Review: Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

Tordotcom

Publication Date: April 11th, 2023

Hardcover. 160 pages.

About Untethered Sky:

"Ester’s family was torn apart when a manticore killed her mother and baby brother, leaving her with nothing but her father’s painful silence and a single, overwhelming need to kill the monsters that took her family. 

Ester’s path leads her to the King’s Royal Mews, where the giant rocs of legend are flown to hunt manticores by their brave and dedicated ruhkers. Paired with a fledgling roc named Zahra, Ester finds purpose and acclaim by devoting herself to a calling that demands absolute sacrifice and a creature that will never return her love. The terrifying partnership between woman and roc leads Ester not only on the empire’s most dangerous manticore hunt, but on a journey of perseverance and acceptance."

Untethered Sky is a novella so I'll probably keep this review a little shorter so as to avoid giving too much away!

Untethered Sky follows Ester, a young woman who is on her way to begin her training as a rukher. A rukher is someone who trains with and is eventually paired up with a roc–a large bird of prey type of animal–in a long and complex process. Rukhers, along with their rocs, then train together to hunt the terrifying manticores which pose a large threat to humans and can wreak havoc on villages. Being a rukher is a dangerous job, and even the pairing process with a new roc can be a fatal endeavor if things don't go well, as rocs are also highly dangerous animals.

In this story, Ester is especially determined to become a rukher because of a deadly manticore attack in her childhood that killed her mother and brother, so she wants her own revenge against the manticore and to help ensure that this doesn't happen to anyone else. One thing that I think endeared Ester so much to me was how much she felt like a real, generally balanced person. A lot of protagonists tend to suffer from being so incredibly irresponsible or bullheaded that I find it hard to even relate, and I was so pleased to find that Ester wasn’t irresponsible and didn’t really take any unnecessary or poorly planned risks. She’s really a smart character and had so much nuance within her thoughts, motivations, and actions that I found myself unable to look away from her story.

I loved how much time and attention Lee put into describing and walking us through the training and bonding process between Ester and her roc, Zahra. It reminded me a lot of training a dog, but obviously far more intense and with a much wilder beast that comes with much greater potential consequences when things go wrong. I think there was a part of me that wondered at times at the notion of capturing these beautiful wild beasts and "taming" them to be hunters, but Lee makes a good case for them in this story and human's purposes for doing so. It was really interesting to see the dynamic between rukhers and their rocs and how seriously rukhers take their jobs and have such immense respect for their rocs.

The world created in Untethered Sky is vibrant and incredibly well-developed for the short amount of time we spend in it, which is usually something that I find to be a main issue in most fantasy novellas. There wasn't actually an excessive amount of world-building or description at the start, but somehow it still managed to feel fully realized and slowly expanded as the story progressed and we explored some new locations. I found that I could easily imagine the world outside of Ester and the King's Royal Mews location and really liked getting to learn a bit more about the world. I only wish this story would have been longer so that I could learn even more about the world because I liked it so much.

It’s hard for novellas to get a good balance of plot, character development, world-building, and a strong ending, but Untethered Sky really excelled at all of these, especially the latter. I thought this was one of the strongest endings to a story I’ve read in a while and fit the rest of the story perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending and it left me feeling incredibly satisfying with how much it both hurt and was beautiful at the same time.

It must be a testament to Fonda Lee's writing how much I loved this novella because I managed to read it in one day, and that happens very rarely these days! The fact that this book was able to hold my attention for so long is fairly remarkable, and speaks to what a compelling story this was. Not one word felt wasted and the pacing was exceptionally consistent throughout the entire story. Overall, I've give Untethered Sky five stars!

*I received a copy of Untethered Sky courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Mini Novella Review: Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente

Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente
Tordotcom
Publication: November 9th, 2021

Hardcover. 112 pages.

About Comfort Me With Apples:

"Sophia was made for him. Her perfect husband. She can feel it in her bones. He is perfect. Their home together in Arcadia Gardens is perfect. Everything is perfect. 

