Africa Risen is a great collection by new-to-me writers. Each story provides a fascinating take on common science fiction or fantasy plots, and I appreciated reading tales that weren't influenced by Western culture. There were many stories I enjoyed and only a few I didn't care for. What follows is a list of all the stories within this collection, listed in order of my preference:
IRL
The Lady of the Yellow-Painted Library
The Papermakers
A Soul of Small Places
The Sugar Mill
Ghost Ship
Biscuit and Milk
Air to Shape Lungs
When the Mata Wata Met a Demon
The Blue House
Mami Wataworks
A Girl Crawls in a Dark Corner
The Soul Would Have No Rainbow
Ruler of the Rear Guard
Exiles of Witchery
Door Crashers
Rear Mirror
Hanfo Driver
A Dream of Electric Mothers
Star Watchers
Liquid Twilight
A Knight in Tunisia
The Taloned Beast
The Carving of War
Peeling Time (Deluxe Edition)
Housewarming for a Lion Goddess
The Devil is Us
Cloud Mine
March Magic
Simbi
Once Upon a Time in 1967
Deification of Ogodo
I would recommend this collection to anyone looking for a sci-fi/fantasy collection written from a new perspective. With the large collection of stories, there's sure to be something for everyone.
*Thanks to Tor for providing me with an ARC.*
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
The Alkonost's Egg is the final book in a trilogy but works just as well as a standalone novel. If you're looking for a quick fantasy with a dose of romance, I recommend giving this a go. The characters were interesting and fleshed out, the world-building was great and easy to digest, and the plot didn't drag. I appreciated the detailed fight scenes; instead of getting caught up in the placement of limbs and weapons, thoughtful descriptions were used. My only criticism is I felt the romance between Callie and Bard didn't receive the attention it so needed; I never invested in their future and felt their connection was never as strong as it could have been. There needed to be more intimate scenes between the two of them to make it 100% believable.
Though I did not read the first two novels in this series, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will definitely be giving the preceding titles a look.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
This novel was a delight to read. The tone of each section varied, offering a unique and thought-provoking reading experience. I found the smaller sections regarding the life of a writer both hilarious and achingly true. Although there was one section I found a little slow, the rest was witty, occasionally satirical, and intriguing.
Sam Ernst is an emerging author to watch out for.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The following post contains spoilers.*
I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I was gripped almost immediately by the story; the way it was structured made it easy and pleasant to read. Where many novels make the back and forth of past and present timelines difficult to follow, Tell Me When You Feel Something does it in a way that doesn’t result in whiplash.
The main characters — Davida, Viv, and Tim — are given the amount of backstory needed for the plot to be effective. My only criticism regarding character development relates specifically to Viv; I still don’t completely buy what triggered her alcoholism. Sure, a need to feel in control is important (especially at such a young age), but there were many other ways she could have gone about taking control. She also mentioned never having drunk prior to that year; neither was she particularly close to the partiers. It didn’t jibe with everything else.
The latter section of the book could have been handled with a little more finesse. Sexual assault is such a controversial and triggering topic, and I feel it could have been a larger part of the novel. If the reader was offered the truth behind what happened to Viv closer to the beginning of the third act, there would have been room to expand on her emotions and trauma. Instead, we are offered this information knowing the book ends with her in the hospital. There isn’t much closure on Viv’s end which I believe a story like this needs.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to YA readers nearing the end of high school.
