ARC Review: Evocation by S.T. Gibson

June 18, 2024 ~ VenusBloo ~ Leave a comment

**The links in this post are to the book’s StoryGraph page for reference. I do not receive compensation for clicking these links!**

Book: Evocation

Author: S.T. Gibson

Pages: 304

Source: Angry Robot, NetGalley

Publisher: Angry Robot

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ+

Publication Date: May 28, 2024

The Devil knows your name, David Aristarkhov.

As a teen, David Aristarkhov was a psychic prodigy, operating under the shadow of his oppressive occultist father. Now, years after his father’s death and rapidly approaching his thirtieth birthday, he is content with the high-powered life he’s curated as a Boston attorney, moonlighting as a powerful medium for his secret society.

But with power comes a price, and the Devil has come to collect on an ancestral deal. David’s days are numbered, and death looms at his door.

Reluctantly, he reaches out to the only person he’s ever trusted, his ex-boyfriend and secret Society rival Rhys, for help. However, the only way to get to Rhys is through his wife, Moira. Thrust into each other’s care, emotions once buried deep resurface, and the trio race to figure out their feelings for one another before the Devil steals David away for good…

My Review:

I was given a free advanced reader copy of Evocation by S.T. Gibson by Angry Robot via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Angry Robot!

David Aristarkhov is a man living with a foot in two worlds. On the one hand, he is a hotshot attorney, while on the other he is one of the most powerful psychics in Boston’s occult scene. His wealth and success come not only from his abilities but also as a result of being the latest heir in a family that used its occult powers for generations to ensure that wealth and success for themselves. David is also arrogant, cynical, and tactless.

No one could attest to this more than David’s old college boyfriend Rhys. Rhys would like nothing more than to keep as much distance between himself and David as possible. Unfortunately, they both belong to the same secret occult Society in Boston, so he’s forced to see David at their meetings. Both of them are highly ambitious with their magic, and both would love nothing more than to replace the retiring Head Priest of the Society.

Complicating David and Rhys’s tenuous tolerance for each other further is Rhys’s wife Moira. More specifically, the fight David caused between Rhys and Moira which nearly ruined their marriage. Neither Rhys nor Moira ever want to see David again, and David is grudgingly abiding by the boundaries Rhys has set for their further acquaintance. That is, until David begins to experience what he can only call spirit sickness.

David has blackouts, he can’t sleep, he can’t channel spirits, and worst of all, he needs Rhys and Moira’s help to find out why. Slowly, the three of them begin to patch things up between themselves while trying to find out what is slowly draining David’s spirit. The answers they find may be more than they bargained for.

First of all, this book is primarily focused on relationships – romantic, familial, and platonic. David was raised by an abusive father who only saw him as a tool, a psychic prodigy, that would further his father’s own standing within the Society and to secure business dealings. David was raised to be ambitious and seek success. His only friend growing up was his half-sister, who he maintains a relationship with through intermittent phone calls and lunch dates. David has never wanted for anything in his life save human connection.

Rhys, on the other hand, was raised in South Boston and has never known anything but want. He has clawed his way up into a day job he enjoys in academia, and he’s done the same in the Society. His primary goal is to become the next High Priest, and David is his biggest rival. He relies on his wife Moira to keep him steady, and she forces him to remember to eat and take care of their relationship.

Meanwhile, Moira has a secret of her own. She is a witch with a client list that allows her to have her own success. However, like David, she’s a psychic. She can see and channel spirits, but she’s ignored that part of her life for years because her family raised her to believe it was evil. Thus, in David she sees someone being successful in ways she doesn’t feel she can ever be. She also sees someone who has hurt Rhys and his relationship with her without seeming apologetic at all.

This is the dynamic at play as Rhys and Moira work to help David figure out what’s wrong with him, and watching them all learn to trust each other and help each other was a large part of the story. Which, to be honest, I did really enjoy watching their relationship develop and grow. I just wish a story about a centuries old deal with the devil had spent more time with the magical side of things.

