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Mangoverse #3
A Harvest of Ripe Figs
Esther of the Singing Hands is Perach's Sweetheart, a young and beautiful musician with a Girl Next Door image. When her violin is stolen after a concert in the capital city, she doesn't expect the queen herself to show up, intent upon solving the mystery.
But Queen Shulamit--lesbian, intellectual, and mother of the six month old crown princess--loves to play detective. With the help of her legendary bodyguard Rivka and her dragon, and with the support of her partner Aviva the Chef, Shulamit turns her mind toward the solution--which she quickly begins to suspect involves the use of illegal magic that could threaten the safety of her citizens.
But Queen Shulamit--lesbian, intellectual, and mother of the six month old crown princess--loves to play detective. With the help of her legendary bodyguard Rivka and her dragon, and with the support of her partner Aviva the Chef, Shulamit turns her mind toward the solution--which she quickly begins to suspect involves the use of illegal magic that could threaten the safety of her citizens.
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 21, 2015
About the author
Shira Glassman
20 books522 followersShira Glassman is a bisexual Jewish violinist passionately inspired by German and French opera and Agatha Christie novels.
She lives in north central Florida, where the alligators are mostly harmless because they're too lazy to be bothered.
A note on my reviewing style: I read lots of books, but writing reviews is work and I only really do them to endorse books that I enjoyed enough to signal boost. That's why my reviews are mostly positive. It's not that I like every book ever :P
She lives in north central Florida, where the alligators are mostly harmless because they're too lazy to be bothered.
A note on my reviewing style: I read lots of books, but writing reviews is work and I only really do them to endorse books that I enjoyed enough to signal boost. That's why my reviews are mostly positive. It's not that I like every book ever :P
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
July 25, 2015
I am a fan of Shira Glassman's books and this is my favorite in the series so far (aside from Rivka's short story on Port Saltspray.) This one is about elucidating a mystery, who stole Esther's violin, rather than adventures, but that's not why it's my favorite. The royalties from the book sales were donated to Trans Life Line and Casa Ruby, and trans shelter.
As a trans person who is in a very bad situation in life right now (well, it was worse before) and lonely, it's really great for me to have books like this one to give me hope. One of the characters, Micah, is trans and homeless which is well treated in the book. The main characters don't react violently to him, even if Shulamit started out as ignorant (I could really relate to Micah's reaction to her ignorance.) It's not treated sensationalistically and being trans is not his only trait. He gets along with the main characters and has a happy ending, finding friends and a family, even though he started in the streets hated by many people and with no friends or family.
I can also identify with the other characters, but Micah is very important to me because he was in a similar situation as mine. It's great to see all of these characters finding people like them and people who accept them, too often it feels like my life is gonna be that way forever and these books give me hope. After all if someone could write the books, and other people can like the books, it means there are probably people out there who'll accept me. Even if I can't find them now and I seem stuck in a bad place, I can escape to the books and hope for better, so when I'm feeling like things are too hard I remember Micah, as well as the other characters, and it helps a lot.
It also helps a lot seeing someone like me in books I like when it often feels like people think I'm not supposed to exist. It also feels great knowing that someone is donating their sales' money to help people like me. The world seems less like a dangerous place when I think about Micah and about all this.
As a trans person who is in a very bad situation in life right now (well, it was worse before) and lonely, it's really great for me to have books like this one to give me hope. One of the characters, Micah, is trans and homeless which is well treated in the book. The main characters don't react violently to him, even if Shulamit started out as ignorant (I could really relate to Micah's reaction to her ignorance.) It's not treated sensationalistically and being trans is not his only trait. He gets along with the main characters and has a happy ending, finding friends and a family, even though he started in the streets hated by many people and with no friends or family.
I can also identify with the other characters, but Micah is very important to me because he was in a similar situation as mine. It's great to see all of these characters finding people like them and people who accept them, too often it feels like my life is gonna be that way forever and these books give me hope. After all if someone could write the books, and other people can like the books, it means there are probably people out there who'll accept me. Even if I can't find them now and I seem stuck in a bad place, I can escape to the books and hope for better, so when I'm feeling like things are too hard I remember Micah, as well as the other characters, and it helps a lot.
