Book Review: The Maid by Nita Prose

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

Content Warning: death, violence, bullying, racism, drug abuse, domestic abuse (physical, verbal and emotional), suffocation, stigma against neurodiversity, non-graphic torture.

Molly Gray is a maid. She adores her job at the luxurious Regency Grand Hotel, perfecting people's suites and taking pride in her ability to clean up any mess. Well, not any mess, as she soon discovers. Not a mess that includes the death of one of the hotel's wealthiest patrons, Charles Black, and Molly smack in the middle of the whole fiasco. Now, with the police suspecting her simply because she reacts a bit differently than most, she finds herself plunged into a disaster spinning out of control. Through her own cleverness (and with a bit of help), will Molly be able to expose the real killer before there's no getting out of her predicament?

I'm sure you have heard of Nita Prose's debut. Already a major success before it has even hit shelves (and soon to be made into a feature film), I was pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of reviews were in the four-to-five star range. I assumed I would love it, not only because I love thrillers, but also because I have a special place in my heart for eccentric, sometimes unlikable characters.

The problem is, Molly's eccentricity is a clear attempt at portraying a neurodivergent woman, without ever giving it a name. It's rather obviously intended for Molly to fall somewhere on the autism spectrum, but she also seems to have (stereotypical) symptoms of OCD. I don't know if this is due to the author conflating these two things, or if she's aware of the fact that these two can sometimes be comorbid, but I somehow doubt it's the latter, considering how Molly's personality and traits are handled.

I won't spoil anything here, but just know that Molly is constantly used and taken advantage of, all because she sometimes struggles to read social cues, and often takes things literally. It's disheartening to read it, particularly in what is otherwise pitched as a sort of heartwarming, "cozy" type of mystery. She also has a habit of speaking as if she's in an episode of Downton Abbey, or depending on the occasion, like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory. The singular character of color (aside from two hotel guests) is similarly stereotyped, although to go into detail would reveal a huge part of the plot. Just know that it was enough to make me pause, and wonder why exactly Prose felt it was right to go down that route.

Let's list a few of the stereotypes that Molly embodies: she's unable to read expressions; mimics sayings she's heard constantly; requires everything to be neat and clean; everything must be arranged correctly, perfectly aligned, at exact mathematical angles which she's easily able to come up with in her head; she shows little or no emotion; and she is socially awkward in pretty much everywhere. Do these characteristics truly exist in those with autism, OCD, and other similar things? Yes. But to make Molly's entire character revolve around them, to use every single stereotype, to give her very few traits outside of this, and to do it all without much subtlety or finesse...it felt both unrealistic, and borderline offensive.

Now, let's tackle why I gave it two and half stars. Without the egregious issues I listed above, I genuinely think I would have enjoyed this book. The writing was fun to read, and Prose's descriptions are beautiful and a pleasure to read. Despite the author's failings when it comes to Molly, I liked her very much and it wasn't hard to root for her. The other characters are also cute and the found family trope is utilized well here. The mystery isn't the most surprising or intriguing I've ever read, but it does its job, and it's more of a vehicle used to grow Molly's character anyway.

There were too many flashbacks, often in the middle of a scene, which would frustratingly take us out of the action, but I assume that many of these smaller issues will be dealt with once it's in its final form for publishing. Those are minor things, easily overlooked, especially when the story is compelling and enjoyable. Were it not for those other, bigger problems that left a bad taste in my mouth, this could have easily been four or five stars. Two and half stars feels fair enough to me; decent, but by no means fantastic, with its glaring errors in characterization and misuse of worn-out, tired old tropes about mental health and neurodivergency. Not to mention the ending, which felt both like a trick and a cop-out. 

To sum it up succinctly: not the book for me. Many others have loved it, but I simply can't get past the issues mentioned above.