The Society and magic and the occult could have easily been swapped out with regular social gatherings or groups, and the story would have largely remained the same. For a book that was supposed to be steeped in magic, there just wasn’t very much of it. To be fair, this is the first book in a planned series, so I’m hopeful there will be time to correct this issue with balancing the romance and the magic.

The story also touched on a few other issues, such as alcoholism and patriarchal societies, and I thought those were handled well, even if they weren’t the main message being related. Also, I can tell S.T. Gibson spent a lot of time crafting this story. Compared to other books by Gibson I’ve read, the writing in Evocation was definitely a step up. Not that the writing in previous books were bad, but I can tell there’s been a lot of growth with Gibson’s craft in this book. I’m definitely looking forward to more from this series.

My Rating:

I gave Evocation by S.T. Gibson four out of five stars. I was going back and forth between three and four stars for this book just because of the few issues I had with it, but in the end, I decided to round up to four stars. This book is magically inclined, but it’s mostly about relationships. The romance is definitely there as well, but you’ll have to wait until the end for the pay off!

Have you read any books by S.T. Gibson? Do you plan to read Evocation? Let me know in the comments!

ARC Review: Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan

April 19, 2024 ~ VenusBloo ~ 3 Comments

**The links in this post are for the book’s StoryGraph page for reference. I do not receive any compensation for clicking links!**

Book: Fathomfolk

Author: Eliza Chan

Pages: 432

Source: Orbit

Publisher: Orbit

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: February 29, 2024

Summary:

Welcome to Tiankawi – shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that’s how it first appears. But in the semi-flooded city, humans are, quite literally, on top: peering down from shining towers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk – sirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas – who live in the polluted waters below.

For half-siren Mira, promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to help her downtrodden people. But if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn’t hard enough, everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when Nami, a know-it-all water dragon – fathomfolk royalty – is exiled to the city. When extremists sabotage the annual boat race, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Both Nami and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth paying, or if Tiankawi should be left to drown.

My Review:

I received a free advanced reader’s copy of Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan from Orbit in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Orbit!

Fathomfolk takes place in a world that is mostly ocean populated by humans and myriad, mythical sea creatures known collectively as fathomfolk. Fathomfolk live in underwater cities. Humans live on islands scattered far apart, but in spite of this, it is humans who are in control. They have technology and industry that has helped them thrive. Unfortunately, it has also polluted the surrounding waters so badly that fathomfolk are forced to seek refuge within human cities. One such city is Tiankawi, and this is where the majority of the story takes place.

Mira has lived in Tiankawi all her life. A half-siren, Mira has seen first-hand how fathomfolk are treated by humans, and she seeks to make life better for her fellow folk in the city. She has managed to become the captain of the border guard of the city. While she knows she was only chosen as a token member, she hopes to enact real change with the little power she’s been given. Both she and her partner, Kai (the water dragon ambassador) do everything they can to improve the lives of fathomfolk in Tiankawi while working within the humans’ political system.

Not everyone agrees that the way forward should be peaceful, though. A rebel group, known as The Drawbacks, feel the only way forward is to fight fire with fire. So, when Kai’s rebellious sister Nami is exiled to Tiankawi for her latest transgressions, it’s natural she would be attracted to The Drawbacks. Now, Mira and Kai have to look out for Nami and find a way to stop The Drawbacks from causing the destruction of Tiankawi and the only way of life Mira has ever known.

The story of Fathomfolk manages to touch on several different themes that are relevant in the real world as well. These themes range from environmental destruction creating climate refugees to discrimination and racism to rebellion and exploitation of the poor. The story itself is well-written and addictive, but there is a lot going on in the background to unpack.

First of all, just like today, humans and their unchecked industry have destroyed much of the environment. The reason the world is mostly flooded is due to climate change, but humans didn’t stop there. The polluted run-off from their cities has wreaked havoc on the oceans that the fathomfolk call home. This, along with in-fighting and civil war amongst the fathomfolk over what should be done about the humans, have forced many fathomfolk to flee to the very cities that rendered their homes unlivable.