It also helps a lot seeing someone like me in books I like when it often feels like people think I'm not supposed to exist. It also feels great knowing that someone is donating their sales' money to help people like me. The world seems less like a dangerous place when I think about Micah and about all this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2018
This is definitely the best book of the series! First of all, Shulamit and Aviva are adorable wives and mothers together, and I love how this series talks about healthy, happy relationships and women supporting each other.
Second of all, I'm living for how domestic of a fantasy book this is. The queen of an entire kingdom puts lots of time toward solving the mysteries of a stolen violin and a plagiarized clasp design and it's great. It's not a really twisty mystery and I called the culprit very quickly, but I didn't figure out most of how the crime was done so really it was very successful as a plot.
Still love how casually, fluffily Jewish and gay this series is. Plus what I think is our first trans character of the series is introduced in this book and I love him. Just in general it manages to address important topics and still stay pretty light and breezy and I love it for that.
Second of all, I'm living for how domestic of a fantasy book this is. The queen of an entire kingdom puts lots of time toward solving the mysteries of a stolen violin and a plagiarized clasp design and it's great. It's not a really twisty mystery and I called the culprit very quickly, but I didn't figure out most of how the crime was done so really it was very successful as a plot.
Still love how casually, fluffily Jewish and gay this series is. Plus what I think is our first trans character of the series is introduced in this book and I love him. Just in general it manages to address important topics and still stay pretty light and breezy and I love it for that.
June 8, 2015
WE HAVE A FAT PROTAGONIST WHO IS NOT DEFINED BY HER WEIGHT AND HAS THINGS TO DO BESIDES LOSE WEIGHT. WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY.
Seriously, these books are so cute. Every book introduces new characters I fall in love with, and in this one, we meet a talented violinist named Esther whose prized instrument is stolen during her stay at an inn in Perach. She's just so damn sweet and cute and she's friends with fellow musician Liora, even though people want to pit them against each other because they're women, and she's sweethearts with a cute fat music-merchant named Tzuriel and they ride off into the sunset to make sweet music together...or, eh, that's how I picture the ending. But before they get their happily-ever-after, Esther goes to our Queen Shulamit looking for help in finding her stolen violin, and Shulamit assists--with much gusto and her baby princess Naomi strapped to her chest.
As Shulamit works tirelessly to solve the mystery (with Aviva providing sustenance along the way), Rivka involves herself with bratty runaway Micah, who fits into the theft in way Rivka cannot yet figure out. Micah is the series' first trans character and I practically cried when he got his happy ending. Fantasy is such a gift in so many ways. So many of our real-world problems could just be solved with a little magic. I suppose we can take solace in our books as our world changes (hopefully for the better).
There's a lot of good stuff going on in this book, even though I felt the heavy mystery plot overpowered the character development and interaction at times. Shulamit outwardly criticizes the way women are judged based on their looks rather than her talent, which is always so wonderful to see in fiction, especially from a woman in a position of power. I also keep loving Isaac more and more--he's like the reluctant father figure who has a trail of children behind him, and he's grumbling, but deep down he's totally found his calling. I love when he gets frustrated with Mitzi's skepticism and just hand-waves explanation by saying "Magic--it's magic!" It's just so nicely self-aware, and self-aware fantasy is rare and always welcome. A Harvest of Ripe Figs also covers the harm of transphobia (even from well-meaning characters), body dysmorphic disorder, female autonomy, and new motherhood. So much good stuff in such a short, sweet book.
I do have one little pouty complaint--no Kaveh or Farzin! I miss them! I hope Glassman brings them back in future books--Esther, too.
(Also, side-note, after faithfully creeping on Glassman's Tumblr, I found out that the fictional kingdom of Perach is sort of set in South Florida? I'm the absolute worst with geography, so I figured these books were set somewhere in Western Asia, only because Farzin and Kaveh are coded as Iranian, but then I also maybe thought Perach was supposed to be like Israel? But as an American with Christian roots, I'm not comfortable setting Perach anywhere specific due to the possible cultural/historical/religious ramifications, so I'm just sort of glad I can picture it as Glassman perhaps pictures it now. Also, there's a lot I need to unlearn about fantasy books now that I'm straying from traditional White Medieval fantasy--not everything has to be based in our world. We're allowed to imagine and stray and create new and wonderful places that are safer for our queer characters and characters of color.
I must say, though, that I have learned a lot from Glassman's Tumblr about her background and inspiration for this series. I'd check it out if you're unfamiliar with some of the language and religious references in the text. There's also tons of adorable fan art of all the characters, with Esther's art being so damn cute I have it as my phone background.)
