Sally Bend's Blog, page 29
February 28, 2024
Book Review: A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (fantasy)
Author: Samantha Shannon
Publication Date: February 28, 2023
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Female
It was just shy of 4 years ago that I immersed myself in The Priory of the Orange Tree while on vacation in Cuba. It didn’t matter that it was a nearly 900-page hardcover that weighed more than everything else in my bag combined. I toted it back and forth to the beach every day, and then literally raced through the last pages as we sat on the tarmac back home, desperately hoping it would take just a little longer to disembark from the plane so I could finish it.
At the same time, I didn’t want it to end. I wanted more of Sabran, Ead, and Tané. I wanted to explore beyond those final chapters and experience just as much of what comes next as what came before.
A Day of Fallen Night is all about the before, taking us back to the story before the story, exploring the history and mythology of the world we’ve come to love through the eyes of a new group of women. Given the timing, I held off on reading this as soon as it was released because I knew it would be this year’s beach read, another massive hardcover to relax with on our long-awaited return to Cuba.
Generally, I’m not a fan of prequels. They’re so often devoid of any tension or any drama because we know already how the story ends. Go back far enough, however, and prequel becomes history . . . becomes mythology . . . and how it ends is no longer an issue. Samantha Shannon does just that here, offering us a complete story in the cycle of myth, establishing a saga a story that spans generations. By taking us 5 centuries into the past, with a whole new cast of characters, she has free reign to establish the same kind of dramatic intrigue and family dynamics that made the first book so amazing.
Once again, this is female-fronted epic fantasy, and one that’s as much about feminine power, love, friendship, and family as politics, religion, or magic. Make no mistake, those other aspects are here, and they are important, but it’s women who make (and save) the world. There’s an underpinning to the tale that explores the misogyny of mythology, the ways in which women’s contributions are discarded or disguised, and the manner in which it is ultimately subverted, with revelations that set up the conflicts of Priory, is wonderful to behold.
Tunuva’s thread was the least interesting to me, perhaps because it overlaps so much with what we’ve read and seen in the first book. There was a bit too much angst there, too much emotional back-and-forth, and many of her choices were questionable, often bordering on selfish. That said, my edition was an Indigo exclusive, with a bonus chapter at the end that provides a little backstory, and it softened my opinion of her somewhat.
Glorian’s thread that started a bit weak, but it grew on me as the story evolved and her personality developed. She is, in many ways, the epitome of the story, and the choices she’s forced to make because of bloodlines, history, and ruling expectations are what shift the story from just another epic fantasy to one that’s deeply meaningful. Dumai’s thread is something of a parallel, but it’s how and where the expectations of her differ that give her story power. I loved both of these women deeply, and I would argue their sacrifices are more noble than any warrior, king, or sorcerer in the genre.
With my appreciation for the first book growing over time, making me consider new aspects or elements each time I think back on it, my expectations for A Day of Fallen Night were high – and Shannon delivered on all of them. It starts out a little slower, and it takes time to warm up to the 3 POV characters, but overall I felt the pacing was better, the themes better established, and the emotional aspects more layered and intertwined. Another wonderful read that has me excited for more.
Rating: 
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Saints of Storm and Sorrow by Gabriella Buba (fantasy)
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.
My choice for this week promises morally ambiguous characters, lush fantasy, struggles against colonization – and a bisexual nun hiding a goddess-given gift!
Saints of Storm and Sorrow by Gabriella Buba
Fiction / Fantasy / Epic
480 pages, Paperback
June 25, 2024 by Titan Books
In this fiercely imaginative Filipino-inspired fantasy debut, a bisexual nun hiding a goddess-given gift is unwillingly transformed into a lightning rod for her people’s struggle against colonization.
Perfect for fans of lush fantasy full of morally ambiguous characters, including The Poppy War and The Jasmine Throne.
Maria Lunurin has been living a double life for as long as she can remember. To the world, she is Sister Maria, dutiful nun and devoted servant of Aynila’s Codicían colonizers. But behind closed doors, she is a stormcaller, chosen daughter of the Aynilan goddess Anitun Tabu. In hiding not only from the Codicíans and their witch hunts, but also from the vengeful eye of her slighted goddess, Lunurin does what she can to protect her fellow Aynilans and the small family she has created in the convent: her lover Catalina, and her younger sister Inez.