This kind of irony is present throughout the book. In fact, one would think that being forced to do what it takes to survive would help the fathomfolk band together. In some cases this is true, like with The Drawbacks, but in most cases fathomfolk treat their fellows just as poorly as they are treated by humans. There is rampant discrimination and racism within Tiankawi. Humans discriminate against fathomfolk, and fathomfolk discriminate against interracial couples and families. I found myself wishing the fathomfolk would put aside their petty differences to work together once and for all.

Unfortunately, humans did a good job of essentially subjugating all fathomfolk within Tiankawi. One of the requirements for legal entry into the city is to be fitted with something called a pakalot. It’s a bracelet that not only limits fathomfolks’ ability to use their magic, called waterweaving, but it also causes pain to the wearer if they even think too negatively about a human. So, like many times in our real history, humans ruled the fathomfolk with fear and pain. There ends up being an even more nefarious reason for the pakalots, but you will have to read the book to find that out for yourself. Needless to say, it made me pretty angry.

Obviously, I really enjoyed this book! It used a fantasy story to really illustrate and discuss some touchy but important topics. The ending was especially unexpected, and I’m very excited to see what happens in the next book. I believe this is a planned trilogy, and I’m happy about that. The only annoying thing about the story was Nami’s character. While she does experience growth, she is incredibly naïve, and she refuses to recognize when the person she’s interested in shows his true colors. I felt she was too forgiving. Other than that little annoyance, I found the book to be enjoyable and challenging in equal measure.

My Rating:

I gave Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan five out of five stars. The story is beautifully written, and the characters have depth. I cared about what happened to all of them, even the ones trying to manipulate people in the background. I loved how Eliza Chan was able to build this world and create these characters while still touching on important topics like environmental change, refugees, and exploitation. If you’re looking for your next fantasy read, definitely give this a shot!

Have you heard of Fathomfolk? Is it on your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

Review: Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

December 18, 2021 ~ VenusBloo ~ Leave a comment

Book: Where the Drowned Girls Go

Author: Seanan McGuire

Pages: 160

Series: The Wayward Children, #7

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism

Release Date: January 4th, 2022

Goodreads Summary:

Welcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you’ve already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company.

There is another school for children who fall through doors and fall back out again.
It isn’t as friendly as Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.
And it isn’t as safe.

When Eleanor West decided to open her school, her sanctuary, her Home for Wayward Children, she knew from the beginning that there would be children she couldn’t save; when Cora decides she needs a different direction, a different fate, a different prophecy, Miss West reluctantly agrees to transfer her to the other school, where things are run very differently by Whitethorn, the Headmaster.

She will soon discover that not all doors are welcoming…

My Review:

Where the Drowned Girls Go is the seventh installment in Seanan McGuire’s the Wayward Children series of fantasy novellas due to release January 4, 2022. I was lucky enough to be approved for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book by McMillan/Tor-Forge and Tordotcom via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Tor-Forge!

I first discovered the Wayward Children series in January of this year. I was browsing Goodreads, and I saw the first book, Every Heart a Doorway, in my suggestions list. Both the title and cover of the book intrigued me, so I checked the first one out from my local library. This quickly led to me binging my way through the entire series over the course of a week. Needless to say, when I was approved for an ARC of Where the Drowned Girls Go I couldn’t have been more excited!

The world of the Wayward Children is largely based on the idea that what if children like Alice in Wonderland were real? What if they found a doorway into another world, but that world turned out to be the one meant for them; the one that’s absolutely perfect for them? What happens to these children when they accidentally tumble back into this world and are left forever seeking their one true home again?

That’s where Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children comes in. The school is run by it’s namesake Eleanor West, and she too has been through her own doorway. She understands what each of these children is going through, and she seeks to help them “Be Sure” as each doorway instructs. Once the children are sure they want to return to their world, their doorways should reappear. This doesn’t always happen.

It’s with these ideas in mind that each novella in the series dives into the stories of different children attending Eleanor West’s school. Sometimes they find a doorway that leads to breaking one of the biggest rules of the school: No quests. These quests don’t always go well for everyone involved. The worlds may be exactly what each child needs, but that doesn’t mean they are safe.