Seriously, these books are so cute. Every book introduces new characters I fall in love with, and in this one, we meet a talented violinist named Esther whose prized instrument is stolen during her stay at an inn in Perach. She's just so damn sweet and cute and she's friends with fellow musician Liora, even though people want to pit them against each other because they're women, and she's sweethearts with a cute fat music-merchant named Tzuriel and they ride off into the sunset to make sweet music together...or, eh, that's how I picture the ending. But before they get their happily-ever-after, Esther goes to our Queen Shulamit looking for help in finding her stolen violin, and Shulamit assists--with much gusto and her baby princess Naomi strapped to her chest.
As Shulamit works tirelessly to solve the mystery (with Aviva providing sustenance along the way), Rivka involves herself with bratty runaway Micah, who fits into the theft in way Rivka cannot yet figure out. Micah is the series' first trans character and I practically cried when he got his happy ending. Fantasy is such a gift in so many ways. So many of our real-world problems could just be solved with a little magic. I suppose we can take solace in our books as our world changes (hopefully for the better).
There's a lot of good stuff going on in this book, even though I felt the heavy mystery plot overpowered the character development and interaction at times. Shulamit outwardly criticizes the way women are judged based on their looks rather than her talent, which is always so wonderful to see in fiction, especially from a woman in a position of power. I also keep loving Isaac more and more--he's like the reluctant father figure who has a trail of children behind him, and he's grumbling, but deep down he's totally found his calling. I love when he gets frustrated with Mitzi's skepticism and just hand-waves explanation by saying "Magic--it's magic!" It's just so nicely self-aware, and self-aware fantasy is rare and always welcome. A Harvest of Ripe Figs also covers the harm of transphobia (even from well-meaning characters), body dysmorphic disorder, female autonomy, and new motherhood. So much good stuff in such a short, sweet book.
I do have one little pouty complaint--no Kaveh or Farzin! I miss them! I hope Glassman brings them back in future books--Esther, too.
(Also, side-note, after faithfully creeping on Glassman's Tumblr, I found out that the fictional kingdom of Perach is sort of set in South Florida? I'm the absolute worst with geography, so I figured these books were set somewhere in Western Asia, only because Farzin and Kaveh are coded as Iranian, but then I also maybe thought Perach was supposed to be like Israel? But as an American with Christian roots, I'm not comfortable setting Perach anywhere specific due to the possible cultural/historical/religious ramifications, so I'm just sort of glad I can picture it as Glassman perhaps pictures it now. Also, there's a lot I need to unlearn about fantasy books now that I'm straying from traditional White Medieval fantasy--not everything has to be based in our world. We're allowed to imagine and stray and create new and wonderful places that are safer for our queer characters and characters of color.
I must say, though, that I have learned a lot from Glassman's Tumblr about her background and inspiration for this series. I'd check it out if you're unfamiliar with some of the language and religious references in the text. There's also tons of adorable fan art of all the characters, with Esther's art being so damn cute I have it as my phone background.)
July 5, 2016
From my 2015 Hugo award recommendations:
Another series where the latest book so far has also been the best! This fun, fluffy secondary-world fantasy novel is just over novella length - this year I am again very low on novella recommendations, so I wish it could fit in there. But it's still worth a read regardless of any award nominations; as the third part of the Mangoverse series, it has a standalone mystery plot, but it does spoil some of the events in the first two books. (The print edition has some bonus short stories to make it a bit longer.)
If you want to read something that is basically 'cheerful and very queer fantasy Jews running around solving problems', this is your book! One of my pet peeves is that mystery plots are usually super-focused on murder investigations; this one is about a high-profile theft instead.
My tweet series about A Harvest of Ripe Figs
Where I got the book: Bought with my to-do list reward cents (yes, that's a lot of cents)
Another series where the latest book so far has also been the best! This fun, fluffy secondary-world fantasy novel is just over novella length - this year I am again very low on novella recommendations, so I wish it could fit in there. But it's still worth a read regardless of any award nominations; as the third part of the Mangoverse series, it has a standalone mystery plot, but it does spoil some of the events in the first two books. (The print edition has some bonus short stories to make it a bit longer.)
If you want to read something that is basically 'cheerful and very queer fantasy Jews running around solving problems', this is your book! One of my pet peeves is that mystery plots are usually super-focused on murder investigations; this one is about a high-profile theft instead.