It's just that he's away so much. So often. He works so hard. She misses him. And he misses her. He says he does, so it must be true. He is the perfect husband and everything is perfect. 

But sometimes Sophia wonders about things. Strange things. Dark things. The look on her husband's face when he comes back from a long business trip. The questions he will not answer. The locked basement she is never allowed to enter. And whenever she asks the neighbors, they can't quite meet her gaze... 

But everything is perfect. Isn't it?"

Comfort Me With Apples is an odd little novella, but I would expect nothing less from Catherynne Valente. I've been struggling with how to adequately summarize this novella without saying too much and it's proven to be a bit of a task. In essence, this is a story about a woman, Sophia, who lives in what may be seen by some to be an idyllic, perfect community with her husband, whom she loves more than anything and essentially bases her entire life around. Things unfortunately begin to take a somewhat darker turn when Sophia begins to discover some unexpected items around her house and thus starts to question her life and surroundings.

Comfort Me With Apples is an incredibly sharp, intelligent, and clever story that is littered with hints and clues about some greater themes and backdrops that are at play than may be realized. Once I got near the end and started connecting a lot of the dots that had been laid out for me without realizing, I started making all of those connections that were right in front of me the entire time. This book has a lot of mythology incorporated into it in both overt and subtle ways that really made this an entertaining story to read. 

The writing is beautiful and flows effortlessly, and no matter how weird the things happening on the page are, it's hard not to be drawn into Valente's writing. Not to mention that the weird things happening on the page are, in fact, captivating in their own right and for their own reasons. 

Overall, I've given Comfort Me With Apples four stars! This was an unexpected, yet diverting read that gave me something new to ponder and enjoy. This is a quick read because you just have to keep turning the pages, so I would absolutely recommend to anyone even remotely curious about it. 

 

 *I received a copy of Comfort Me With Apples courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Buy the book: Amazon | IndieBound

Review: Looking Glass by Christina Henry

Looking Glass (The Chronicles of Alice) by Christina Henry

(Left: US edition; Right: UK edition)

Ace

Publication Date: April 21st, 2020

Paperback. 304 pages

About Looking Glass:

"In four new novellas, Christina Henry returns to the universe she created for Alice and Red Queen, where magic runs more freely than anyone suspects, but so do secrets and blood. 

Lovely Creature 

In the New City lives a girl called Elizabeth, a girl who has a secret: she can do magic. But someone knows Elizabeth's secret--someone who has a secret of his own. That secret is a butterfly that lives in a jar, a butterfly made by a girl called Alice. 

Girl in Amber 

Alice and Hatcher are just looking for a place to rest. Alice has been dreaming of a cottage by a lake and a field of wildflowers, but while walking blind in a snowstorm they stumble into a castle that seems empty and abandoned...at least until nightfall. 

When I First Came to Town 

Hatcher wasn't always Hatcher. Once, he was a boy called Nicholas, and Nicholas fancied himself the best fighter in the Old City. No matter who fought him he always won. Then his boss tells him he's going to battle the fearsome Grinder, a man who never leaves his opponents alive. 

The Mercy Seat 

Alice has a secret--a secret that not even Hatcher knows yet, but pretty soon she won't be able to keep it from him."

It's taken me a little longer than I'd hoped, but I finally got around to reading Christina Henry's most recent addition The Chronicles of Alice, a set of four novellas centered around some of our favorite characters (and a slightly newer one). The Chronicles of Alice is one of my favorite series (duologies?)--it's almost hard for me to describe just how much I love Alice, Hatcher, Henry's prose, and the stunning, brutal world created by Henry. I was thrilled to have some new stories set in this world to dive into, and I was not disappointed in the slightest by these stories.