Where the Drowned Girls Go picks up several months after one such quest with a teenaged girl named Cora. Cora is a mermaid of a world known as The Trenches. At least, she thinks she is. Unfortunately, after the quest to a world known as The Moors – a treacherous world filled with endless grasslands, vampires, and a blood-red Moon that looms over it all – Cora isn’t so sure where she belongs anymore. The Drowned Gods of the Moors tried to claim her while she was there, and her skin still shimmers with their touch. She still hears their whispers in the dark.

Fortunately, Cora remembers there is another school for people like her. The Whitethorn Institute is the counterpart for Eleanor West’s school. It teaches the children to forget their doors and move on with their lives in this world. Cora thinks if she can forget some of the magic that’s attached to her, the Drowned Gods will lose their hold on her. Then, she can focus on finding The Trenches and becoming the hero she was there once again.

However, things are not what they seem at the Whitethorn Institute. It’s a harsh and unforgiving place, and the rest of the novella explores whether Cora hasn’t made a terrible mistake. She may not be able to escape it if she has.

One of the things that I enjoy most about the Wayward Children series is how real and relatable all of the children are. It’s so easy for the reader to see bits of themselves in each character, and some characters spoke so completely to me that I was totally invested in their journeys.

For example, Cora grew up the fat kid. It wasn’t through any fault of her own. It was just her genetics forcing her body to hold onto the weight. She ate well, exercised, and doctors said she was perfectly healthy, but as we all know, our peers can be extremely unkind to differences in others. This unkindness led Cora on a self-defeating journey of attempted weight loss that eventually harmed her mental health. She had no self-confidence until she went to the Trenches and became a hero, in part because of the very things she was made fun of for in this world.

I think we’ve all been through situations like that growing up. So, when Cora finally makes friends it really means something to her. She went through what some of us would describe as a hell-world, and now she has these Lovecraftian Drowned Gods trying to pull her back. She obviously suffers some PTSD from the events of the previous novella, and I think any of us would do anything to escape that experience.

Cora’s desire to join the Whitethorn Institute was an attempt to forget the bad things that had happened to her. Unfortunately, that’s not all the leader of the Institute wanted her to forget. She had to learn to embrace what was different about herself and find her self-confidence and courage again to combat her demons herself. She didn’t do it alone, but that was all part of the journey. Even when she eventually gets what she wants, she has learned to accept that it will still be there when she needs it. When she’s ready.

Ultimately, I think the message of this novella was it takes time to learn from the past and to learn to accept ourselves for who we are. That’s what the doorways mean when they ask the children to “Be Sure.” Be sure this is who you are because only surety in oneself can lead one to the life one is meant to live.

All of that being said. I feel like this novella introduced a new “Big Villain,” and I can’t wait to see where Seanan McGuire goes with it. Sure there are magical entities from other worlds that can creep through their doorways to snatch you, but what about the evil magic in this world? With at least three more novellas planned in the series plus the exciting news that the series is in development for a potential franchise at Paramount, I don’t think we’ve seen anywhere near the last of the Wayward Children.

My Rating:

I gave Where the Drowned Girls Go four out of five stars. It is a beautifully crafted story of a girl longing to belong and begging to forget while learning to believe in herself. Seanan McGuire is able to capture in words things I’ve only ever felt but that are articulated perfectly on the page. However, some readers may find the mentions of eating disorders, suicide attempts, descriptions of post traumatic stress, and child abuse and neglect difficult to absorb. The descriptions aren’t graphic, and they are important to plot and character development. If you can look past the triggers, I definitely recommend this entire series!

Have you read any of Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series? Are you looking forward to the newest installment? What do you think of the plans for screen adaptations? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

February 9, 2021February 9, 2021 ~ VenusBloo ~ Leave a comment

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Book: Norse Mythology

Author: Neil Gaiman

Pages: 301

Source: Borrowed, Library

Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Short Stories

Goodreads Summary:

Neil Gaiman, long inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction, presents a bravura rendition of the Norse gods and their world from their origin though their upheaval in Ragnarok.
In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki—son of a giant—blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.
Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Through Gaiman’s deft and witty prose, these gods emerge with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.

