Book Review: The Honjin Murders | Seishi Yokomizo with Louise Heal Kawai (translator)

The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Honjin Murders is a locked room murder told to us by an unnamed narrator, who posits himself as a writer of detective stories. At first, I read this to mean he was something of a Watson or Hastings character, but after a while I wondered if the "I" really referred to Seishi Yokomizo himself; I feel like this is a particularly old-school literary conceit, though I can't say with certainty where I've encountered it before. (I'm thinking of old British science fiction, maybe?) Then again, this is a novel in translation, so who knows if this is the convention for Japanese detective novels. As it is, there are a lot of references to other detective novels in this one which, along with the narrator-as-writer gives it a rather meta vibe.

At any case, the narrator assembles for us all the events surrounding the Honjin Murder Case at the home of the Ichiyanagi family back in 1937, which involves a newly-wed couple being brutally killed on the night of their wedding, a mysterious three-fingered vagrant thought to be the grooms "mortal enemy", a suspicious uncle who wants to know the truth about his niece's murder, and a quirky amateur detective, who is called to solve the unsolvable crime.

The novel offers great insight into the Japanese social structure as well as the unspoken classism outsiders would not have realised; I wonder if Yokomizo had originally explained all this, or if this was something the translators expanded on a little to give English-language readers a little more context. The Ichiyanagi family itself is made up of fascinating characters, with all their personality quirks and hidden emotions playing off against each other. There are definitely shades of Poirot in Kosuke Kindaichi, especially since he relies on his brain rather than the usual legwork, but personality-wise, he's rather young, laidback, and a little awkward. Plus, he does that big demonstration-reveal at the end as well.

I think what bothered me a little was the shifts in tone & narrative, where some chapters were very narrator-led with the MC providing his thoughts about everything and providing commentary, while others were in a distant 3rd-person POV, like actual chapters in a novel where the narrator disappears.

Despite that, it was a intriguing read with a tantalising mystery and an unexpected (to me) conclusion.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Pushkin Vertigo/Steerforth Press via Edelweiss+. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


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Book Review: Sons of Day and Night | Mariposa Aristeo

Sons of Day & Night by Mariposa Aristeo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I AM SO ANNOYED AT THIS BOOK and yet I couldn't put it down.

Waruu is a Son of Day, and his one goal is to take the place of the king in order to free his people from tyranny. King Daccias is a Son of Night, and he will go to his grave with the secret of where the Separator is, even if his entire Kingdom is decimated by the plague.

As a retelling of the Prince and the Pauper, Aristeo has created a fascinating premise for this magical world - the fact that everyone has an opposite twin. Her writing pulls you through the story even when you don't want it to - I finished it in basically one sitting even though I spent half the time being VERY, VERY ANNOYED at a lot of things. It's also written in alternating first person POV, which made Daccias' sections even more annoying because he obviously has Reasons for not wanting to release the Separator, but he refuses to tell anyone WHY. Not even the reader.

So you spend the whole book not knowing why, and agreeing with everyone else that Daccias is a stupid, annoying brat of a king. And then you find out why and realise that actually, he is still a stupid, annoying brat. It's one of those tropes that I hate (whatever it's called) because all the tension is built up on one person refusing to explain something which would resolve ALL THE PROBLEMS and he refuses to say anything despite everyone asking him to (and almost forcing him to) because nyeh nyeh nyeh he is the king and can do whatever he wants. His twin/opposite Waruu is also an annoying brat, but he is at least entertaining, and trying his best. Waruu is also pretty upfront about all his motives, which is maaaaaybe why I liked him a little better. (Side note: Maybe this is why YA is irking me more and more - I have no more patience for teenage shenanigans. I would have probably enjoyed it more if I read this as a teen myself.)

There's a bunch of backstory to the founding of this kingdom and the stark separation between Day and Night layered into the things/history Waruu discovers when he takes Daccia's place. I found this pretty fascinating, especially since you don't really know anything about the current day except that the Sons of Night are the elite ruling class and the Sons of Day are the poor commoners.