Up first is Lovely Creature, which follows Alice's sister, Elizabeth, who lives back in the New City with her and Alice's parents. In this story, Elizabeth finds that many unexplained references to an "Alice" and her similarly rather unexplained magical abilities have a stronger connection than she could have realized. This story wasn't one I expected from this collection, but it's one that I'm really glad Henry decided to write and include. I loved getting a chance to look back at life after Alice her family and to see how life continued on for her family. I also enjoyed watching Elizabeth make her own discoveries and, as a reader, uncovering some of the connections that reach back to both Alice  and Red Queen. 

Next is Girl in Amber, which features our favorite couple Alice and Hatcher--though after the introduction, it is mainly Alice we follow. I have mixed feelings about this story. I mostly loved it and the mysterious, unpredictable house that Alice entered into, but at the same time I found the plot slightly random and I didn't fully understand why certain elements were chosen to be a part of the story. There almost feels like a subtle sci-fi slant that I found both interesting and perplexing. Nonetheless, I loved the theme of this story and how Henry decided to execute. The atmosphere was also excellently crafted and I had a hard time pulling myself away from this particular story.

Third is When I First Came to Town, which is essentially a short prequel of sorts all about Hatcher's backstory as a fighter before he was captured and met Alice. This story was really a delight to get a chance to read, as Hatcher is easily one of my favorite characters in fiction and I had been curious to get a glimpse of what his background was really like. It was heartbreaking to read about some of the things he saw and experienced and I think it also really helped to convey to the reader how his personality developed in the way that it did. Some seems natural, and some seems created. 

Lastly is The Mercy Seat, which is another that I found ever-so-slightly odd, but  overall enjoyable and that was a truly beautiful way to end this story. There are two main threads in this story, one of which focuses on the present in which Hatcher and Alice are on their way to find a new place to live, and the second that focuses on a rather momentous life change for the pair. The former story had some classic airs of mystery around an unknown town and its unpredictable inhabitants that gave them familiar vibes similar to some scenes in Red Queen, but this time there were some rather different things going on that Alice and Hatcher found themselves embroiled in. The other thread is one that I won't mention, but that I will say brings me a lot of joy and curiosity to see how it will all play out.

I think one of the things that I have loved about The Chronicles of Alice and that these stories captured particularly well is how much growth both Alice and Hatcher have exhibited. Alice has grown from someone who is mostly unsure of herself and the world around her to someone who, although will always have her struggles of that nature, has begun to see herself as someone capable and worthwhile, and I absolutely loved that. Hatcher, similarly, has discovered that many of the things he sees as weaknesses or negative are in fact strengths in their own ways and things that aren't necessarily "bad" at all, they are simply who he is, and there's nothing wrong with that. Alice has similar discoveries about herself that I loved.

Overall, I've given Looking Glass a total of five stars. I really loved this return to the world of Alice created by Christina Henry, as not only was it a joy to revisit these characters, but it was also a worthwhile extra look into the character development, lives, world-building, and magic of The Chronicles of Alice. I would love to see more in this world, but I assume this is the final installment from Christina Henry (still, I'll keep my hopes awake!). If you haven't read any of these books yet, I'd highly recommend them! If you have, but haven't read Looking Glass yet, I would encourage you to, as I do think that they offer some very worthwhile extras for this world. 

Buy: Amazon | IndieBound

Novella Mini-Reviews: Final Girls by Mira Grant & Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

Final Girls by Mira Grant
Subterranean Press
Publication: April 30th, 2017

Hardcover. 112 pages.

About Final Girls:

"What if you could fix the worst parts of yourself by confronting your worst fears? 

Dr. Jennifer Webb has invented proprietary virtual reality technology that purports to heal psychological wounds by running clients through scenarios straight out of horror movies and nightmares. In a carefully controlled environment, with a medical cocktail running through their veins, sisters might develop a bond they’ve been missing their whole lives—while running from the bogeyman through a simulated forest. But…can real change come so easily? 