Lunurin is determined to keep her head down – until one day she makes a devastating discovery, which threatens to tear her family apart. In desperation, she turns for help to Alon Dakila, heir to Aynila’s most powerful family, who has been ardently in love with Lunurin for years. But this choice sets in motion a chain of events beyond her control, awakening Anitun Tabu’s rage and putting everyone Lunurin loves in terrible danger. Torn between the call of Alon’s magic and Catalina’s jealousy, her duty to her family and to her people, Lunurin can no longer keep Anitun Tabu’s fury at bay.
For the goddess of storms demands vengeance. And she will sweep aside anyone who stands in her way.
February 21, 2024
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Spelljammer: Memory’s Wake by Django Wexler (fantasy)
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.
My choice for this week marks an exciting return to the classic Spelljammer universe of Dungeons and Dragons, with a new book by none other than Django Wexler!
Spelljammer: Memory’s Wake by Django Wexler
Fiction / Fantasy / Action & Adventure
272 pages, Hardcover
June 4, 2024 by Random House Worlds
Set sail for the stars in this official Dungeons & Dragons novel set in the worlds of Spelljammer: Adventures in Space!
In the colossal void of Shatterspace, besieged by bloodthirsty marauders and brimming with monstrous aberrations, the only constant is power: The deft will escape the slow. The clever will outwit the naïve. The strong will take from the weak.
Axia wishes she could be grateful to have spent her life—or what little she remembers of it—on an asteroid so far from anything of interest that even the greediest spacers see fit to pass it by. Her days may not be as exciting as the swashbuckling stories of her favorite books or as dramatic as the pasts she’s imagined for herself, but they’re as safe as Shatterspace can manage. So why does something inside her long for the stars every time she sees a spacefaring spelljammer vessel?
When Axia survives a sudden assassination attempt, she is cornered by Kori and Nia, a pair of pirates who offer her two options: flee with them to Wildspace, where they can keep her hidden among their crew, or die. It’s an easy choice with death at her doorstep. But even in the vastness of the Astral Sea, Axia quickly realizes that her new friends haven’t been entirely honest about their motivations.
It turns out, Axia is the spitting image of Blacktongue, the long-disappeared captain of one of the deadliest pirate crews in Shatterspace. And Kori and Nia have a plan to claim the mysterious treasure that the pirate queen vanished while pursuing. To survive, Axia will have to fill Blacktongue’s bloodstained boots and embark on a more perilous and thrilling adventure than any she’s dared to dream.
Curious about what you’ve been missing? Read my previous reviews of Django’s work HERE.
February 20, 2024
Book Review: This is Knot DomCon – Book Two by B.J. Frazier (erotica)
Author: B.J. Frazier
Publication Date: January 30, 2024
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Various
A quick recap for those who missed my review of This is Knot DomCon – Book One. This series is like the definitive comic book crossover/team-up of the erotica genre, with B.J. Frazier bringing in characters from A Domme for Christmas, the Eli series, Perchance to Dream, The Service Sub, Mistress Managed, and others, to explore DomCon (a very real BDSM/femdom convention) through a fictionalized story. You don’t need to be a fan to enjoy this, but regular readers will enjoy seeing what their favorite characters are up to.
While the first book was mostly an introduction, giving the characters a reason to attend and introducing them to one another, This is Knot DomCon – Book Two takes us deeper into the relationships, the kinks, the fantasies, and (oh, yes) the drama. I’ll circle back around to the drama, but first I want to just touch on some of the things you’ll get to experience vicariously through the story.
The story does a fabulous job of exploring the differences between a sensual FLR (female-led relationship) and a strict power-exchange, and even juxtaposes them within a play event so that the characters can learn alongside the reader. Characters get to talk about their interests and feelings, and get to ask questions that would normally be glossed over or taken for granted in a standard erotic scene. We also get to attend some seminars with the characters, including one where Clem (the Eli series) demonstrates the importance of consent and trust, rules and protocol, with some wonderful examples of respecting but pushing boundaries (and how they differ from limits).
There is also a very hot, very smart scene in the second half of the book where a learning domme is led through a scene as a submissive so that she can better understand her submissive’s needs and how to attend to them. The whole scene is intense, with the nervous domme falling into subspace before a crowd, but what really felt most powerful to me was the way she came to appreciate that her boundaries are not the same as her submissive’s, and how what’s too much for her isn’t enough for her submissive. It’s about getting out of your own headspace and into your submissive’s.
Also, I must point out that if you’re still on the curious side of the BDSM fence, there are plenty of anxious, nervous, uncomfortable newbies in the story who are learning and exploring, just like you.
