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

Content Warning: death, murder, violence, sexual harassment, animal death.

Marion Shaw has grown up on the streets of Prane, forced to learn how to thieve and manipulate for survival. Now, as a grown woman, she lives a life of drudgery, working as a housemaid. Secretly, she aspires for something better, a world outside of the poverty and deprivation that is the cornerstone of her life. This time, when she sees the advertisement for a Bloodmaid in the papers, she decides that the luxury they promise will be hers -- and, in a shocking turn of events, she is picked to go and live in the House of Hunger, one of the great, blood-drinking houses of the North. But when Marion arrives, she quickly learns that not all is as it seems -- and that the price of being a Bloodmaid is far higher than she ever could've imagined.

The beautiful cover and interesting, rather unique premise drew me towards this book. Gothic is certainly having its revival, which I'm quite excited about, and I was secretly hoping that this book would be a twist on sapphic horror/love stories like Carmilla, or the wonderful reimagining of Erzsébet Báthory and her lover's life in Borowczyk's Immoral Tales (the standout of the film, which perfectly mixes eroticism and death). This, too, is based off the legends around Báthory's purported love of blood and torture of her female servants, but as it turns out, House of Hunger never quite reaches the full potential it's capable of, even with such fascinating figures as Báthory being inspiration.

Admirably, though, Henderson is never short on ideas, and if anything, this book is unique. I've never read anything quite like it before, and I sincerely doubt that I will in the future, either. It was a surprise to me that this was actually secondary fantasy; when I picked it up, I assumed it would be taking place in our own world, not in one of Henderson's creation. Some people felt that this bold move didn't pay off, but for me, I rather liked it. It doesn't always feel fully fleshed out, but all in all, I think that Henderson does a pretty good job making her world captivating.

The protagonist, Marion, is one of the reasons this didn't manage to rise above three stars for me. As the novel progresses, it seems as if Marion doesn't grow as a character, and in some ways, her emotions and her personality remain static over the entirety of her journey. There was a lack of depth that left me feeling a bit confused -- and I had this same problem with all of the side characters, as well as Marion's mistress/lover, Lisavet. In the very first scene with Lisavet, I had an inkling of what Henderson could've achieved with her character. She came off as complex, dark, a little strange. But once again, the same problem arises: everything feels slightly shallow. 

I think the length of House of Hunger is one of its faults, and, in fact, one of the reasons why everything feels as if it's lacking a certain depth. I rarely ever say this, but it was simply too short. For everything that Marion goes through, there was not enough time for any of it to feel realistic. She falls in love, out of love, she apparently strikes up this deep rapport with her fellow bloodmaids... and yet I couldn't bring myself to really believe any of it. Everything happens way, way too fast, and the times she actually interacts with Lisavet in any meaningful way, on page, are few and far between. The plot, too, is rushed, and many things don't make sense (some of which I cannot mention without spoiling the entire thing).

Overall, while I did enjoy the journey, and some of the storytelling was lovely, the entire experience of reading House of Hunger just felt average. Some of Henderson's writing is truly beautiful, but there were so many amateur mistakes that left me thinking this was actually her debut, another problem that perhaps prevented me from "clicking" with this book. 

Although I didn't love this, I think so many people will. I love its darkness, the way it lets its female characters be ugly and vulgar and mean and petty, and Henderson's way of looking at her characters as complex regardless of their acts of villainy.

Recommended if you love Gothics, female characters who are allowed the full spectrum of emotion (the good, the bad, and the ugly), and dark fantasy. 

Book Review: Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Amanda Flower

 

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

Content Warning: death, murder, violence, animal cruelty, racism, misogyny.

Willa Noble is over the moon when she's employed as a housemaid by the Dickinsons. It isn't by chance that she is hired, however: it's Emily Dickinson herself who instructs the head maid to take Willa on. Not much time has passed when tragedy strikes, and Willa's brother, Henry, is killed in what the police are calling an accident. Emily and Willa suspect that something else is afoot, however, and with the help of her eccentric employer, Willa is determined to find out who killed her brother -- at any cost.

What is it about Emily Dickinson that still fascinates us to this day? Her rich, private inner life? The way she still remains somewhat shrouded in mystery, even after all this time? We are always looking for a glimpse into her world, however small. When I picked up Because I Could Not Stop for Death, that's what I was hoping for, in spite of the fact that it takes place from the point of view of her maid -- an insight into Emily's secretive world. Disappointingly enough, though, we never quite get that chance.

To start with, all of the characters in this book are, sadly, strangely shallow. Many of them feel like caricatures, and despite the fact that Flower attempts to add depth to them through stories of their backgrounds, it does little to enrich them or add to their personalities. Willa, our main character, suffers from this same problem too -- although we're seeing everything happening through her eyes, all of her thoughts and observations feel rudimentary. Even now, I'm not exactly sure what I'd list as her character traits. Emily, Willa's brother, the rest of the Dickinson family, and, essentially, every character in these pages has a dearth of charisma.

The plot and mystery itself are basic, never able to rise above the average, everyday mystery you might pick up. The historical setting is certainly well-researched, but the stilted dialogue doesn't transport you to the era, but instead makes it feel as if everyone is clunky and awkward. Emily's dialogue suffers the most from this, probably because there are attempts at capturing her unique way of writing through her voice, but it just doesn't work. Willa and Emily claim to be investigating the death of Willa's brother, but the steps they take to do this are basic, never really fleshed-out. The "investigation" doesn't really yield any interesting clues or hints that help the reader to make their own assumptions.

Ultimately, this book just doesn't succeed in what it sets out to do. The questions raised here, about class and race, are good, but as with the rest, underdeveloped and overstated. The writing is so blunt, so set on making sure you're understanding what's going on, that it seems to imply the reader is too stupid to figure it out. 