Up until reading Norse Mythology my only experience with the Norse gods was via the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I only really knew a bit about Thor, Loki, and Odin thanks to those movies, and I had never heard of many of the other characters and creatures explored in Gaiman’s short stories. However, I am super glad I decided to give this book a shot. Neil Gaiman retells the stories with simplicity and humor and small dashes of unsettling observations thrown in for good measure. In other words, it’s classic Neil Gaiman story-telling fodder.

The opening chapters of the book introduce readers to the key “players” in the stories to come by describing a bit about the characters’ origins and personalities. These chapters also set up the world in which these stories take place and a little bit about how the worlds came to be and how they’re governed. It can make for a bit of slow reading, but it’s only about the first 40 pages of the book. The chapters are still told in the form of short stories, and they do set up important background information as well as a framework for the stories that follow.

Each of the short stories that follow the set up chapters are told in the form of interwoven vignettes of the different gods. There are stories focusing on Odin, Thor, and Loki as one might expect. However, the reader is also introduced to a cast of characters from the Aesir, their brother gods the Vanir, the frost giants, whole other groups of giants, and even the children of some of the gods.

All of these stories are entertaining and reveal the characters to be both powerful and flawed in different ways. The stories also frequently include casual violence, such as Thor kicking a poor dwarf named Lit into a fire to his death simply because Thor was in a bad mood, and unsettling asides, like killing goats for food and wrapping the bones in the skinned hides to bring them back to life. But then again, these are the gods we’re talking about here, so some of this should be expected I suppose.

For those in search of more banter and interactions between Thor and Loki, you will easily get your wish. The exchanges between Thor and Loki are often hilarious, and they reminded me a bit of how they were cautiously friendly towards each other in Thor Ragnarok. Both Thor and Loki also get into some hilarious mishaps.

For example, it turns out that Loki is both a father (to several children including Hel, Fenrir, and Jormungundr, the Midgard Serpent) and a mother (to an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir he gifts to Odin). Loki’s habit of shape-shifting got him into a scrape where he turned himself into a mare which led to some interesting results.

Thor also has an adventure involving pretending to be a woman. His hammer is stolen by a giant who wishes to marry Freya, considered to be the most beautiful woman gods by all who behold her. In exchange, this giant will give Thor his hammer back. Naturally, Freya refuses to be bartered off to some giant she barely knows, so Thor dresses up and pretends to be Freya to win his hammer back.

Even with the casual violence and creepy situations like forced marriages, though, the entire collection is fairly easy reading. I would compare it to reading slightly grown-up bedtime stories. I kept thinking there should be a graphic novel adaptation to the book while I was reading it because some of the mental images were just so hilarious.

Overall, I feel this was a nice introduction to the Norse mythos for adults and mature readers due to the implied sex scenes and general blood and death throughout the stories. Norse Mythology is a nice collection of clever stories told with deadpan humor that I would recommend to anyone interested in the mythos. If nothing else, it’s a good starting point to spur further study, and I had a good time reading it.

Rating:

Bonus – My Favorite Quotes:

…Tyr said to Thor, “I hope you know what you are doing.”
“Of course I do,” said Thor.
But he didn’t. He was just doing whatever he felt like doing. That was what Thor did best.
Norse Mythology, page 218

“I’d like to borrow your feathered cloak,” said Loki. “The one that lets you fly.”
“Absolutely not,” said Freya. “That cloak is the most valuable thing I possess. It’s more valuable than gold. I’m not having you wearing it and going around and making mischief.”
“Thor’s hammer has been stolen,” said Loki. “I need to find it.”
“I’ll get you the cloak,” said Freya.
Norse Mythology, page 111

Have you read this book? What did you think and who was your favorite Norse god? Let me know in the comments!

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