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Big Yikes #164

Dude: Enlightened Idiot

[DUDEBRO IS A CHEAPSKATE]

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Cybils YASF Finalist Review: Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear

It begins! My annual attempt to put up reviews of my favorite finalists from this year’s Round 2 of the Cybils Awards, in which I participated as a judge for Young Adult Speculative Fiction. Some years I’m better at this than others.

Anyway, on to magic and zombies! the first finalist I’m going to post about (these are in no particular order) is Robin Wasley’s engaging fantasy novel Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear. I quite enjoyed this one–the idea of the undead being created by a failure of magical wards was an intriguing twist, and narrator Sid Spencer was highly relatable. A Korean adoptee, she’s one of very few Asian Americans in her small town (heh, ask my spouse about what that’s like) and, what’s more, she’s one of the few without a magical power to call her own. That’s pretty embarrassing in a town built to protect a magical fault line. Then things start falling apart–literally. Her brother mysteriously disappears, and one of the Guardians of the fault line is murdered, unleashing chaos on the town. Desperate to find her brother, Sid braves the undead, scary vigilantes, a magical forest, and–gasp–friendships and crushes (as if the other stuff wasn’t enough) to help save her world.

The story was action-packed from start to finish, with enough (but not too much) romance and nicely complex friendship and family themes to round it out. The idea of a power changing as the person changes, and being in some way reflective of the person’s soul, is something I really loved. The main character’s background as a Korean adoptee was well handled—not the focus of the story, but still important, and depicted with nuance. Sid’s brother is also a Korean adoptee but is not related to her by blood, and they have a sibling who’s a biological child of their parents. Having known families that are similarly composed of both adopted/foster and biological children, I suspect this is a more common occurrence than people might think, and it deserves representation in books for young readers. Dead Things presented this sensitively and relatably, depicting the idea of family in a number of different ways, from adopted siblings to half-siblings and blended families and step-parents.

I really liked this book overall—I was absorbed by both the ordinary and extraordinary plot developments, and the story’s premise hooked me pretty quickly. Where I got hung up just a little was with respect to how the magic system worked; I had moments of confusion, and occasional questions would pop up in my mind as I read, which is something that tends to take me out of a story. However, that was something that affected me more as a Cybils judge than as a reader, if that makes sense–if I’d just picked this up as a regular reader, it might not have been something to remark upon. (Having said that, this book slipped past my radar last year, so I’m really glad that it was brought to my attention as a finalist!) So, yes, I liked it a lot and think it would appeal to fans of magical fantasy in contemporary settings, as well as readers who enjoy the trope of the ordinary girl who saves the world. (*Raises hand*)

Source: Dispatches From Wonderland

Big Yikes #163

reelin’ in the years!

still on Insta even with all the Zuck Yuck

Big Yikes #162

worser-than-worst-case scenario

how long are we going to be over on that Meta site? who knows?

Big Yikes #161

thankfully not based on a true story

for now you can find big yikes on the I.G.

Big Yikes #160

the fine art of goal setting

Find big yikes over on that one app

Winter Reading Recap

I’d been meaning to read The Book of Stolen Dreams by David Farr for a little while—it was one of those titles that languished for a bit in my saved list on the library app. Better late than never, since I really enjoyed it and thought it was delightful. This MG fantasy adventure reminded me a bit of Philip Pullman or Joan Aiken with a dash of Lemony Snicket. Told from the alternating viewpoints of siblings Robert and Rachel, the story follows the two as they flee the rule of a power-grubbing tyrant and race to keep a magical book out of his hands. The grimness of the setting and larger-than-life adventure kept me turning the pages, and I’m pleased that there’s a sequel I haven’t read yet.

I was intrigued by Liar’s Test by Ambelin Kwaymullina, a YA fantasy by an Aboriginal author—I hope more such books enter the market, though that may be a long shot. With this particular book, I was very intrigued by the many elements clearly inspired by Aboriginal beliefs and traditions. Main character Bell Silverleaf is determined to restore the status of her people, the Treesingers, when she’s unexpectedly thrown into a competition to rule the kingdom—the Queen’s Test. If she can win the Trials, she will be the ruler of the Risen—the very people who invaded generations ago and oppressed the Treesingers. Is that what she wants? Does she want to win the game, or upend it entirely? I really liked a lot about this book—it was fast-paced, the fantasy elements were novel and kept me engaged, and the secondary story about friendship and trust had a lot of warmth to it. I actually think this story needed to be a bit longer, though—the world-building was fascinating enough that I wanted a bit more time and detail invested in it here and there. Also, I felt like we could have gotten to know the narrator a bit more deeply, particularly before the Trials began. I wanted to feel more connected to her and her world. Overall, though, I found this to be an interesting read with a fresh approach. Here’s a fascinating interview with the author on The Nerd Daily.

On a very different note, I finally (she said sheepishly) read Sing, I by Ethel Rohan, who was in the same creative writing MFA program with me and Tanita. I’d classify the genre as literary women’s fiction, perhaps. The book is set in Half Moon Bay, a seemingly idyllic coastal California town—one which was rocked by a recent real-life tragedy less than two years ago, a fact which had uncomfortable resonance as I read. Main character Ester Prynn (YUP) is kind of muddling along in life, her marriage unsatisfying, her teenage son increasingly remote. Then the convenience store where she works gets robbed by a gunman wearing a mask (the implications of masks are an interesting theme lurking in the story) and it turns seemingly everything in her life upside down as she comes to terms with what she suffered and witnessed. The gunman isn’t caught, and continues to commit crimes, which only worsens Ester’s anxiety and existential restlessness. At the same time, her world is expanding and growing as she joins a local women’s choir, meets new friends, and finds a new job as a restaurant hostess. A brush with work romance opens her eyes to what could be, but also to what she already possesses.

Source: Dispatches From Wonderland

Big Yikes #159

ingrate

[A NEW YIKES FOR THE NEW YEAR]

also on Insta-bleh

Big Yikes #158

this joke sounds naughtier than it did in my head

we’re so Instagrammable

Big Yikes #157

netflix and zero chill

you can read more here (or not)