What I'm Reading Now

Fairest: Volume 2 by Lauren Beukes and Volume 3 by Sean E. Williams

These spinoffs of the popular Fables comics are very hit and miss with me. Volume 2 is about Rapunzel and is pretty solid. It features Rapunzel traveling to Japan in search of her lost baby twins, whom she had been told died at birth. Rapunzel believes otherwise. We get some interesting background on Rapunzel's past in the Japanese version of Fabletown, and the story is certainly different from anything I've read before. I can't say I loved it, but it was fun.



Volume 3 introduces a new female character, Nalayani, and is set on the Indian subcontinent. The Fairest stories are ostensibly about the women from the Fables universe, but this story, disappointingly, truly belongs to Prince Charming, who has come back to life and assumed the role of Maharajah. While Charming became somewhat interesting as a character before he died in Fables, he's literally the worst in this volume. This Goodreads review pretty much sums up my feelings about this installment. It seems like the writers were trying to show how Charming changes thanks to his love for Nalayani, but to me, it just seems like he's gotten pushier and more misogynistic, undoing his growth from the previous arc. Not a stellar addition (but beautiful, as always).







Rat Queens: Volume 1 by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch

This graphic novel for adults is a stunner. It features a group of female mercenaries (one of them a dwarf) with varying backgrounds, body types, skin colors, and personalities who are sent on a quest in order to avoid going to jail for wreaking havoc on the town they live in. It's fun, funny, raunchy, and smart. The best comics are able to create interesting characters and relationships in a small amount of space, and that's precisely what Rat Queens does. Highly recommended, particularly for comics readers who are searching for those elusive books where women are treated as people (or, you know, dwarves).

 



The Tyrant's Daughter by J. C. Carleson

I'm listening to this one on audio and really enjoying it so far. Fifteen year old Laila has just moved to a suburb of Washington, D. C. with her mother and little brother after her father, the king/dictator of a fictional middle eastern country, was killed in a coup. So far, the book has focused on Laila's experiences as an immigrant and the beginnings of her realization that her father, whom she regarded as a great ruler, was regarded as a tyrant by the rest of the world - or at least by her new friends in the United States. The book's synopsis promises a bit of international intrigue later on, which I'm looking forward to. Narrator Meera Simhan voices Laila with a light accent that lends authenticity to the story.



Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones

This YA debut is about a group of teens with special powers who run heists. The protagonist has the ability to change her appearance, hence the title, a clever mashup of illusion and elusive. This book is so perfect for me, it's like the author took a trip through my brain, collecting bits and pieces of the things I like and putting them all in a book. It's an incredibly fun read. I want more heist novels for teens!


            Related StoriesWhat I'm Reading Now