So anyway, the plot and execution could be stronger, and I spent a lot of time thinking all the characters in the book are slightly dumb (or are prone to making brainless decisions) but it's fast-paced enough to pull you along anyway despite your better inclinations.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Enclave Publishing. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Book Review: Embers | Ronie Kendig

Embers by Ronie Kendig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am slightly unsure what I think about this. On one hand, it's a pretty classic coming-of-age quest/adventure, where the young prince has to fulfil a quest in order to regain his throne and restore the nation. On the other, the premise pretty much reeks of misogyny because the 19-year-old crown princess Kaelyria gives up her throne and her powers to force her younger brother Haegan on the journey... to find permanent healing for himself and to... I suppose take her place on the throne? Because it would be better for him? And prevent the bad guy from stealing her gift? IDK, that part is still kind of fuzzy even to the end of the book. If this were explained better and didn't feel like the entire opening set up was because the story needed the Chosen One to be male, I probably would have liked it more.

ANYWAY, disregarding that...

Embers was a fun read overall, despite being (obviously) the setup of bringing The Fellowship together for the rest of the series. This is a faith-based fantasy, so it hinges on prophecy and also the mysterious workings of the god of the world - which in this case involves Abiassa the Goddess who gifts the Fire King and the accelerants their fire powers - to defeat the enemy, who (again obviously) denies God and wants to conquer the nation.

There's manipulation and deception galore, secret politicking, and warring factions, as well as long-hidden secrets that finally come to light - so whilst the entire plot does hinge on quite a few well-worn tropes, it's still interesting and twisty enough to keep my attention. The companions are pretty cool themselves too, especially Thiel, the one female character who makes sure they kinda use their brains and don't all rely on all testosterone-fuelled impulses and adolescent male rage.

That said, one other thing that annoyed me was weird fact that King Zireli decided to hunt down his own son like a traitor despite all evidence and the word of Kaelyria herself that Haegan is the one being manipulated and is just trying to survive. Then he regrets it later, lmao. I suppose Kendig was trying to show that the king is hot-headed and judgemental, but he just came across as annoying and stupid.

You will enjoy Embers if you're looking for a faith-based fantasy YA with a main male protagonist and a moderately large supporting cast.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Enclave Publishing. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Book Review: The Haunted Librarian | Auralee Wallace

The Haunted Librarian by Auralee Wallace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amelia Bates has three rules when dealing with ghosts, which basically amounts to ignoring anything and everything about them. But the old library on Prince Edward Island, where she's finally fulfilling her life-long dream of being a librarian, is filled with ghosts. And not just any ghosts she can ignore, but ones who are actively trying to get her attention. And of course, the head librarian just has to be the most dreamy - yet unattainable - guy, doesn't he?

I don't normally go for ghost stories, but this one sounded like not so much horror but more rom-com, ala Caspian the Friendly Ghost. It does have its darker moments - Amelia has to figure out the three resident ghosts' pasts in order to help them move on, and not all of that is pretty. The story as a whole, however, is light-hearted and cosy. Amelia has to confront her fears and her awkwardness, the ghosts have to face their pasts, and somewhere along the lines, they actually become friends.

Whilst love is a major theme - and weaves itself through the book- the actual romance side of it is super slow burn and no spice. I think this is partly because Amelia spends most of the book going "BUT HE DOESN'T LIKE ME" in the face of all the evidence. The main theme is self-acceptance with a huge dose of found family - not just for Amelia, but for all of them.

I brought this along with me during a weekend trip to Bangkok, and I have to say that The Haunted Librarian is a perfect light read over vacation. It's funny and light hearted, and though there are ghosts and malevolent happenings, there's nothing too dark to scare you while you're in unfamiliar places.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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The Haunted Librarian releases on Oct 6! Get it here (affiliate link).

Book Review: Writers of the Future Volume 42

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 42: Illustrated Edition Featuring the Next Generation of Science Fiction & Fantasy by L. Ron Hubbard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Every once in a while I pick up a review copy of Writers of the Future to see what's been going on on that front. Excellent stories, as usual, though this one veered a lot more into time manipulation and body swapping than I prefer, whilst the fantasy stories were... I don't know, not very memorable or not quite to my taste.

Sometimes, I review an anthology by going through the story titles and seeing if I remember them after finishing the book. These are the four that really left an impression:

"Form 14B: Application for Certification of Consciousness Transfer (Post-Mortem)" by Thomas K. Slee - This was an interesting one, based on the concept of the ability to transfer your consciousness into a new body. But how do you prove you are who you say you are when you are a disembodied voice in a tin can?

"Thickly" by Dorothy de Kok - Thickly is supposed to enhance you, give you a little more flesh, make you more seen. But at what cost? This is a dark exploration into how women still feel that they need to perform, whether by maintaining a certain desired "look" or by taking up only as much space as they're allowed.

