Our Wives Under the Sea Book Review

Rawr Reader,

Six books in seven weeks. I don't care, I'm so proud of myself. My Reading Goals for this year? 

ON. A. ROLL.
Can I just say I wasn't expecting to write another review so soon. I was very comfortable with the idea of waiting till March to write the next one, but this book blew me away and I felt like I had to share this beauty with any and everyone, even if it was only in passing or by chance.

The synopsis of Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield is provided by Goodreads:

Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep-sea mission that ended in catastrophe. It soon becomes clear, though, that Leah is not the same. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has brought part of it back with her, onto dry land and into their home.

Moving through something that only resembles normal life, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had before might be gone. Though Leah is still there, Miri can feel the woman she loves slipping from her grasp.

Our Wives Under The Sea is the debut novel from Julia Armfield, the critically acclaimed author of salt slow. It’s a story of falling in love, loss, grief, and what life there is in the deep deep sea.

Review:

   This is one of four books I borrowed from the library and I can tell you I was pretty certain I would like this the least out of the four. I've yet to read two of them, but simply based off synopsis alone, I had it in mind I would read this for an easy quick read to add to my reading goal of the year since it's only 200-something pages.

   Suffice it to say, I am disappointed in myself. Don't judge a book off its cover and don't judge a book until you've finished it. (Putting aside books you can't get into after 50 pages, a chapter, or even the first page. Hey, if you don't like a book, you DON'T like it, and THAT'S FINE.) I liked the beginning of Our Wives Under the Sea, thought the author's writing was lovely, but in these truncated glimpses into our protagonists lives I found myself spellbound. The language between the two wives is used with such delicacy that you know beyond all that exists and moves in this chaotic and uncontrollable world, there is love. It can be rooted and anchored into us. It can also be what helps us stay afloat amongst the confusion, the noise of the world, the silence, and the worst of it all: the emptiness.

   Leah's return from her research trip shatters Miri's newfound routine of life without her wife. It wasn't merely Leah's absence from her life that required her to reconfigure. Leah's return had been months after her initial return date. What should be a miracle shows itself to be something more than Miri could have ever expected. Miri has to adapt to this new Leah all the while still remain faithful and in love with this woman who's returned. Clinging on to this love—which seems to be drifting away after it had purportedly drifted months before—is not Miri's challenge, it's her life purpose.

   It makes the novel seem to float. In essence, this isn't a jam-packed action horror flick. I went into reading being forewarned by tags (and misconceptions) that this would incorporate more horror. (I didn't check out other people's reviews until I read it so that's partially on me.) It's definitely more character study on loss and love than Boo-From-Behind-the-Curtain scary. More magical realism, bending reality and the unknown. So if literary is less your thing, you'll definitely think this book is slow. Not bad, just slow—even with its vignette chapters.

   For most of the novel I enjoyed Leah's chapters more. Not only did they deal with the "intrigue" of the research trip and insight into why Leah returns to Miri the way she does, but there was suspense which compensated for the lack of horror I'd been expecting. However the consistency of Miri's devotion made me fall in love with her character and appreciate her much more than in the beginning. The condition in which Leah returns is unexplainable, yet I think that's what all married and committed people would want from their partner: steady reliable love that will be there to lead us home when we've become a bit lost. Miri's chapters grew on me by the end and together, it made their love story one for the ages. 

   Armfield credits Rachel Carson's The Sea Around Us at the end and I will say I felt that appreciation of power, mystery, diversity, and scope of the ocean Carson describes in lyrical detail also reflected in Armfield's prose.

~ ~ I finished reading listening to "So Small" by Thomas Bergersen and I did everything I could to not be a vessel of tears ~ ~

I give this book 5/5 stars.

Quote:

"The deep sea is a haunted house: a place in which things that ought not to exist move about in the darkness."

*

"I used to imagine the sea as something that seethed and then quieted, a froth of activity tapering down into the dark and still. I know now that this isn't how it goes, that things beneath the surface are what have to move and change to cause the chain reaction higher up."

*

"I remember thinking that the first things had come from the water, which didn't account for the things that had chosen to stay behind."

—Julia Armfield, Our Wives Under the Sea

My Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7170636?ref=nav_profile_l

Next To Read:

TBD

Spoilers:

   I would love to further explore who this Centre is. It didn't really occur to me to suspect their involvement until near the end even though Armfield left clues in both character's chapters throughout. When sketchier and sketchier things kept happening I wanted to smack my forehead. Who are these people? What had they discovered before? How did they snatch up Leah and Matteo who we know had worked together before—who I feel like were both intuitive enough to research who these people were before going in a vehicle that is only one of its kind into one of the most remote areas on earth. 

   Once Miri discovered Leah's skin condition I knew she would need to go back. I love how Miri exhausted her alternatives. She tried everything she could to help her wife and when she realized Leah needed peace, not a fix to what was happening, she gave that to her. She tried making Leah comfortable every step of the way. And in a way Leah was holding on too. She wanted Miri to have the closure she needed to losing her wife. She endured therapy and walking and dry land and all of it so Miri could come to terms. And I love how that is mirrored in Leah's chapters in that even tens of thousands of feet below the sea, she was anchored by her love for Miri. 

   Ahh, true love. I'm a sucker for it.

   Speaking of Leah, when she was in the submarine with Matteo and Jelka and they kept hearing-but-not-hearing sounds, I got total Doctor Who "Midnight" (episode 4x10) vibes, which mirrors stranded people hearing ominous sounds outside of their transport vehicle and people beginning to turn on each other/lose their minds. One of my favorite Doctor Who episodes. If you enjoyed this book and you want a bit more horror—check it out.

