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Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
There is a Wild Man who lives in the deep quiet of Greenhollow, and he listens to the wood. Tobias, tethered to the forest, does not dwell on his past life, but he lives a perfectly unremarkable existence with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads.
When Greenhollow Hall acquires a handsome, intensely curious new owner in Henry Silver, everything changes. Old secrets better left buried are dug up, and Tobias is forced to reckon with his troubled past—both the green magic of the woods, and the dark things that rest in its heart.
Why you should read it: This was an quick, delightful read. Lovely and endearing characters who are exasperating in incredibly believable ways. There's so much heart in this short novella, and I look forward to reading the sequel.
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The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world.
Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.
Why you should read it: I found this book thoroughly charming, with the perfect balance of strangeness and heart. The romance builds gradually, despite the relatively brief time frame of the book, and while I wouldn't call it understated exactly, it was just one piece among so many different kinds of affection. Very sweet and a surprisingly fast read.
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The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
This is the way the world ends. Again.
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze — the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization’s bedrock for a thousand years — collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman’s vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.
Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She’ll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.
Why you should read it: Considering the popularity of this series and the THREE SEQUENTIAL HUGOS, I think probably no one needs my recommendation. But I'm including it anyway.
This trilogy is some of the best speculative fiction I have ever read. I don't even know where to start. The way the magic is structured, the complicated characters, the strangeness of this whole other world... It's a tightly and brilliantly assembled masterpiece, but the heart never gets lost amid the mechanics. I spent most of the first book thinking, "Oh, this world is too bleak, it hurts too much, I don't think I can finish the series." And by the final chapters I was so desperate for book two I couldn't wait on the library, and hurried to buy my own copy. Cathartic and satisfying and indescribably good.
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
There is a Wild Man who lives in the deep quiet of Greenhollow, and he listens to the wood. Tobias, tethered to the forest, does not dwell on his past life, but he lives a perfectly unremarkable existence with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads.
When Greenhollow Hall acquires a handsome, intensely curious new owner in Henry Silver, everything changes. Old secrets better left buried are dug up, and Tobias is forced to reckon with his troubled past—both the green magic of the woods, and the dark things that rest in its heart.
Why you should read it: This was an quick, delightful read. Lovely and endearing characters who are exasperating in incredibly believable ways. There's so much heart in this short novella, and I look forward to reading the sequel.
- — - — - — - — -
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world.
Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.
Why you should read it: I found this book thoroughly charming, with the perfect balance of strangeness and heart. The romance builds gradually, despite the relatively brief time frame of the book, and while I wouldn't call it understated exactly, it was just one piece among so many different kinds of affection. Very sweet and a surprisingly fast read.
- — - — - — - — -
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
This is the way the world ends. Again.
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze — the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization’s bedrock for a thousand years — collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman’s vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.
Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She’ll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.
Why you should read it: Considering the popularity of this series and the THREE SEQUENTIAL HUGOS, I think probably no one needs my recommendation. But I'm including it anyway.
This trilogy is some of the best speculative fiction I have ever read. I don't even know where to start. The way the magic is structured, the complicated characters, the strangeness of this whole other world... It's a tightly and brilliantly assembled masterpiece, but the heart never gets lost amid the mechanics. I spent most of the first book thinking, "Oh, this world is too bleak, it hurts too much, I don't think I can finish the series." And by the final chapters I was so desperate for book two I couldn't wait on the library, and hurried to buy my own copy. Cathartic and satisfying and indescribably good.
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