My tweet series about A Harvest of Ripe Figs
Where I got the book: Bought with my to-do list reward cents (yes, that's a lot of cents)
January 23, 2015
This is another beautiful happy queer story about Queen Shulamit continuing to build her family while still doing all of her queenly duties - including solving the mystery of a stolen violin! This book brings even more diversity to the series - including a trans boy and an aroace character (even though he's a little bit of a bad guy, I'm very excited for the other aroace character in one of the short stories coming soon). There's also heaps of feminism - I especially loved this part: "I don't like it that just because they're both the two most famous woman musicians in Perach ,they automatically have to be competing with each other. People never want to see women as supporting each other" which was something that was brought up a number of times. (Also "the idea of the marquis being a contemptible criminal appealed to her, because he'd hurt..her sense of feminism"). It's just. such a sweet and funny and happy book. please read it. also there's a dragon.
October 9, 2017
I swear, the Mangoverse just keeps getting better and better. I don't know if it's Shira Glassman's writing, my love for the characters, or my need for something like these books, but every time I pick one up, I come out more enchanted than before.
FIGS in particular hit all of my mystery-lover strings (you could say it played me like a fiddle? Shh moving on). I used to read so much Hercule Poirot, and FIGS featured several of my favourite mystery tropes, such as . It was FUN, even if between my huge mystery readings and everyone's deft characterization, I guessed at it pretty quick. Getting to the reveal with all these wonderful characters (Esther and Tzuriel are some really fantastic additions to this universe!!) was well worth it.
FIGS in particular hit all of my mystery-lover strings (you could say it played me like a fiddle? Shh moving on). I used to read so much Hercule Poirot, and FIGS featured several of my favourite mystery tropes, such as . It was FUN, even if between my huge mystery readings and everyone's deft characterization, I guessed at it pretty quick. Getting to the reveal with all these wonderful characters (Esther and Tzuriel are some really fantastic additions to this universe!!) was well worth it.
February 24, 2018
As always, Queen Schulamit and her court of loving individuals are a welcome respite from the real world!
August 20, 2015
Once I got into the groove of this book, I was utterly charmed by Mangoverse and the characters who live there. Queen Shulamit of Perach takes a very hands-on King Solomon approach to keeping harmony in her kingdom, all the while caring for a newborn with the help of her wife and her friends. While the stakes are fairly low on a macro level (for the individuals not so small)—this is not a kingdom in peril—what made A Harvest of Ripe Figs stand out to me is that the book has this very genuine goal of wanting to make you happy (and not in a mass-market, we talked to a focus group sort of way). The book wants to make you smile, make you ship its characters, make you laugh. It is a book that celebrates healthy relationships of all kinds and celebrates people being their best selves. It imagines a kingdom where the ruler has her people's best interests at heart, where stereotypes are shattered, and where, ultimately, people can find happiness in whatever kind of work they love, with whatever gender of person they love, and within their found families. And that's a powerful thing. The other thing that I really enjoyed about this book is that it is essentially a Jewish fairytale. Things felt familiar in a way I don't usually get to experience in fantasy, which just added to the warm fuzzies this book gave me. If you are looking for a book that will make you smile, this ought to do the trick.
December 2, 2015
Glassman's Mangoverse series is a totally sweet, utterly charming fantasy/adventure series with a diverse range of protagonists. Glassman draws much of her inspiration from Jewish culture, and Ashkenazi (the "northern" characters, Rivka and Isaac) and Sephardim/Mizrahim (Shulamit and Aviva) are represented in equal measure. Representation matters, and it's so cool to read a series with characters that are traditionally vastly underrepresented in fantasy and adventure novels. Glassman also draws from Persian culture (the City of the Red Clay and its characters), and the characters and pairings represent a myriad of sexualities, from a lesbian queen to a bisexual prince to a straight and gender-nonconforming knight named Rivka.
The result is a rich tapestry of a world in which lovers of fantasy who have rarely, if ever, seen characters like themselves represented in fantasy can find character aspects to identify with. It's such a departure from the overwhelmingly northern-anglo-european genre, and a welcome one at that.
The books themselves are compelling and incredibly well-written. The dialogue is written in a way that befits the universe - sort of reminiscent of a modernized version of Dixon's Fairy Tales from the Arabian Nights.
Highly, highly recommended!