   I would have liked a more substantial answer to what the burning smell was. I don't know if it has to do with marine geology or a metaphor for something like their descent into madness, but considering something does come out by the end it seems too easy to associate it with that. 

   Confession: part of me believed for a little while Leah's POV chapters might have been the residuals of them if the submarine had exploded when it reached the bottom. Leah, Matteo, and Jelka were somehow ghosts?? and in some form of purgatory where they reached the sea floor and survived in the submarine. (But that seems way too supernatural/outlandish for this short novel and in a way, out of genre, even though it has a bit of magical realism.) Oh, and when the submarine began its slow, soft descent—which was what the vehicle had been programmed to do when all system functions operated normally, I attributed it to the sea creature being the cause. (Obviously in reality it was the Centre's doing, some form of Cabin in the Woods surveillance intervention, but the whole it's completely black outside the vessel and there's burning smells and random sounds made it seem like there had to be a sea creature involved.) In my mind the sea creature was just a continuation of this purgatory. Why Jelka got out first? I want to attribute that to her faith. It was more fervent than Leah's faith. So she "escaped" the submarine first? And Leah loved Miri more than she had faith in her religion which is why she was able to return to land to bring peace to her loved ones.

   What's wonderful about this novel is I can be completely out of left field, but because this novel was structured the way it is, it leaves readers to make their own assumptions. It's dangerous, but could this all be in Miri's mind as her own defense mechanism to accept Leah's absence? I don't think it's that trope (this novel is just too beautiful to all be a trope) however there are enough holes I could make that theory. 

   I borrowed this from my library but I'm going to have to buy this so I can reread this over and over and decide on an answer. I'll mark up and note different parts of the book and connect clues and make my book the novel interpretation of that conspiracy theory guy.

   

Until Next Time,

Nicole Ciel

P.S. Sorry for all the ocean puns. They just fit so well~

Night Film Book Review

Rawr Reader,

Well I'm a little behind. I finished this days ago.
I'm determined to actually hit my reading goal this year and while I'm not leading the packs in books read so far (how have people already like 10, 15, 20 books only seven weeks into the new year??) this is my third book and I'm so proud. Especially since they've all been pretty lengthy reads. I've owned this book for two years but it's been on my To Read pile for eight . . .
Sooo unlike me.
>__>
I went to my local library last weekend and picked up 4 books, then a few days later I got an ebook I've had on hold for five months also from the library, so I was extra motivated to finish this one quickly. This 600 page tome offers a lot, so let's get into it.

The synopsis for Night Film by Marisha Pessl is provided by Goodreads:

On a damp October night, 24-year-old Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley's life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive cult-horror film director Stanislaus Cordova—a man who hasn't been seen in public for more than thirty years.

For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova's dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself.

Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova's eerie, hypnotic world. The 

                                                                  last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath 

                                                                 lost his marriage and his career. This time he might lose 

                                                                       even more.

Review:

   I'm going to lead with the biggest takeaway: try to go into Night Film as blind as possible. 
   And I'm going to restrain myself from comparing this to House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski as much as I can because 1) that is one of my favorite novels of all time and 2) there are a few similarities that I couldn't help making.

   I'd like to say Night Film reminds me a bit of Citizen Kane, Agatha Christie, Hitchcock, and Shutter Island, and any great psychological thriller. You're always expecting another twist to be thrown into the hay ride. The novel is long so there will be a lot of questions and misdirections but there is such reward in it.

   The prologue immediately pulls you in, from the writing to the suspense to the [dark under]world[-building]. I marked quotes I knew I wanted to use for this review and man, I couldn't narrow it down so check out more of my favorite quotes below the spoilers at the bottom.

   Ashley Cordova's death is the Third-Act-That's-Really-The-First-Act explosion (our catalyst), but it's her father Stanislas Cordova who's the trail of gasoline that drives the plot to the explosion. It's less getting to the end but peeling off the layers and uncovering the bodies buried in the closet. Our protagonist Scott McGrath was once a renowned journalist who's life went spinning after "discovering a story" on the enigmatic filmmaker several years prior. Right off the bat, we want to know why Ashley is dead. Was it really suicide, which was what the coroner rules her death as, or was it something more menacing? McGrath believes there are more nefarious powers at work and he is aided by two others who may or may not have their own agendas and their own ties to the mysterious solitary beauty.

   One quick note I have to mention related to House of Leaves that makes Night Film more compelling is that Pessl incorporates a myriad of other mediums to unravel the mystery, from: newspaper clippings, online forum posts, photographs, website articles, and more. It makes the investigation more immersive placing you right there with McGrath and his two acquaintances as they ruffle through data and try to find interlinking clues. 

   The search for answers is a treasure hunt. A treasure hunt except there isn't a gleaming chest of treasure at the end, but darker, more sinister questions and answers waiting for you that might put our freelance detectives in danger. And reveal truths that might have better been left unknown. All the while, we want to know more, we need to know more about Stanislas Cordova. The further you go, the further into the rabbit hole you fall.

   His oeuvre of films is mentioned often and revisited as clues appear and conspiracies become coincidences . . . or intentional red herrings?? (Are you intrigued yet? hehe) Seriously one of the strengths of the novel is the strong incorporation of film and how alluring and powerful art can be to people. It's an outlet, but it's also expression—for some people how they cope with and understand the world—and if done well can forge a bond between creator and audience that spans time and space and culture. The people who enjoy and cherish, idolize and adulate Cordova's works are known as Cordovites, and the way Pessl writes them make them as real and fleshed out as the individual characters. 

