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March 13, 2022
Cybils YASF Finalist Review: The City Beautiful
I was not at all surprised to see that Aden Polydoros’ The City Beautiful was a Sydney Taylor Book Award winner. The writing is excellent, the depiction of Jewish life and the historical time frame is vivid and colorful, the character development is deep and satisfying (though there could have been more female characters), and the depiction of queer romance (and the need to hide it) was interwoven well. It’s really more in the vein of magical realism, or possible magic, rather than straight sci-fi or fantasy, and it also happens to be a gripping, darkly enchanting murder mystery.
Main character Alter Rosen is a devout Jewish young man working hard at a local newspaper in Chicago, sharing a crowded apartment with other boys and trying to save enough money to bring his mother and sisters over to America. It’s the time of the World’s Fair, a celebration of pomp and prosperity that manages to cloak the city’s seedy underbelly rife with dark doings.
One of those dark doings? Alter’s best friend Yakov turns up dead. While helping with the traditional preparations of the body for burial, something very strange happens to Alter–and he’s convinced that the dybbuk of Yakov has slipped into his own head, looking for revenge.
Alter enlists the help of an old friend from his early days when he first arrived in Chicago–a time when Alter had to steal and swindle to survive. Frankie is now a power player in the Chicago underworld, but he’s charming and genuinely cares about Alter. As their relationship starts to grow in a different direction, more young Jewish men turn up dead, and Alter becomes more and more anxious to solve Yakov’s murder.
A few things really stood out to me in this book. First, the level of detail invested in the setting–both place and time–was fantastic, making World’s Fair Chicago a presence in its own right. Second, the intricacy with which the author depicted the life and day-to-day habits of a devout Jew, and the practices of Judaism, was illuminating (for a non-Jewish person) and profoundly humanizing in its portrayal of the immigrant story. Lastly, the author does a masterful job of portraying the presence of queer people in history–rather than making the assumption that their story is one of erasure and negation, he grounds them firmly in time and place, and depicts the many ways that queer people navigated their everyday lives, found love, and connected with allies. This one was a major contender in our group discussions!
Source: Dispatches From Wonderland
March 8, 2022
March 6, 2022
Cybils YASF Finalist Review: Iron Widow
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao was one of the 2021 Cybils finalists for YA Speculative Fiction, and it was intriguingly different from the other contenders–but I also had a few mixed feelings about it, even though it was clearly popular with teen readers (judging from the many library holds we all experienced with this title). I found myself going back and forth between being totally absorbed and feeling distant from the story, but I’m just one reader, and your mileage may vary!
In any case, Iron Widow was a very cool, very pop-culture-savvy blend of sci-fi mecha elements and terrifically vivid world-building. Protagonist Zetian lives in a culture clearly influenced by historical China, but one in which women are still wholly oppressed and treated as objects, as tools. Girls’ feet are bound, and their destiny is grim–marriage, childbearing, essentially lifelong servitude to their husband and family. The “lucky” ones who exhibit the right kind of potential might become a concubine-pilot–bound to a male pilot who siphons her energy in order to power a giant animal robot, used to defend their land of Huaxia from the mecha aliens outside the wall.
When Zetian’s older sister becomes a concubine-pilot and is killed, Zetian is determined to become one herself–and kill the boy responsible for her sister’s death. In the process, she discovers just how powerful she really is–and how deeply rooted are the secrets and corruption of their misogynist society.
Zetian’s singleminded pursuit of vengeance was kind of an unrealistic fantasy to me in certain ways, but at the same time, I do know some readers will enjoy that aspect of the story. For me, there were a few issues with the pacing, though; I found myself wanting some parts sped up and others slowed down to explore in more depth. Similarly, the characterization could have been developed more in places, e.g. with her family, who essentially were just there to give her a horrible background to escape from and didn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities. It’s a classic sort of setup for the “escape from awful circumstances” plotline, though, and is sure to satisfy readers raised on anime and manga sci-fi genres who are looking for an absorbing, action-packed adventure.
Source: Dispatches From Wonderland
March 2, 2022
Big Yikes #50
anxiety monster says: hold my beer
[can you believe we’ve done 50 of these??]
February 27, 2022
Cybils YASF Finalist Review: Bad Witch Burning
I’m back on the reviewing wagon for now, after an awfully long hiatus. I did a lot of reading during that hiatus, not least of which was the group of Cybils Award finalists for Young Adult Speculative Fiction. It was a REALLY varied group this time, and I found myself wondering a bit how the final list was arrived at because clearly there were a lot of tough contenders in Round 1. That’s how it is every time I’ve been a Round 2 judge–for the final decision, you’re subject to a different group’s choices for the shortlist. It’s also thought-provoking to read those selections and discuss them as Round 2 judges coming from a variety of bookish backgrounds. Anyway, I made notes on each book as I read, and wanted to feature each of them here on the blog, as I have customarily done in past years. (Except last year, I think, when I had other crap going on.)
Bad Witch Burning was a page-turner with a LOT of teen appeal! Katrell, the narrator, has the power to talk to the dead, and she’s been using it to earn money to help support her family. Then, one day, she discovers she actually has even MORE power than that–the power to bring back the dead. Of course, the revenants she brings back are not…exactly…as they were in life. And soon, her great power lands her in serious trouble as she struggles with the inevitable great responsibility that’s attached to it, even as she sees it as a lifeline to rescue her family for good.
The revenants were a fun twist on the usual zombie tale, and the difficulties in the character’s everyday life added a lot of depth and interest as things begin to spin out of control. She makes a lot of wrong choices—some relatable, some a bit more farfetched, but I enjoyed her journey toward a deeper self-empowerment, and watching her navigate the differences between revenge and justice.
Source: Dispatches From Wonderland
February 22, 2022
February 9, 2022
February 2, 2022
January 25, 2022
January 18, 2022
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