Finally, to circle back to the drama I mentioned above, there’s baggage characters bring to the convention that has deeper, darker consequences for some more than others. We saw a panicked glimpse of that at the end of the first book, but we get a heartbreaking confrontation with it here, not to mention a jaw-dropping moment later on. There’s an insidious plot developing behind the scenes, and you know the best is yet to come.
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 19, 2024
Book Review: Fiasco by Constance Fay (sci-fi)
Author: Constance Fay
Publication Date: June 4, 2024 by Bramble
Genres: Science Fiction
Protagonist Gender: Female
Constance Fay’s Fiasco was anything but – it was an exciting read, complete with twists, betrayals, and surprises, not to mention a healthy amount of romance and humor layered atop the adventure.
Cynbelline Khaw is a young woman who has already lived more than most of us do in a lifetime, having become a space-faring bounty hunter to escape the pressures and expectations of a family broken by the abduction of her cousin. Best known for a bounty that went bad, resulting in a bunch of dead slavers, she’s a legend to some and a monster to others. When she’s offered a small fortune to accept a new bounty that may allow her to find justice for her cousin at the same time, she knows it’s a mistake, but there’s no way she can refuse.
Her mission reunites her with the crew of the Calamity, although she was pretending to be somebody else then, so nobody recognizes her now. Except, that is, for Micah Arora, the sexy medic who can literally smell trouble. It’s a ragtag crew who neither trust her nor like her, and their mission will bring her right back home to the family she hasn’t seen in years. It’s hardly the ideal situation, but it’s the conflicts beneath the surface that fuel the story.
Fiasco is a bit of an odd book because it shifts tone and content rather dramatically on more than one occasion. There’s a mystery and an adventure to be explored; shockingly tragic reveals that leads into family drama; a slow-burn romance that doesn’t really spark until the last 100 pages; a darkly comical heist thriller; and a heroic mashup of all of the above that carries through to the end. None of that is a complaint. I loved the surprises, loved not knowing where this was going, and loved how all the various threads ended up coming together.
While you certainly don’t need to have read Calamity to enjoy this, I felt like the crew was painted a bit thin here, so having that background likely would have defined them a bit better. And, sure, I would have loved more time with Vuur, the tiny metal-eating would-be-dragon, but those are my only complaints. What matters is that Cyn was more than strong enough to carry the story, and the way the plot shifts around the Abyssal Abductor had me riveted to the end. Superb!
Rating:
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 16, 2024
Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday – Putting the TG in TGIF!
Well, if it’s Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday!
Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.
Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.
While you’re on Amazon, if you’d like to support my stories, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review?
Enjoy!
February 14, 2024
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Song of the Mysteries by Janny Wurts (fantasy)
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.
My choice for this week is a climax 30 years in the making, the long-awaited final novel of epic fantasy masterpiece, Wars of Light and Shadow!
Song of the Mysteries by Janny Wurts
Adult, Fantasy
864 pages, Hardcover
May 28, 2024 by HarperVoyager
The hugely anticipated final volume of The Wars of Light and Shadow brings this widely acclaimed, masterful epic fantasy series to its powerful, earth-shattering close.
In the final battle of Light against Shadow, warring factions prepare to meet the bare fist of Arithon’s fury, sparked by the execution of the innocent murdered by divine decree.
As the Fellowship Sorcerers clash with rebellious dragons bent on catastrophic annihilation, those faithful to the True Sect raise armies to extinguish the clans and fight a last, bloody conquest of the free wilds. All while the Prime Matriarch courts reckless power to seize charge of Mankind’s destiny.
As contention threatens to snap the final restraint of old Charter Law, bitter strife and vicious ambition threaten to revoke humanity’s right to inhabit the world. The only hope of survival for all lies in the recovery of the Paravians, those who last called Athera home before Mankind.
The true hearts of heroes will be challenged in the savage fires of conflict; Elaira and Daliana’s steadfast loyalties must rise against the odds or fall as Lysaer’s reckoning collides with the Mistwraith’s secretive machinations. But not before Elder Powers arise to claim their debt for a grievance spanning millennia . . .
Curious about what you’ve been missing? Read my previous reviews of Janny’s work HERE.
February 9, 2024
Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday – Putting the TG in TGIF!
Well, if it’s Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday!
Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.
Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.
While you’re on Amazon, if you’d like to support my stories, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review?
Enjoy!