   Down Alice's rabbit hole one feels like it never ends which—in terms of suspense—is fantastic, however in Night Film it was my only complaint (which is hard to find because this novel is seriously worth the hefty tome.) It's 600 pages and it maybe could have been shortened 100 pages. Again, a personal complaint, however a small one. One I had to look for and one you only feel closer to the end. The first half to first three-quarters is solid What-Is-Happening, Holy-Crap-This-Family-Is-Insane, What's-Gonna-Happen-Next-I-Can-Definitely-Read-For-Another-Hour-Who-Needs-Sleep suspense.

   I've been dipping my toes more into horror and suspense (and recently falling in love with nonfiction) in terms of movies and books and the more I explore and discover the more I begin to really love these genres. I've *mostly* been a fantasy/historical fiction reader but it goes to show there is so much fantastic content out there if you're willing to give it a chance. 

   Night Film would make such a great movie but I could understand budget-wise why that would be difficult (even covering a handful of all of Cordova's films on top of all the settings McGrath visits would likely make this movie flop if the direction, writing, and acting weren't on point). A psychological thriller covering art and film in a more-or-less contemporary New York with a large array of strange characters, c'mon that sounds like a total blockbuster right? (Side note: my wish is ironic since Cordova stands for the literal opposite.) 

   An added bonus is the author has "interactive elements" in the back where you can discover Easter Eggs through the illustrations including images and audio. I haven't checked it out yet, but isn't it lovely when authors and publishers go above and beyond for their readers. :)
This reminds of Carlos Ruiz Zafón ((RIP)) who created music to go along with his Cemetery of Forgotten Books series.

   The end though. Man, oh man, the end. It leaves you with chills. Night Film is joining the shelf of books I'll never be able to stop thinking about.

   All I can say is I wish I could watch a Cordova film. Haunt me, oh mighty ghost!

I give this book 4/5 stars.

Quotes:

"This is a summons to those watching to break out of your locked room, real or imagined."

***

"I love to put my characters in the dark. It's only then that I can see exactly who they are."

***

"I will show you fear in a handful of dust."

—Night Film, Marisha Pessl

(for more goosebumps quotes, check below the spoilers~)

My Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7170636?ref=nav_profile_l

Next To Read:

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Spoilers:

   I definitely looked for Cordova everywhere. For most of the novel, I thought Scott's friend Beckman was Cordova. I mean, he had the knowledge. Yeahh I guess that wasn't much to go on. I love throwing wild theories out there. I'm always wrong. But time and time again, I waited for the man himself to pop up. Oh what foolish thoughts. The novel is stronger for it not being that way.

   A mystery that wasn't quite solved but I guess technically was was the true identity of the caller (John) that notified McGrath in the beginning. Inez said it was someone, likely Cordova, who made the call, but I feel like I need to know who it was exactly. Cut and dry. A part of me wants to believe it was Ashley, although it being Cordova makes so much sense. 

   Oh another issue I had while reading was how every person was so open to share with McGrath and crew. Like everyone they met was almost more than eager to share. Pessl explained it somewhere near the end but I can't remember where, all I remember thinking was, "oh you know? so it's okay now?" Inez eventually admitted to paying everyone off which makes them disappear

   I'd like to know Genevieve Wilson's connection to Ashley. She pops in and out of the story I would have forgotten about her if I hadn't made a list of names as I read. Had she tried to bribe her? Did Genevieve know Devold might fall for Ashley? My best guess is Pessl needed to connect Devold to Briarwood but it felt the most contrived out of every (convenient) revelation shared with McGrath.

   Why did Olivia reach out to McGrath all of a sudden? Again another ambiguous tie that seemed manufactured. It felt more plot hole than plot bridge. 

   What was in the pool at The Peak? There had to have been some poisonous plants growing there right?? The entire part at the Peak I felt could have been condensed. It was one of the parts of the story that felt like it'd never end. It was great at first, but then it felt like it needed to be long because it was The Peak. 

    Speaking of, the missing persons by The Peak?? I mean not to fall for the duck test rhetoric and reasoning but if it looks like a duck and acts like a duck . . . 

    Another mystery (but man do I not mind it remaining a mystery): Rachel Dempsey, the actress who went missing in Nepal who had a phone that turned on in Chile, what was her connection to the Cordovas? Or should I say which connection did she have? Was she in Chile for Stan or Theo? 

   I'd like to know why Inez stayed in New York? Why Ashley was put in the Briarwood Institution considering the truth. I don't know if I read over the explanation or it just takes another reread to pick up the little clues because I felt this book jumped around a lot in terms of timing and mental state of characters. And why did Astrid Goncourt, Stan's third wife dip so quickly after Ashley's death? Actually you know what, backtrack, where was Ashley and Astrid staying if not The Peak? And Stan, how long had he been gone? The end took so long to get to but Inez deux ex machina of plot tie-ups felt rushed and not explained enough for missing timelines and sensible character whereabouts.

    The truth about Ashley feels obvious. The allure of Stan disillusions you as the reader, you want the macabre, you want the supernatural to be the reason, however at the same time, it also felt like a cop out considering all of the strange things that happen. If that was Pessl's aim, then I guess she achieved that. Like a good psychological movie, I think I'll need to reread this to understand and pick up on the clues throughout.

   Oh, reading that is mind-boggling but fun. Books are the best aren't they? 

   I am half agony, half enamored.