The result is a rich tapestry of a world in which lovers of fantasy who have rarely, if ever, seen characters like themselves represented in fantasy can find character aspects to identify with. It's such a departure from the overwhelmingly northern-anglo-european genre, and a welcome one at that.
The books themselves are compelling and incredibly well-written. The dialogue is written in a way that befits the universe - sort of reminiscent of a modernized version of Dixon's Fairy Tales from the Arabian Nights.
Highly, highly recommended!
November 24, 2015
This book filled me with such positive, warm feelings. It was exactly what I needed. It is joyous, and light, but it is not without substance.
I adored the characters, I loved how diverse they were, how they all got to do stuff, actually do stuff, instead of being jokes, or constant victims, or being relegated to the sidelines. I could say something about them all, but I'll limit myself to a few. Rivka is an absolute badass, and you'll want to know all about the life she's lead. Her relationship with Isaac is so beautiful. Micah is fantastic, and I kind of want to be Esther’s bestie in real life. She is shown as being quite an emotional person, but it is not painted in a negative light, and I liked that.
And Shulamit, let's not forget her. She is so important. I'm in love with the love she has for Aviva. I'm in love with how adamant she is about defending other women, to not take cliches and petty rumors for granted. She wants to do good for her people, and you want her to succeed.
I absolutely recommend it if you need a pick-me-up, and if you would like to read a story where people are kind and understanding to each other, where they support each other.
I adored the characters, I loved how diverse they were, how they all got to do stuff, actually do stuff, instead of being jokes, or constant victims, or being relegated to the sidelines. I could say something about them all, but I'll limit myself to a few. Rivka is an absolute badass, and you'll want to know all about the life she's lead. Her relationship with Isaac is so beautiful. Micah is fantastic, and I kind of want to be Esther’s bestie in real life. She is shown as being quite an emotional person, but it is not painted in a negative light, and I liked that.
And Shulamit, let's not forget her. She is so important. I'm in love with the love she has for Aviva. I'm in love with how adamant she is about defending other women, to not take cliches and petty rumors for granted. She wants to do good for her people, and you want her to succeed.
I absolutely recommend it if you need a pick-me-up, and if you would like to read a story where people are kind and understanding to each other, where they support each other.
March 5, 2016
All of these books are wonderful.
I love the entire cast. I love that these stories have happy endings where people find themselves and their hearts.
I love that the story is centered on all these people who are different and the same and beautiful and needing.
These stories are so well written and wonderfully made. I have been trying to write reviews for the others but can't do them justice without gushing over them.
All of these characters are characters and all of them are unique and represent people who aren't often represented.
My favorite alternates between all of them.
I love Rivka's bravery and strength and the power of her love.
I love Shulamit's eyebrows and her kindness and her sharp kind and her impatience balanced with her patience.
I love Aviva's willingness to stand for what's right, for her people and her love and her friends. I love her talent and strength.
I love Isaac's craftiness and willingness to help. I love his wisdom and acceptance of Rivka. I love their love.
This story is amazing and I'm near to tears now so I'll stop.
But it was a lovely, lovely read.
I love the entire cast. I love that these stories have happy endings where people find themselves and their hearts.
I love that the story is centered on all these people who are different and the same and beautiful and needing.
These stories are so well written and wonderfully made. I have been trying to write reviews for the others but can't do them justice without gushing over them.
All of these characters are characters and all of them are unique and represent people who aren't often represented.
My favorite alternates between all of them.
I love Rivka's bravery and strength and the power of her love.
I love Shulamit's eyebrows and her kindness and her sharp kind and her impatience balanced with her patience.
I love Aviva's willingness to stand for what's right, for her people and her love and her friends. I love her talent and strength.
I love Isaac's craftiness and willingness to help. I love his wisdom and acceptance of Rivka. I love their love.
This story is amazing and I'm near to tears now so I'll stop.
But it was a lovely, lovely read.
August 23, 2015
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2015/08...
The third book in Glassman's Mangoverse series finds Queen Shulamit solving the mystery of a stolen violin (I guess her kingdom is peaceful enough that she can solve mysteries in her spare time as a hobby? OK, sure). I immediately pegged the villain and so was mildly annoyed that it took the Queen so long to figure it out, but everything else about this was pretty charming. The writing is coming along, too. I just like reading and supporting Jewish-themed fantasy, but I'm glad that the series is improving and I'll probably read the next one when it comes out. B/B+.