"As Long as You Both Shall Live" by Mike Strickland - AH THIS ONE! Similar to the first, the characters in this story upload themselves into cyberspace as part of a clinical trial. When tragedy strikes, they enter unchartered territory: Can one be considered alive if their consciousness still exists but their physical body is dead?

"A Girl and Her Dragon: A Life in Four Parts" by Joseph Sidari - Funnily enough, this is the only fantasy story that I like, even though I normally prefer fantasy over sci-fi. My only quibble is that it uses multiple formats (journal entries, newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, tweets, etc) and I think the formatting didn't translate well in this e-ARC. Probably looks better and is less confusing in print.

As much as L. Ron Hubbard has that whole weird scientology thing going on, his essays on writing have usually been pretty spot on. "Artistic Presentation" felt especially relevant, ruminating on how the philosophy of producing art (the effort and effect is the point) is directly opposed to manufacturing & the business world (cheapest and easiest to make the most money).

I'll end this review by leaving you with this quote:

Keep ahead of automation. Keep ahead of do-it-for you. Don't disenfranchise yourself by giving all your work away - to a machine, to a fellow worker.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Book Review: The Silent Appeal | Janice Hallett

The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, that's another exciting mystery set in Lower Lockwood!

I first discovered Hallett's work through an ARC of The Christmas Appeal - I still haven't read the first book, The Appeal. The format was, and still is, innovative - maintaining the same conceit of a Roderick Tanner, a retired KC, sending files to Femi Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd for their review and opinion - and letting you unravel the mystery with them through WhatsApp messages, emails, journals, case notes, as well as Hassan and Holroyd's own summaries. Not so many police transcripts in this one! I suppose a major difference between this novel and the Christmas novella is that in the Christmas one, if I remember correctly, they found a long-dead body and were in fact solving a cold case. Here, the murder just happened a year ago, and they're looking for clues to assist in an upcoming appeal - in the hopes of changing the outcome of a current sentencing. This gives it a little more urgency.

All the different formats makes for difficult - yet light - reading. It's breezy in the sense that you don't have to go through dense text, or filter the mystery through a singular narrator. You can really skim through the emails and messages. And yet, the multiple formats makes it hard to keep track of who's who and what's going on when - especially when the time skips a bit here and there. It's easy to get caught out by missing a crucial date, or a strange name change, because there's a tendency to disregard "unimportant" information like names and time stamps as mere "formatting". There is a list of characters near the start of the book, but it's a bit hard to refer to when you're reading the e-book; I have to say that this book is also best read in print.

One thing I still find very weird (interesting-weird, not bad-weird) about this format is that since you're reading in real time with the "detectives", you don't actually find out who got murdered until about 80% in. I mean, you kinda know there is a murder because it's mentioned at the start, but for the rest of the time until the body is found, it's mostly gossip, jealousy, and affairs (and lots of admin) surrounding The Fairway Player's staging of Agatha Christie's play, The Hollows. The difference this makes is that because you don't know who got murdered, you can't really start forming opinions on who might be the killer until that point!

And there's so much going on between the characters. The Silent Appeal leans heavily on the themes of jealousy. There are various affairs (and accusations of affairs), casting envy, professional (well, as professional as amateur theatre can get) rivalry, as well as the mysterious reappearance of Sarah-Jane's sister, Nicky-Rose. Nicky-Rose is the one who really throws things off kilter, as well as Issy, who's apparently a character from the first book. I thoroughly hated Issy (ugh, so annoying!) and hoped many times that she'd get killed.

Ultimately, I did enjoy reading The Silent Appeal, but it's not a format that I'll especially look forward to for murder mysteries, especially since you don't quite get the murder aspect of the mystery until you're almost at the end.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Atria Books via Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Book Review: Wicked Roots: Forgotten Folklore and Ancient Myths of Familiar Plants | Lauren Moss

Wicked Roots: Forgotten Folklore and Ancient Myths of Familiar Plants by Lauren Moss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wicked Roots: Forgotten Folklore and Ancient Myths of Familiar Plants is a lovely book about plants mentioned folklore and mythology, whether the lore is about the origins of the plant or its subsequent use and/or symbolism. It skews very Western/European/Anglocentric in general, though there are several mentions of plants and myths from elsewhere, especially where there is overlap.

Included are also several retellings of the myths. I was rather ambivalent about these as I felt that they gave a little too modern a spin on the original tales.

Overall, it was a casual, light read, rather than anything that you might use for deeper research.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Castle Books via Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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