Until Next Time,

Nicole Ciel

Extra

Quotes Continued:

(all quotes below are from Night Film by Marisha Pessl)

"Everyone has a Cordova story, whether they like it or not."

***

"He's underground, looming unseen in the corners of the dark. He's down under the railway bridge in the river with all the missing evidence, and the answers that will never see the light of day."

***

"It was always surprising to me how ferociously the public mourned a beautiful stranger—specially one from a famous family. Into that empty form they could unload the grief and regret of their own lives, be rid of it, feel lucky and light for a few days, comforted by the thoughts, At least that wasn't me."

***

-"What about occult worship in the city? How prevalent is it?"

-"Does worshipping money count as occult?"

***

"It was all human in his eyes and thus worthy of inquiry, of examining from all sides."

***

"Time to let the vines take over."

***

". . . I couldn't help but wonder if someday someone might track them down and show them my photo as I'd showed Ashley's."

Sharks in the Time of Saviors Book Review

Rawr Reader,

I think I blinked. Where did 2022 go? I hope it had fared well with you. I want to get back on my review game because I did *checks notes—eek!* 3 reviews last year. Hehehe, suffice it to say my reading goal total for 2022 also underperformed. New Year, New Me, right?

The synopsis for Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn is provided by Goodreads:

In 1995 Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on a rare family vacation, seven-year-old Nainoa Flores falls overboard a cruise ship into the Pacific Ocean. When a shiver of sharks appears in the water, everyone fears for the worst. But instead, Noa is gingerly delivered to his mother in the jaws of a shark, marking his story as the stuff of legends.

Nainoa's family, struggling amidst the collapse of the sugarcane industry, hails his rescue as a sign of favor from ancient Hawaiian gods - a belief that appears validated after he exhibits puzzling new abilities. But as time passes, this supposed divine favor begins to drive the family apart: Nainoa, working now as a paramedic on the streets of Portland, struggles to fathom the full measure of his expanding abilities; further north in Washington, his older brother Dean hurtles into the world of elite college athletics, obsessed with wealth and fame; while in California, risk-obsessed younger sister Kaui navigates an unforgiving academic workload in an attempt to forge her independence from the family's legacy.

When supernatural events revisit the Flores family in Hawaii - with tragic consequences - they are all forced to reckon with the bonds of family, the meaning of heritage, and the cost of survival.

Review:

   Firstly, can we take a moment to gush over this title? Author, editor, whoever came up with this—thank you. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if it was the author, every page in this novel is pure art. Washburn is the sort of writer that by the time you finish reading the first sentence you know you're going to be in good hands.

    Since we're in the area, I'd like to start off with the writing. I mentioned the first sentence because I think for myself, and for a number of avid readers, a first sentence if not a first page gives incredible insight into what the rest of the book will be like. Beginnings are hard. Many writers know this. Which makes it even more satisfying when the pages that follow continue to blow you away. I called the words art, and Washburn is a true artist. What's promising is this is his first novel. I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for him. (Check out two of my favorite passages below in the Quote section.)

   His writing pulls an even further punch by the care he takes when writing in multiple voices, switching from one POV to the next like skipping a stream. Dean, Kaui, Nainoa, Malia (the mothers), and Augie (the father) all form thoughts and speech different from one another, and because of their unique voice when jumping between Hawaii to Washington to Oregon, etc, I immediately placed myself with the character. There is also another voice. I won't dive into who or what it is, but it's something Washburn created to transcend one place and one person. This addition made the story richer and more riveting and I want to leave you with as little as possible so you can discover it for yourself.

    In technical aspects, this novel is almost perfect. Why then, might you ask, did I give this such a low rating? Well, it comes down to my personal preference and particular interest. The writing it beautiful, the characters are beautiful, but the pacing of the plot itself would drag in parts, and there were a few days I had absolutely no interest in picking it up. I was tempted to drop it altogether and it got me into a short-lived reading slump. Books that do that to me are not likely to be rated high. (To be fair, books that I have rated 4 stars on this blog or in my Goodreads I look back fondly and regard as favorites and would highly recommend them.) 

   At its core, SitToS is about a family who struggle to find their own ways to survive from the struggles of the outside world and from the dynamics of their household. Every character was treated with respect and given the virtues and vices normally only one or two characters would be given in a novel—implementing First Person POV being the most beneficial. You see the relationships between the parents and the kids, between the siblings themselves, and the kids and friends, and all of these relationships felt derivative of a real person. All of the characters wanted something to prove yet wanted to be enough. It's heartbreaking when people who are loved can feel unloved, undervalued. It made each of the kids' journeys feel something anyone would want to root for.

   There are themes Washburn explores: identity, poverty, survival, and others. They are the feathers that allow this bird to fly. This is a coming-of-age story, but on another level, coming-to-acceptance story. All of our characters grapple with how they can move on from the shark rescue, remain true to their Hawaiian culture, while also survive in a twentieth century and twenty-first century Hawaii (and America).

   Now not to discourage you, but I would have to say the beginning, the catalyst of the novel, is my favorite part of the entire book. Arguably, that scene might be in my top favorite literary scenes of all time. There was something profound in the images you picture when reading Nainoa's unbelievable shark rescue. I had chills. This moment and many moments following alluded to magical realism, drawing from Hawaiian mythology, yet it never scared away from placing these characters with real-world, everyday, relatable human problems. Nainoa's rescue wouldn't have happened in real life. It's a spectacle, but more than anything, it's nothing short of a miracle. However this living miracle and the events that follow are studied and inspected for the rest of the novel by the multiple points of view, with the multiple understandings that each member of the family walk away with. What is a miracle in one person's eyes can be a bane to another.  

