For short books, these novellas have plenty of title to go around!

As usual, I’ve fallen very very behind on my reviews, but in a plot twist no one saw coming, past me took enough notes for me to be able to put these mini-reviews together! I’ve also loved Silver in the Wood, The Deep, and The Haunting of Tram Car 015 which will be coming in another post. Possibly after I read some more like The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark, A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson, JY Yang’s Black Tides of Heaven, The Penric novellas, The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers, The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard, The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz, In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard, and maybe more. Uhh I went on a bit, novellas work really well with my nonexistent attention span atm. 

Of Dragons, Feasts and Murder by Aliette de Bodard

Thanks to Aliette de Bodard for the ARC in exchange for my honest review, sorry for posting it two weeks late.

This is a standalone novella in her Dominion of the Fallen universe. I read it with no prior knowledge of the world and was able to follow along alright. I do have some questions about the worldbuilding, the action takes place in an underwater Vietnamese dragon city under Paris, so yeah, how did that happen? I must know. I’m planning to read the other books in the series cause I’ve been drawn in and I’m very curious.

This short novella is a murder mystery and a tale of court intrigue. Thuan, bookish/diplomacy dragon husband drags Asmodeous murder/murder fallen angel husband to his family for the Lunar New Year celebrations, only to get embroiled in murder and political plots. I absolutely loved these two characters and the relationship dynamic between them. Thuan hates all the politics but wants to help his family, and definitely does not want to make things worse. Asmodeous is very excited about solving the murder mystery, only his methods are far more stab first, ask questions never. Another great character is the murder grandma, who is sweetly fond of murder husband and his ways.

Goodreads

A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark

I loved this. I’m so happy that The Haunting of Tram Car 015 also takes place in this world, and I’ve seen rumors of an upcoming novel which would be brilliant. I really wished it were longer, so excited to know I’ll be getting my wish. (post-notes edit: I read tramcar and I loved it too!)

As the title notes, this is the story of a dead djinn in cairo, and the investigation his murder prompts. The setting is an immensely cool steampunk Cairo. I never would’ve guessed mixing Djinn, clockwork and angels would go so well.

The mystery was satisfying and interesting, but the world-building stole the show. I also really liked the main character, the confident and stylish inspector, not putting up with her coworker’s tired jokes. The audiobook was fun to listen to, and really cheap on audible.

Goodreads

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Read it for the FIF bookclub, at the last minute, and then forgot to go and comment in the thread.

I loved it, read it really quickly. It’s also not a standard story, plot-structure wise, as we get the story as it’s being told to a traveling archivist/historian person. I really like this device so I enjoyed it a lot.

This story is dripping with atmosphere, right from the begging as it starts with a creepy forest ghost scene. It is set in an Asian-inspired fantasy land, telling the story of the titular Empress’ life. Because one character is telling the story to another character, I strongly remember this book as if I’d listened to it (I did not).

I loved the character the story was about, so strong and cunning, and the way the bigger picture was gradually filled in, which each storytelling.

Goodreads

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

I thought this was exactly as good as everyone made it out to be. It’s not a usual kind of the story in any way, but a love story told through letters across time. The beauty is in the highly poetic language, and the way the characters fall towards each other. I was expecting it to be serious, and it has a lot of grave moments but also a lot of wit, a few cultural refrences and a pun I might never stop laughing at.

I think it’s a book you love first for the writing, so I can see how if that doesn’t click with someone they might just hate it. I loved it, I kept highlighting so much. I don’t read a lot of (=any) poetry, but I imagine if liked that, this is what it would feel like. Also, despite it being just a short novella, I had to pause after every letter to let it settle a bit and savour it, it was not at all a quick read.

There are only 2 real characters, Red and Blue, a few others might pop in here and there, but not really enough to matter. Because we only get short chapter with red – blue’s letter – short chapter with blue – red’s letter – short chapter with red and so on and so on, it was a bit hard at the begining for me to keep them straight in my mind. It wasn’t long before I got a feel for them and how Red is awesome and I love her. Except for the one thing she did.

The story clearly centers the “worthy opponent” to “something more” relationship between Red and Blue. But the background story was interesting as well. There’s a war going on across time and multiple dimensions, with these two powerful and opposing factions trying to alter and preserve history for their own ends.

“One spared life might be worth more to the other side than all the blood that stained Red’s hands today. A fugitive becomes a queen or a scientist, or, worse, a poet.”

“Her enemy would relish such a magic trick: twisting to her own ends all Red’s grand work of murder.”

“Red likes to feel. It is a fetish. Now she feels fear. And eagerness.”

“Your unstoppable force to our immovable object; less a game of Go than a game of tic-tac-toe, outcomes determined from the first move, endlessly iterated until the where we fork off into unstable, chaotic possibility – the future we seek to secure at each other’s expense.”

“You invigorated your Shift’s war effort and, in doing so, invigorated me.”

“Adventure works in any strand – it calls to those who care more for living than for their lives”

Goodreads