The third book in Glassman's Mangoverse series finds Queen Shulamit solving the mystery of a stolen violin (I guess her kingdom is peaceful enough that she can solve mysteries in her spare time as a hobby? OK, sure). I immediately pegged the villain and so was mildly annoyed that it took the Queen so long to figure it out, but everything else about this was pretty charming. The writing is coming along, too. I just like reading and supporting Jewish-themed fantasy, but I'm glad that the series is improving and I'll probably read the next one when it comes out. B/B+.
July 28, 2017
okay so these books have lots of fun morals like 'real partners should support each other in their personal endeavours' and 'consider taking a person's word for who they are instead of imposing societal expectations on them???' but i also learned a third one
persistance will out! if you hassle both library systems you have a card at to buy a harvest of figs eventually one will give in and you will get that sweet, sweet overdrive e-mail telling you the book is available :')
so here we are with the third mangoverse book! this one features a violinist, a mystery plot, a trans street thief and ofc, a happy ending. these books are my fluffy fantasy royalty JAM
3.5 stars
persistance will out! if you hassle both library systems you have a card at to buy a harvest of figs eventually one will give in and you will get that sweet, sweet overdrive e-mail telling you the book is available :')
so here we are with the third mangoverse book! this one features a violinist, a mystery plot, a trans street thief and ofc, a happy ending. these books are my fluffy fantasy royalty JAM
3.5 stars
September 12, 2015
Love love love love love. I don't even care that I figured out the end game villain pretty early one This was so much fun because I got to see the CHARACTERS figure it out and follow their logic. Recommend.
May 27, 2016
Review forthcoming!
December 17, 2015
This is everything I could want in a fluffy fantasy! Including a homeless trans boy and lots of discussion of healthy relationships. And, you know, Jewish lesbians and dragons.
December 13, 2015
2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
A Harvest of Ripe Figs by Shira Glassman: http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwid...
A Harvest of Ripe Figs by Shira Glassman: http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwid...
October 6, 2017
Loved this book and binge read it, after I had just finished the second one. This book combines two genres which I love:fantasy and mystery. Shulamit and her family have settled with Ruth. The plot revolves around a stolen violin/fiddle and Shulamit uses her intellect and deduction skills along with some help from her family to discover what happened to it.
This will probably be a long list of all the things I liked (and things I wanted to see more of)
Shula is a good interrogator while Riv stops a lot of bullshit. Isaac is smug but helpful and Aviva is supportive and introspective. There is a lot of gender talk and criticism of stereotypes.
I liked the down to business element. For example Riv may be attracted to Isaac at point but she focuses on her job first. There is no 'but they couldn't help themselves' element. There is also a very minor ace representation but in such a diverse book, it adds more complexity.
There is also young trans representation! Aviva sums it up perfectly ''That's the boy who exists. Anything else is a story'' and although Shula doesn't get it at first, she is very protective of her people. She's a great leadership example (despite it being not a democracy).
The word 'Feminism' is actually used! Women supporting women is also another feature of the book. There was lots of body positivity - especially surrounding maternity and different sizes. There's also an example of a toxic relationship and an entitled 'nice guy' who wants to be the center of attention and expects things for his sacrifices. Shula has plans for giving more females more power in her city. She's ok with sharing power.
It is a fun read as well. There are some funny elements like the stories about Riv - which turn out pretty helpful in the end. It's a good mystery too, while a bit predictable, things that were mentioned before turn out to be useful.
Another thing that was super squee worthy for me was the mention of pests and tropical plants. At the moment, I'm working on a campaign for fair and sustainable tropical fruit (make fruit fair) so it's something that I became familiar with. The pests are a real problem to our food security and farmers' livelihoods and Shula really cares about her farmers - the backbone of Perach.
Shula is all about responsibility -whether her own of the wrongdoers responsibility. Wish the world was more like that.
There were many metaphors also about ripening and maturing - people developing and becoming more themselves. Of course, much food talk as well.
What I wanted to see was Kaveh and his companion again (see I even forgot his name). They were mentioned but in passing. Would have been good if they visited their daughter in the book.
The pages just seemed to scroll by. I was already used to the world and the characters and it was an enjoyable and fun read. Fluffy too. While it may seem an easy read - and it is - it still points critically to problems in our society and speaks about different issues.