   Move aside Jaws, Sharks in the Time of Saviors trumps you in best fictional shark encounter.

   

I give this book 3.5/5 stars.

(Ratings aside, I would highly recommend this. Down the road I would definitely be open to rereading.)

Quote:

"Like he was back out in the ocean among the sharks, bobbing alone. I could see him there, the waves and tides and gods dragging him around. But I'm in the water, too, I wanted to say. And there are plenty eyes on you. No one's watching to see if I stay afloat."

"When our language, 'Ōlelo Hawai'i, was outlawed, so our gods went, so prayers went, so ideas went, so the island went."

—Kawai Strong Washburn, Sharks in the Time of Saviors

My Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7170636?ref=nav_profile_l

Next To Read:

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Spoilers:

   I don't know if it's just me, but I was on the verge of tearing when Dean pushed Kaui out of the car so the cops would pull him and him alone over. Big brother love. I don't have a brother, but man if I did I would only hope they would do that for me. 

   I would really like to discuss the climax of the book: Noa's death. In part, I shouldn't have been surprised it was going to happen. A man with miracle hands living to a ripe old age in literature seems as unlikely as a boy being saved by a shark. Better for this novel to be classified as fantasy. However I think the most grabbing quality of his death was for the fact that it seemed undramatic. I have no doubt it likely was done with that exact intention. His survival was miraculous, yet his death was far from it. It was done alone, in pain/not in pain(?), unknown for weeks, and the act was something that could happen to anyone. I think it will take a reread, but I would really like to grab the consistency of his powers? Why did it work at times and other times it didn't? It wasn't linked to affection or desire, yet it wasn't entirely to luck/chance and it wasn't exclusive to humans/animals. Was it like God, meant to service life, give and take life as a whole fairly with no bias? 

   And there was no bias in Noa's eyes. We see it in the pregnant woman's death as it unraveled Noa. It was the reason he returned home. Sought sanctuary, enlightenment, freedom from responsibility or possibly even caring? I can't imagine what someone who believed himself to possess godlike powers yet the compassion a god doesn't possess for humankind, and failing when he felt that with strong conviction, with adamant resolve that he could not. All the more tragic that he would slip back into folds of the ocean without a whimper, without a person to comfort him or even be thinking of him when he was his most lonely. People dying alone and without the comfort of anyone knowing where you are is high up on saddest deaths in fiction. Washburn treated the Flores siblings so beautifully . . . man why didn't give this book 4 stars?!

    

Until Next Time,

Nicole Ciel

Fire and Blood Book Review

Rawr Reader,

Woah, where has the time gone? It's been five months! Hi! Hello! It is me. I am back.

I have had a very love-hate relationship with this book. I was interested in reading this a couple years ago—not long after it was released, but dropped it because I found it boring. 

BUT THEN they decided to make a prequel on HBO and while I have a very strong opinion of how Game of Thrones (the TV series) ended—because who didn't—I gave it a chance despite my better judgment and man oh man, I missed Westeros (GRRM Westeros, not so much Benioff and Weiss Westeros).

I decided to give Fire and Blood another shot and long story short (impossible with GRRM... ((~but we love it~)) ), WHAT. A. TREAT.

Due to the surfeit of names and convenience of a quick search in an ebook, I read this both both in physical form and through Kindle, which is a first time for me but something I felt was necessary and I would recommend to others. (Along with reading with a map of Westeros open. It really helps you ground yourself as the characters travel.)

P.S. Please don't ask me how many times I borrowed the ebook from the library.

>__>

Without further ado, let's jump in!

The synopsis of Fire and Blood is provided by trusty Goodreads (by the way, anyone else not totally loving this partially renovated Goodreads?):

Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen--the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria--took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire & 

                                                                   Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the 

Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.

What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why was it so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What were Maegor the Cruel's worst crimes? What was it like in Westeros when dragons ruled the skies? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel and featuring more than eighty-five black-and-white illustrations by artist Doug Wheatley--including five illustrations exclusive to the trade paperback edition. Readers have glimpsed small parts of this narrative in such volumes as The World of Ice & Fire, but now, for the first time, the full tapestry of Targaryen history is revealed.

With all the scope and grandeur of Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Fire & Blood is the first volume of the definitive two-part history of the Targaryens, giving readers a whole new appreciation for the dynamic, often bloody, and always fascinating history of Westeros.

Reference:

   Publishers announced we would be receiving another George R.R. Martin masterpiece.
   Could it be?... Book Six in the coveted and acclaimed A Song of Ice and Fire series?!?!

   No. Hahahaaa we got you!

   It will instead take place nearly 300 years before the events of A Game of Thrones. 

   Yes, I was as beguiled then dismayed as the rest of the world. 

   And it's insane when I realize, I haven't done a review about Westeros since A Storm of Swords back in 2013, nearly TEN years ago. Time is a-flying~~

Review:

   Fire and Blood stretches back 300 years before A Song of Ice and Fire begins so it's safe to say there will be a lot of ground to cover, beginning with six generations before Aegon the Conqueror. While not an extensive history, Martin offers readers the Targaryen genealogy as far back as twelve years before the mystical migration from Valyria to Dragonstone (roughly 130 BC—Before the Conquest).