Esther Hoffman doubts it. Esther has spent her entire journalism career debunking pseudoscience, after phony regression therapy ruined her father’s life. She’s determined to unearth the truth about Dr. Webb’s budding company. Dr. Webb’s willing to let her, of course, for reasons of her own. What better advertisement could she get than that of a convinced skeptic? But Esther’s not the only one curious about how this technology works. Enter real-world threats just as frightening as those created in the lab. Dr. Webb and Esther are at odds, but they may also be each other’s only hope of survival."

As you may or may not know, Mira Grant and Seanan McGuire are the same author using different pseudonyms. From my experience, it seems as though Mira Grant leans more towards the sci-fi and medical sci-fi routes, whereas Seanan McGuire has more books featuring fantasy and the like. Final Girls falls in the realm of what I would describe as science fiction with a mental health medicine focus. This was a really interesting thought experiment about an experimental new method to help estranged family members and friends develop a strong relationship using virtual reality simulations.

What I liked: I loved how Grant took the idea of how fear affects the mind and body and explored that in a new way. I was fascinated by how Esther, who tested out the experiment herself, was able to be sucked into this simulation idea despite her occasional awareness that the situation wasn't real. Grant's prose also continues to be one that easo;y drags the reader in, as she knows how to combine a simple style with strong descriptions and explanation in a way that makes this an enjoyable read.

What I didn't like: There's nothing that I explicitly disliked in this novella, but it also wasn't something that stood out to me in any strong way. I will certainly remember this novella and the premise that it explores, but there's still something about it that prevented me from enjoying it further. I think the main thing that might've have contributed to this was my lack of interest in most of the characters. Novellas don't provide much time to really connect with a character usually, but it's still possible to care about them and I'm not sure that's something that I ever really felt about the characters--even though the two main characters were developed well--which in turn caused me to feel as if I was being held at arm's length. I felt that many areas were not explored as much as they could have been.

Overall, Final Girls is a fascinating futuristic sci-fi novella with some interesting ideas to explore. I've given it 3.75 stars!

Amazon | IndieBound

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
Tor
Publication Date: January 9th, 2018

Hardcover. 174 pages.

About Beneath the Sugar Sky:

"When Rini lands with a literal splash in the pond behind Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, the last thing she expects to find is that her mother, Sumi, died years before Rini was even conceived. But Rini can’t let Reality get in the way of her quest – not when she has an entire world to save! (Much more common than one would suppose.)

If she can't find a way to restore her mother, Rini will have more than a world to save: she will never have been born in the first place. And in a world without magic, she doesn’t have long before Reality notices her existence and washes her away. Good thing the student body is well-acquainted with quests... 

A tale of friendship, baking, and derring-do. 

Warning: May contain nuts."

Beneath the Sugar Sky is the third installment in the ever-popular Wayward Children's series. In this book, we follow yet another member of Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children on their own journey as we get to explore even more new worlds. We visit a few worlds in this book, but the main one is a sugar-sweet Nonsense world, and as someone with a huge sweet tooth, this world spoke to me.

What I liked: McGuire has an incredibly inventive imagination and she continues to build these magnificent settings that stand apart from everything else and that come vividly to life in my own mind. Her descriptions are stunning and overflowing with beautiful prose. I loved that this book combined some new characters with old characters--all from different worlds--and readers are able to continue to learn new things about them and their character. I also really appreciated how seamlessly McGuire incorporates so much diversity among her cast of characters--it's effortless and flows perfectly, yet is also prominent enough to make a statement.

What I didn't like: Much like with Final Girls, there's nothing that I can really pinpoint that I disliked, but this installment just didn't call out to me quite as much as some of the others. Parts of it felt very formulaic and a bit lacking in some way, while other parts were beautiful and immediately grabbed my attention. I think the inconsistency really translated to my own uncertain feelings about this book. The plot was just a bit odd in this one and I couldn't find myself feeling fully invested in the stakes at play.

Overall, I've given Beneath the Sugar Sky 3.75 stars!

Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound