lunabee34

1. Who's written 1000 words of Shen Wei turns into a Dire Panda? Oh, yeah.

2. The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Meh.

This is okay. It's written on about a fifth-grade level and so does not contain the depth or nuance I was hoping for.

I am also a bit taken aback by the depiction of Louisa who is pretty much unremittingly unpleasant and full of herself. She and May spend most of the book quarreling, and then May will think about how much she loves her sister, and I'm all why? Why do you love her? IDK I've read a couple of biographies of Alcott, and while I can totally buy that there was some sibling rivalry or jealousy, I didn't read anything in those bios that makes me believe Louisa was the kind of person depicted in this book. The author is weirdly hostile to Louisa.

I'd give this a pass unless you are trapped on an airplane or something with no other reading material.



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3. The Devil You Know by Mike Carey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a really fun book. It's told in close third from the POV of Felix Castor, exorcist, and his voice is utterly delightful. Excellent world building and very strong sense of place (London).

Can't put my finger on exactly why, but this book reminds me of Mieville's Kraken; if you like that one, I think you'll like this one, too.



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I'm about halfway into the second book, and I have to warn anyone who's interested that the protagonist is an exorcist of ghosts, so violence and death abound in these books. ( spoilery warnings for books 1-2 ) I think y'all know how much that kind of content is not my bag, so I think it's a testament to how good these books are that I am reading them despite the darkness.