   This is only a warm-up to the events that follow. Fire and Blood documents the Targaryens as they fight to establish and secure their rule over the "Seven" Kingdoms of Westeros. They often clash with the great and smaller Houses of Westeros as they are tested time and time again to their right to rule. Not only for politics, they also fight religious sects and foreign threats and epidemics. Over the generations we'll meet Houses from as far north as the Wall to down near the Arbor in the southwest corner. Those familiar with Westeros will revisit or learn about how the Kingsroad was formed, how certain castles on the Wall were given their names and had been constructed, and of course, the creation of the Dragonpit and the capital city: King's Landing.

   Now this is a major factor which I have seen be its greatest strength or its greatest weakness. This novel reads as a history text, with wars and battles and celebrations and births and deaths galore. And plenty . . . plenty of characters to make this world feel larger than the book. I've seen many reviews where this is a deal breaker or where the heart of the story is completely sapped out because of the fact. But don't be dismayed, in true Martin fashion, there are still scandals, assassinations, kidnappings, murders, and tragedies that strike out the very names we become attached to. While I wrote down the names as I was introduced to a new character, Martin often explains who is who and how they're related to someone else in the text. Additionally, the format of the novel doesn't detract from the humor and wit of our scribes, who detail and source their accounts from others who directly or indirectly witnessed the events. But what is history but the stories that have been approved by the ruling country and its governments? Here we are met with unreliable sources and even with accounts being openly ambiguous and met with much debate. One of my favorite aspects of this tale was the fact that there were times people disappeared and there was never an answer given as to why, or deaths occurred and it was unclear if it had been one factor or another.

   All of this done with the magic of Martin's mastery of storytelling. In 700 pages, I rarely found myself unable to stay hooked to the saga, which stops about 150 years after Aegon's Conquest (shortly after the infamous Dance of Dragons—a pivotal point in Westerosi history for the Targaryen House and name). Fire and Blood is only the first part to their story in Westeros, with the second unpublished part I believe meant to fill in the gaps between the Dance of Dragons up until Robert's Rebellion, roughly another 150 years later. (I would love to read more about Aemon Targaryen, the last known Targaryen in Westeros at the start of A Song of Ice and Fire).

   If you can commit to reading a gripping story, then the pages will fly. It took me over a month, a bit longer than normal to read a GRRM novel, since I enjoyed making a Targaryen family tree along with the list of names, but you could easily read this in a few days or a few weeks, depending on your reading speed rate and free time. 

   Upon completing Fire and Blood (the first season of HBO'S House of the Dragon has already been finished for about a month), and I can tell you episodes 1-10—the amount of pages in the book that that time period covers—is about 10-20 pages. When I caught up with where the season ended, I laughed. It's insane, although entirely necessary, for the showrunners to have filled in much of the plotlines—with even the major time jumps between episodes not making much of a dent in the book. It's a given there will be differences from the book to the show, with certain people and events occurring differently than in the text, but something I really appreciated from the show was its illumination of ambiguities in the text, ambiguities due to complete mystery or different accounts contradicting the same event. I'm not sure where the show will decide to end—strictly following the Dance of the Dragons or going all the way to Robert's Rebellion (unlikely but I'd still watch it), however regardless, the show has plenty to work off of.

   Now this is Westeros so there are dragons. And dragons in their peak in Westerosi history. We meet Balerion and Vhagar and Vermithor and Caraxes, along with many minor dragons I'm sure we'll meet soon in the show: Sheepstealer, Stormcloud, Silverwing and more. Dragons are what made the Targaryens the rulers of Westeros. They are as colorful and charismatic and temperamental as their riders. They also serve as red herrings and surprises as their human counterparts. But, I warn you now, don't get too attached. 

   I won't reveal any spoilers, but because one of the things I love about Martin are the people he gives life to, I will list a few of my favorite characters to look out for, for good or for bad:

   Elissa Farman

   Aegon I Targaryen, Aegon the Conqueror

   Corlys Velaryon

   Racallio Ryndoon

   Aerea Targaryen

   Benjicot Blackwood

   Alyn Velaryon

   This list could have another twenty names. These are just some of my favorites. There are plenty others I enjoyed reading about and following on their adventures. 

   Safe to say, I have little to nothing to complain about of Fire and Blood. Only that I now need to wait for another GRRM series to be completed.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

Quote:

"The world is like that— incomprehensible and full of surprises."

—Jorge Amado

My Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7170636?ref=nav_profile_l

Next To Read: 

Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

Spoilers:

    Can I start off by saying I wrote down another list while reading, the list of unanswered mysteries of Westeros, and I ended with about 22 questions GRRM didn't or couldn't answer. Some of my top questions: What was in the letter that the Dornish Prince Nymor sent to Aegon I? Where did Aerea Targaryen go with Balerion for a year? Who killed the Rogares brothers a day apart from one another, across the sea from one another? Was that Elissa Farman's ship Corlys Velaryon saw in Asshai?

   I think that last one is one I feel if given the chance, I'd ask GRRM to answer for me. I feel the showrunners of Game of Thrones read about Elissa's character and tried to make Arya into that. I love Arya, but Elissa is a force to be reckoned with. Arya can be anyone she wants, let Elissa be the fearless sea adventurer.

   You know what, scratch that. My question to GRRM would be: are the three eggs Elissa stole from Dragonstone the same three dragon eggs Daenerys's receives three hundred years later? I mean, it can't be coincidence right??

   Also (I forget the page), but the scribes make a point to note how Viserys' rule was one of the best reigns in Westerosi history, but personally I found Aegon the Conqueror and Jaehaerys Targaryen's rules much more interesting and beneficial to the kingdom than Viserys' rule. I felt all he did was have children and sow the seeds for future war by his inaction. Honestly I was okay with and it made sense that there was such little time spent in the novel devoted to his rule. As for his television counterpart, Paddy Considine did a phenomenal interpretation. I hope he wins awards for his role. All the awards. Every single one he's nominated for. In fact, the book counterpart deeply disappointed me (since at this time I had nearly finished the show when I reached Viserys in the book, so TV Viserys was my standard). Along with Rhaenyra. Book wise, disappointingly. Ironically, I felt the Dance of Dragons would better suit Princess Rhaena or Princess Rhaenys—both much stronger characters than Rhaenyra.

   Another few people I think the show added depth and better illumination to was Daemon and Aemond (who someone online rightly noted the anagram of the names and now I can't unsee it—now neither can you, you're welcome~~). Matt Smith did a phenomenal job as Daemon. It wasn't only how he was written. Smith knows how to play and exceed at playing a gray character and use charms and vices to their advantage to the benefit of the audience. However it was in part to the writing that Aemond is a much more complex character in the show than in the novel. In fact, Aemond was one of my favorite characters of the show. Honestly, I think he gets way too much hate. There were moments he tried to bond with his family and they teased, bullied, or ostracized him. Aemond lacked proper emotional support and add the stress of being in the royal household—with his unstable mother and power-hungry grandfather—they turned him into a villain. That being said, the showdown between uncle and nephew will be one of the ages. 

    Honorable shout out to Corlys Velaryon though. He survived everything and was still a man of integrity and character. I didn't expect to love him as much as I did.

    I am super happy they made a show though because like I mentioned earlier, I tried reading this twice before and gave up both times. But this has been one of my favorite reads of the year. I only wish Martin would release the next book in A Song of Ice and Fire. I read somewhere once that a reader felt Martin's writing wasn't that remarkable, but I never felt that way. There was actually a bit of humor in the accounts that I don't quite remember from A Song of Ice and Fire. 

    Dragons were to be expected in Fire and Blood and I loved every appearance they made. Their downfall, due to the ambitions of man, was hard to swallow. Almost more than some of the people. I attribute that to the fact that I know their end. By Daenerys's time, they are extinct, and it's heartbreaking to know such powerful, beautiful creatures will crumble much like the Targaryen name.

    The Winds of Winter and Blood and Fire—or whatever name is given to part 2, cannot come soon enough.

Until Next Time,

Nicole Ciel

P.S. More favorite characters:
Jaehaerys Targaryen, "The Old King," "The Conciliator"

Alysanne Targaryen, "Good Queen Alysanne"

Queen Rhaenys Targaryen

Visenya Targaryen

Aemon Targaryen

Baelon Targaryen, "Baelon the Brave," "The Spring Prince," "The Silver Fool"

Daemon Targaryen

Princess Rhaenys Velaryon

Baela Targaryen

Rhaena Targaryen

Princess Meria Martell of Dorne, "The Yellow Toad of Dorne"

Torrhen Stark, "The King Who Knelt"

Rogar Baratheon

Septon Barth, Hand to Jaehaerys

Cregan Stark

Black Aly

Lord Marq Farman

Nettles

Maester Norren

Addam Velaryon

Samantha Hightower, "Lady Sam"

Grand Maester Orwyle

Thaddeus Rowan

Viserys II Targaryen

Pate the Woodstock

Lord of Barrowton

Prince Nymor of Dorne

P.P.S. If only the men at the Great Council of 101 AC declared Rhaenys Queen . . . 

The Marrow Thieves Book Review

 Rawr Reader,

Where has the year gone! I haven't written to you my dear reader in a while. I hope your reading voyages have fared well. Before completing this book I was as many books behind schedule for my 2022 reading goal of 30 as I've read so far this year (7!!). I hoped this would help me catch up and although it hasn't propelled me forward, it has been an excellent story to get me cracking open a book again.

I've been wanting to read a novel by a Native American (Is Native American still correct if they're Canadian?—if not I sincerely apologize. Reach out and I'll amend this review) with a fantasy twist in it. This story had a premise right up my alley.

The synopsis for The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline is provided by Goodreads:

In a futuristic world ravaged by global warming, people have lost the ability to dream, and the dreamlessness has led to widespread madness. The only people still able to dream are North America's Indigenous people, and it is their marrow that holds the cure for the rest of the world. But getting the marrow, and dreams, means death for the unwilling donors. Driven to flight, a fifteen-year-old and his companions struggle for survival, attempt to reunite with loved ones and take refuge from the "recruiters" who seek them out to bring them to the marrow-stealing "factories."

Reference:

I'm starting to lose sight of this section because as I add books to my To-Read list, I never remember where I learned of them. Safe bet: Goodreads. 

Review:

   The lands have changed.

   Set in the near future, the world is not what it was. Climate change has reforged the communities that have survived the drastic shift since our present, resource-devouring, world economy. One consequence of this shattered world is the people's inability to dream. At least, for the majority of the population. 

   The narrative follows one individual spared from this haunting nightmare. In fact, only those of Indigenous bloodlines still possess the ability to dream. The Marrow Thieves follows one such individual, Francis aka "Frenchie," who now spends his life on the run from Recruiters: people who have lost the ability to dream and who believe the cure can be found in the Indigenous people's bones.

   From Frenchie we meet other survivors, and across the desolate landscape they hope and dream and always, always stay on the move. Because they have survived. They must continue to survive.

