Ricky Pine's Blog, page 43

Review: Tristan Strong Destroys the World

Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Though there was no promise at the time of its release that there would be a second story for Tristan Strong, it was still pretty clear that there was no way this section of the Rick Riordan Presents multiverse was going to be just one and done. And now, just about one year after Kwame Mbalia gave us the first book, Tristan's got more story to tell - naturally, because he's got the storytelling...

Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

«Il y a mourir dans "je t'aime" Il y a "je ne vois plus que toi" Mourir au monde, à ses poèmes Ne plus lire que ses rimes à soi 
"Un malhonnête stratagème" Ces trois mots là n'affirment pas Il y a une question dans "je t'aime" Qui demande "et m'aimes-tu, toi?"» -Jean-Jacques Goldman, "Sache que je" 
Perhaps the most long-awaited V.E. Schwab book since she concluded the Shades of Magic trilogy in 2017, an...

Review: Battle Ground

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bloodydamn goryhell, Jim Butcher. After years of waiting for more books from this amazing author, he's now given us two new Dresden Files books in 2020 alone - and while Peace Talks is something of a Prolonged Prologue, it's Battle Ground, naturally, that's packed to the gills from start to finish with some of the most gnarly, apocalyptic action Harry Dresden has faced yet. As supernatural war breaks out all over Chicago,...

Review: Dear Justyce

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was something of a surprise that Nic Stone came out with this sequel/prequel/spinoff to Dear Martin, but she acknowledges right off the bat that it came about out of necessity. While Justyce's story was an all-important one, a searing glimpse into the life of a young Black man whose intelligence doesn't protect him from a racist system, Stone also got a lot of reader responses wondering, what about Black boys who don't co...

Review: Into the Real

Into the Real by Z Brewer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's been three years since Pibling Z, leader of the glorious Minion Horde, gifted us with a new book, and now they're back this year with two great new stories. Well, I still haven't read Soulbroken yet, sadly, because my only e-reader is my phone browser when I'm borrowing library ebooks and my library still doesn't have that one yet. I know, I know, I'm a bad Minion...but I digress. Today, I'm here to talk about Brewer's ...

Review: The Faithless Hawk

The Faithless Hawk by Margaret Owen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If I remember correctly, the first book in this series was a 3.5 for me that I rounded up to a four, and the second book is the same way. Though I'm somewhat disappointed that Owen went and did the duology route - I can never understand why that's such a trend these last few years, especially in YA fantasy - the intensive world-building and spine-tingling magic system, not to mention the series' increased relevanc...

Review: The Relentless Moon

The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been a couple of years since Mary Robinette Kowal put out a novel in this alternate history series of the Lady Astronaut, and a year or so since The Calculating Stars won that Hugo and got my attention onto this series but good. So now, I've finally bought and read a copy of the third book - one that's more of a sequel to Book 1 than Book 2, taking place roughly concurrently with The Fated Sky a...

Review: Cemetery Boys

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Happy spooky season, friends, with this review of Aiden Thomas's recently National Book Award-nominated debut novel - and while it was supposed to have originally come out three months ago, I'm glad it instead came along on the verge of fall. Helpfully, reading this book now seems to have helped chase away a bit of the Bay Area's smoky skies and heat waves - for now anyway, because climate change and all that. But while ...

Review: The Lost Book of the White

The Lost Book of the White by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cassie Clare AND Wesley Chu collaborating?



About this guy?



And it's a trilogy?





(I think the above pre-review was written when this title was supposed to be for the first book and not swapped with The Red Scrolls of Magic, but the sentiment still stands.) 
The second book of Alec and Magnus's spinoff series was, sadly, spoiled for many when some damn fool leaked the entire manuscript somew...

Review: The Shadow of Kyoshi

The Shadow of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

F.C. Yee seems to enjoy operating in duologies about kickass, enormously tall Asian girls - whether it's Genie Lo, or Avatar Kyoshi. The second half of Kyoshi's YA adventure picks up with her place as the Avatar assured after it was in doubt for so much of Book 1, but still, there are those who question her title and prowess - an easier question to pose when she's having greater and greater trouble negotiating ...