This will probably be a long list of all the things I liked (and things I wanted to see more of)
Shula is a good interrogator while Riv stops a lot of bullshit. Isaac is smug but helpful and Aviva is supportive and introspective. There is a lot of gender talk and criticism of stereotypes.
I liked the down to business element. For example Riv may be attracted to Isaac at point but she focuses on her job first. There is no 'but they couldn't help themselves' element. There is also a very minor ace representation but in such a diverse book, it adds more complexity.
There is also young trans representation! Aviva sums it up perfectly ''That's the boy who exists. Anything else is a story'' and although Shula doesn't get it at first, she is very protective of her people. She's a great leadership example (despite it being not a democracy).
The word 'Feminism' is actually used! Women supporting women is also another feature of the book. There was lots of body positivity - especially surrounding maternity and different sizes. There's also an example of a toxic relationship and an entitled 'nice guy' who wants to be the center of attention and expects things for his sacrifices. Shula has plans for giving more females more power in her city. She's ok with sharing power.
It is a fun read as well. There are some funny elements like the stories about Riv - which turn out pretty helpful in the end. It's a good mystery too, while a bit predictable, things that were mentioned before turn out to be useful.
Another thing that was super squee worthy for me was the mention of pests and tropical plants. At the moment, I'm working on a campaign for fair and sustainable tropical fruit (make fruit fair) so it's something that I became familiar with. The pests are a real problem to our food security and farmers' livelihoods and Shula really cares about her farmers - the backbone of Perach.
Shula is all about responsibility -whether her own of the wrongdoers responsibility. Wish the world was more like that.
There were many metaphors also about ripening and maturing - people developing and becoming more themselves. Of course, much food talk as well.
What I wanted to see was Kaveh and his companion again (see I even forgot his name). They were mentioned but in passing. Would have been good if they visited their daughter in the book.
The pages just seemed to scroll by. I was already used to the world and the characters and it was an enjoyable and fun read. Fluffy too. While it may seem an easy read - and it is - it still points critically to problems in our society and speaks about different issues.
April 6, 2021
I know that I bought this years ago, it's definitely been on my Kindle for that long and I always meant to read it and then never did. But then there was a reading challenge and there is a violin on the cover and I finally got around to reading it! This is a light fantasy novel where the main character is a Queen who takes her role as justice very seriously as she investigates the theft of a priceless violin.
This was a fun novel. I enjoyed the characters, I liked the plot and the Jewish-inspired worldbuilding was definitely something I haven't seen a lot (or at all if I'm honest) in a fantasy book. I haven't read the first two in the series and I mostly got along okay with this book, though I do want to read the others now. I did enjoy the variety of representation in this book which felt natural and not at all like the author was trying to tick boxes. One thing I did find a little frustrating was how anvil-like some of the social justice issues were addressed. A point is made in the book that two women don't have to be competing just because they're excellent in the same field but it felt like it was mentioned a lot in a faintly lecturing tone. However, we did have the main character being mildly ignorant about one of the trans characters and her being shown to be wrong in a way that was relatively subtle so that helped to balance it out.
This book was a little slow to start with but then I really got into it and I want to check out the rest in the series.
3.5 stars!
This was a fun novel. I enjoyed the characters, I liked the plot and the Jewish-inspired worldbuilding was definitely something I haven't seen a lot (or at all if I'm honest) in a fantasy book. I haven't read the first two in the series and I mostly got along okay with this book, though I do want to read the others now. I did enjoy the variety of representation in this book which felt natural and not at all like the author was trying to tick boxes. One thing I did find a little frustrating was how anvil-like some of the social justice issues were addressed. A point is made in the book that two women don't have to be competing just because they're excellent in the same field but it felt like it was mentioned a lot in a faintly lecturing tone. However, we did have the main character being mildly ignorant about one of the trans characters and her being shown to be wrong in a way that was relatively subtle so that helped to balance it out.
This book was a little slow to start with but then I really got into it and I want to check out the rest in the series.
3.5 stars!
October 6, 2017
Such an enjoyable read. I loved how Queen Shulamit made it a point to bring her infant daughter everywhere with her, especially during official business, even having her nurse while on the throne. It was such a beautiful, loving image, and so unfortunately rare. The mystery was really fun as well, and it was a treat how misogyny and toxic relationships were woven in. One of my reasons for disliking mysteries is that they are often rife with messed up tropes about women, people of color, mental illness, and queerness. So it was great getting to enjoy a mystery where I knew none of that would be an issue - where skillful women are friends rather than nemeses, and a talented fat woman of color got to be beautiful, innocent, admired, and cherished. As always, Glassman weaves a feast for the senses, with colors, tastes, and scents all contributing to her satisfyingly solid world.