Not for me, but I'm sure there are many people out there who will enjoy the historical setting and time period, which Flower pulls off pretty well!

Book Review: Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros

 

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

Content Warning: death (including that of a child), murder, violence, racism, religious persecution, misogyny.

Seventeen-year-old Toma lives in the wilderness of the vast Kosa empire. Although the empire is turning in on itself, in the midst of a deadly revolution, Toma is unaware of the political tensions and ongoing civil war, having not been amongst other humans in years. Suddenly, the unrest is brought to Toma and her adoptive upyri family's doorstep with the crashing of an airship, holding only two passengers -- and one of them is Tsar Mikhail himself. Forced by disaster into a mission of her own, Toma accompanies Mikhail on his journey to destroy Koschei, the leader of the anti-Tsarist revolutionaries, picking up another straggler, Vanya, on their way. As the trio grows closer, Toma will be forced to confront her past and, even more frighteningly, her future -- and all three of them will learn that true monsters don't wear their wickedness on the outside.

Finally, a book from my list of most highly anticipated 2022 reads that didn't disappoint! Bone Weaver is everything I could ask for in a Russian and Slavic inspired fantasy, replete with folklore and monsters, all while addressing the proletariat revolution and the faults of its fantasy empire.

To start off, this book is simply full of monsters. Something that often bothers me when I pick up a fantasy book is that while it proclaims to have pages full of monsters and folklore, they seem little more than window-dressing. That's never the case in Bone Weaver: there are rusalki, mavki, upyri, and more, all written about with an admiration for their haunting, sometimes frightening, beauty. It's obvious from the first page that Polydoros loves writing about these creatures, and although this obviously deals with much more mature subject matter, it reminded me a bit of reading The Spiderwick Chronicles -- and what more could I ask for then that?

As for the characters, all of them are lovable, even when they are not nice or friendly or on their best behavior. Toma, of course, is my favorite, and she operates as the kind of heroine that is naive but not obnoxious (which is hard to do; instead, her naivete feels endearing). Her companions, Mikhail and Vanya, are equally wonderful, although I will say that it took me a while to warm up to Mikhail. Perhaps it's because I'm a bit biased, but I wasn't sure that I would buy into his rehabilitation, into the narrative that he will truly fight for change in his empire. By the end, however, I greatly enjoyed Mikhail's character, and even ended up rooting for him (which took me by surprise). He still wasn't quite on the level of Toma or Vanya for me, but nonetheless, I think that Polydoros did an incredible job crafting every single character we encounter on the page. 

The worldbuilding has real depth to it. One of my favorite things in fantasy books is that feeling you get that, just beyond the page, there's a whole world out there -- real and fully fleshed out -- that we've yet to see. I never, ever say this, but I almost wish that Bone Weaver had been the first in a series. It feels as if there's so much more to explore, even with regards to Toma's background, for example, or Vanya's. My only real complaint about this book is that it simplifies the revolution, and in turn, simplifies its (amazing) villain. However, this is YA fantasy, so I don't mind it being boiled down to basics -- and that isn't to say that there isn't complexity or nuance in this book because there's plenty. 

Highly, highly recommended. This is, without a doubt, the best Russian and Slavic inspired fantasy I've ever had the pleasure of reading. 

Book Review: Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga

 

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Content Warning: death (including in childbirth), violence, murder, racism, misogyny, genocide, rape, pedophilia, grooming, racial slurs.

At the Belgian Catholic school Notre-Dame du Nil, they are meant to be raising up "Rwanda's Female Elite." These young women are in the middle not only of discovering themselves, but also of discovering what exactly Rwanda's revolution means for them. The only two Tutsi girls at the school, Veronica and Virginia, are particularly afraid of the lessons they'll be forced to learn -- and of what it means to be a "true Rwandan," as they struggle to come to terms with the ethnic hatred and tension building between the Hutu and Tutsi peoples. 

Considered a modern classic, Our Lady of the Nile is a bit hard to summarize -- part coming-of-age, part analysis of colonization, genocide and misogyny, it deals with many heavy topics, often with a hint of dark humor. There's a satirical element to Mukasonga's clever, on the nose writing style, but unlike some books I've read that use levity when discussing serious matters, it never cheapens the horror of what's happening in these early days of the Rwandan genocide. 

All of the girls have their own unique personalities, although the piece's villain, Gloriosa, perhaps suffers a bit from being rather shallow. I don't list this as a criticism, however; Gloriosa, with her belligerent, blind hatred of all Tutsi, serves as a mouthpiece for the violent beliefs of the Hutu who are intent on wiping out every trace of Tutsi from the nation. Each chapter provides an insight into one of the girls' inner lives, but Veronica and Virginia operate as the heart of the story, providing us with an opportunity to see what it's like to live in a world that is set against your very existence.

Mukasonga's ruthless examination of Rwanda's colonization stands out brilliantly, even amongst the many other issues tackled here -- in fact, she does an excellent job of showing just how colonization has not only inflamed the problems between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority, but also how it has been encouraged by Rwanda's white intruders.

Although I'm a white American, Mukasonga transports you into the world of these young women, and allows you to get an inside look on Rwanda's genocide, its politics, and its cultural innerworkings. The only reason I have not given this novel a full five stars is that the language is, every once in a while, a bit strange; perhaps this is merely an error of translation but, nonetheless, it sometimes kept me from feeling fully engaged. The girls' individual narratives could also have benefited from being a touch more personal; I think that an insight into their lives away from the lycée would've added great depth.

All in all, highly recommended. Touching, sometimes funny, with an ending that will leave you thinking.