February 8, 2024
Book Review: Silk Fire by Zabé Ellor (fantasy)
Author: Zabé Ellor
Publication Date: July 5, 2022 by Solaris
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Male
Reading the reviews of Silk Fire, it’s very clear I’m in the minority here, but I loved the story, the characters, and the world that Zabé Ellor has imagined here. I struggled a bit with the writing (I’ll get back to that), but I was fully engaged. I cared for the characters, and I worried for them as one betrayal led to another, throwing their world into chaos.
Koré a young man in a (deeply flawed) matriarchal world, cast into ruin and despair when his father puts politics and ambition ahead of family. There’s so much he blames the man for – and legitimately so – that it propels him into a coldly calculated life as a male courtesan looking to manipulate the system from behind the scenes in order to seek vengeance on his father. Ria is a young woman with problems of her own, looking to prove herself to her father and earn her place in their world, Faziz is a young man who has adopted his own problems, seeing it as his duty to care for the neglect and discarded of the underground slums. Their intertwined relationships are a madcap mix of will-they/won’t-they attraction, lies and subterfuge, repressed feelings, anxieties, and more. They drive the heart of the story – and rip it out on more than one occasion.
The world itself takes the post-apocalyptic, dystopian themes of science fiction and blends them with the fantasy themes of fallen gods, lost magic, and (of course) dragons. It’s very much an urban fantasy, taking place entirely in, below, and above massive cities where slums lay tight against palaces. It’s a claustrophobic sort of world that often feels overwhelming because, let’s face it, it is. This is not a world where people live and laugh and love, it’s one where they plot, scheme, suffer, and survive.
In exploring this flawed matriarchy, Zabé Ellor does a lot of things that excited me greatly, with my aesthetic appreciation often directly in contrast to my psychological understanding. This is not just a matriarchy, but a feminine world, one where men are the second-class citizens, dressed in skirts and jewelry, bound to tithe magical essence to their wives, raise their children, and otherwise stay silent. As a non-binary reader, the aesthetics were delightful, making me swoon with jealousy every time Koré dressed to seduce, woo, or please the women above him, but I fully appreciate the satirical element of the story and how it points out the ridiculousness of gender discrimination. It’s also a very queer world, one where a great many characters are bisexual and polyamorous, and I loved that aspect.
As for the writing (I promised I’d get back to that), I did often struggle with the breakneck pace of things, the abrupt transitions between scenes, and the myriad of names and titles. There were times I had to reread a page more than once, and others where I just accepted that I’d missed something and continued on. If you’re not invested in the characters and their story, the writing could be more of an issue (which it seems to be for some reviewers), but if you find yourself hooked as I was, then it’s a challenge, not a roadblock.
Silk Fire does have its long pauses amidst the chaos, and there’s a lot of political maneuvering to navigate, with alliances, compromises, and moral grey areas, but the last 50 pages or so are absolutely intense! I had whiplash from all the betrayals and reveals, with twists I did not see coming, but it just kept ratcheting up the tension until I was clutching the book hard enough to leave marks on the page. If you’re prepared to be patient, think, and read closely, I recommend it.
Rating:
February 7, 2024
Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Blood on the Tide by Katee Robert (romance)
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.
My choice for this week is a spicy romantasy involving vampires, selkies, pirates and spicy sapphic love!
Blood on the Tide by Katee Robert
Adult, Romance, Fantasy
336 pages, Paperback
May 14, 2024
Set sail for adventure and love in the next spicy fantasy romance from Katee Robert, the New York Times bestselling author of the TikTok smash hit Neon Gods .
As a bloodline vampire, Lizzie has never had a problem taking what she wants, and right now what she wants are the family heirlooms that were stolen from her and a portal home. Too bad even that short list is impossible to accomplish on her own—and her allies have bigger things to worry about.
When they rescue a selkie from captivity, it’s the perfect solution to her problem. Lizzie needs a guide through Threshold and the selkie needs someone to help her get her skin back. Maeve didn’t choose to give up her skin—it was stolen from her. Now she’s in an uneasy partnership with a dangerous woman who seems more apt to kill than to share a kind word. It’s terrifying…and a bit alluring. Even though she knows it will end in heartbreak, Maeve can’t help being drawn to Lizzie and her all-too-pleasurable vampire bite.
Unfortunately, the danger to Maeve’s heart is the least of her worries. The ship Lizzie’s chasing belongs to the Cŵn Annwn, and they don’t take kindly to people who steal from them. Not even Lizzie’s viciousness or Maeve’s selkie strength will be enough to save them if the Cŵn Annwn seek retribution…