My only real disappointment was how often casual cissexism cropped up. It would've been enough to simply have the characters state their unfamiliarity with trans experiences to show how marginalized trans people are in this world. Was it really necessary to keep harping on it by equating one form of genitalia with manhood, and another with womanhood - not once but on multiple occasions?! And the fact that the latter wasn't challenged in text (whereas the former was) leads me to believe that Glassman didn't even realize the extent to which transphobia permeates Perach.
My only real disappointment was how often casual cissexism cropped up. It would've been enough to simply have the characters state their unfamiliarity with trans experiences to show how marginalized trans people are in this world. Was it really necessary to keep harping on it by equating one form of genitalia with manhood, and another with womanhood - not once but on multiple occasions?! And the fact that the latter wasn't challenged in text (whereas the former was) leads me to believe that Glassman didn't even realize the extent to which transphobia permeates Perach.
February 27, 2023
The Mangoverse continues with a fantastic improvement on the previous book. Queen Shulamit truly comes into her own here as a combination of King Solomon and Hercule Poirot, confronting the questions and problems of her people with wisdom, care, and cleverness. (You can tell how much fun both Shulamit and her creator Glassman are having when the truth is finally, dramatically revealed.) Along with the plot-driving mystery of the missing violin, and the honestly fascinating magical shenanigans along the way, this is a book about love – love of music, yes, and what love between people ought to look like. Glassman depicts supportive relationships alongside an emotionally abusive relationship, creating an unignorable and valuable thesis about how real, healthy love involves uplifting and encouraging the people you care about, rather than trying to put them down or reshape them into someone “easier” to deal with. It’s a bit heavy-handed, yes, but some anvils need to be dropped. And, of course, things are as queer as ever and Jewish as ever, with the addition of a transgender street kid and a baby princess for even more wholesome found family fun.
“I love you because you never tried to smooth me out.”
“No,” said Isaac. “I sharpened you.”
August 28, 2018
I...really wasn't thrilled with this book. Yeah, I still love the setting and all the characters (especially Riv) but the whole plot basically revolved around a stolen violin. I mean the whole plot. (With a side/related mystery about a jeweler's trade secrets being stolen.) The whole thing was a mystery and...I'm sorry to say it wasn't even a particularly inventive mystery. (And I don't read fantasy to be forced into reading mystery, anyway.) And...everything was so happy at the end. I mean, everyone except for one person got the happiest ending they could and I just...wasn't expecting that, the way certain aspects of the rest of the story went. (And there was another 'magical body transformation' for the single trans character in the story and, personally, those always leave me a little uncertain if it was handled well or not.) There is still some lovely representation, at least.
October 27, 2017
It's hard to say whether this or book 4 was my favorite so far. I appreciate the addition of trans characters here (Riv, the character appearing from book 1 onward, is not trans), and some of the more creative applications of magic in this story. Again, charming and relatively lighthearted romance, where queer characters get to be happy.
May 29, 2019
I really liked this one, though I liked the previous one more. I'm just not that into mysteries, but if you are into mysteries then this will suit your tastes much better! I love all the characters so much, I love it when books have characters that I would love to hang out with in real life, and with this series that feels true for every major character.
July 4, 2018
Maybe I would have liked this better if is read the prior books first, but the book felt disjointed and heavy-handed. I either didn't totally get what was going on or felt the point was made five or six times in a row, really pointedly. Not a bad book, just not amazing.
January 8, 2020
Sorry, I really don't find these books as good as everyone else. They are readable and forgettable, from the other reviews I suspect it is me and not the books - just not my style. I may comeback and read #4 at I later date, not sure
December 16, 2020
Micah is adorable
This one is a mystery! Very satisfying, well written. The side character of Micah, a trans boy and a street urchin, is my favorite. I shall have to share it with my genderqueer family members.
This one is a mystery! Very satisfying, well written. The side character of Micah, a trans boy and a street urchin, is my favorite. I shall have to share it with my genderqueer family members.
March 16, 2017
These books are such queer gems in a sea of heteronormative fantasy.
April 6, 2018
someone tell me when i can go live in Perach xxx
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