   One thing I'd like to note is that the speculative elements aren't as prominent as I thought they'd be. It definitely leans more toward dystopia than fantasy. The wilderness has deserted buildings, remnants of the past we in the present day don't think twice about, scarce resources, and leaves the possibility of surviving until the next day as tentative as flipping a coin. We find this a buddying tone from page to page. Not to say it's gloomy clouds, tears shed every day the sun rises, only that you never forget the stakes. Getting caught means your life is over.

   And what's second best to having to endure this cruel world if it can't be with your family? Surviving with a found family. I am a huge sucker for this trope and Dimaline's found family in The Marrow Thieves doesn't disappoint. We have our two elders, our four young adults, and four younglings. All strangers, all coming at different points in time. Across the landscape of Canada they try to salvage the cultural nutrients from their toxic plight.

   One struggle for me—which was far and few between— was regarding Frenchie's chronological journey. There are time jumps that are apparent only nearing the end of the novel when stated explicitly and often times I had to reread a paragraph to ground myself and discern the accurate passage of time. At the beginning Frenchie is around 16, and even though weeks, months, years pass, he never quite outgrows his youthful mindset. And I don't mean that in a critical way toward the author or judgmental way toward the character, only a reflective one. Frenchie makes big decisions and his internal fears and longing for his family intertwines so well into the narrative, what at once I thought was jarring—a grown man having immature thoughts and behaving like a child—plays well into the trauma he's witnessed. He is in the older bracket of the group, however his old-fashioned concerns and traits mixed with this insecure—at times misguided—bravado, really shapes Frenchie and sets him apart from other young adult protagonists I've read. 

   Frenchie is a remarkably written character and the spotlight is on him most of the novel, however none of the other characters should be swept aside as being merely secondary. We have our twins: Tree and Zheegwon, who endearlingly share a hat at times in ticks of nervousness; our spark of light Riri, whose position as the youngest of the group doesn't displace her drive and commitment to being considered a responsible, capable member of the tight-knit community; Slopper, whose surface level laziness, fears, and selfish attitudes in truth parallel to present day immaturity in children, a lovely connection that kids are kids no matter the circumstances; Rose, our multi-racial member, whose headstrong nature isn't outweighed by her vulnerable concerns toward her new found family; Chi-Boy, the reticent eldest of the young adult subgroup, whose protective nature is a comforting blanket amongst the dystopian storm; Wab, our brooding member who has suffered unshakeable crimes and yet still shows the capacity to love and nurture and keep moving forward; Minerva, our female eldest whose grandmotherly nature is encapsulated in her wisdom and knowledge; and Miigwans, our male eldest and leader, whose experience and survival skills have enabled the found family to live to another day.

   All of them are more than my simple descriptions. They flesh out to such remarkable characters, I wanted to give you a peek into their personalities instead of simply listing them off. One of my favorite parts in the book (around pg. 79) is when Frenchie mentions he and the others asked Miigwans about the "Coming-to" story of one particular member, and Miigwans responded that everyone has to tell their own creation story at their own time. It isn't something to push. It's about respect.

   Respect. Duty. Responsibility. Miigwans teaches and instills these moral compasses into the group members during their travels. Even despite the circumstances. Even despite the lack of community; the lack of society. They are more than what is said of them. Their culture, their language, their ancestors. They themselves can survive. They must have the will to survive the harrowing world and all its failures.

   The Marrow Thieves is far more character-driven than plot-driven. A does plot exist, and while it accumulates to a climax—or several climaxes which may or may not dip its toes into magical realism, at its heart this is a story of survival. The twist is surviving more than the environment, more than outrunning the Recruiters; it's surviving to maintain your humanity, surviving to keep your heritage alive when the world wants to erase it, surviving to be who you are versus what this broken world wants to mold you to be.

   Which comes to my final note. Dream stealing isn't as literal as it sounds. Which both does and does not play into magical realism which I'll expand on further in the spoilers below. Are dreams simply internal and personal? Can dreams be something to be understood and shared with those in your close circle? Or are dreams simply stories? Should we address how different people define dreams? Dimaline does a fantastic job of presenting these questions and interweaving it into the narrative.

   These characters aren't perfect. They are tragically beautiful, flawlessly flawed, and a window into ourselves all through an exquisitely-depicted, marginalized lens. None of it would be impressible without the author, whose skill in her prose shines like a light in the dark. In my eyes, I think the story could only be improved by another 50 pages to better expand on certain topics. I'll mention a few in the spoilers below.

   I wish there were more Indigenous stories mainstreamed and female-written Indigenous stories circulating bookshelves and reader's hands. I'm only happy I stumbled across this and fell in love with the title. I can't wait to read more from this author.

I give his book 4.5 stars.

Quote:

"I was angry with my friend;

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe:

I told it not, my wrath did grow."

—William Blake, "A Poison Tree"

(I finished watching the Peaky Blinder's final season and this William Blake quote from the first episode gave me chills.)

My Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7170636-nicole

Next To Read:

Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin

Spoilers:

   I do want to address that if Dimaline wanted dream-stealing to be literally about dreams, dreams themselves rarely take a role in the narrative. I was expecting more of them to unfold as they journeyed, more dreams of Frenchie's experiences or others' premonitions of the Recruiters/the future. But aside from the beginning, namely the first half of the novel . . . nada. Did you?

   Also I thought we'd see more scenes of Recruiters performing dream-stealing experimentation, like a subject being captured and us being given insight into the procedures and tortures of "dream stealing." This is the technical, scientific side. But what of the fantastical? We were given a taste of it when the Council's inside man in Espanola described Minerva's destructive episode, but it only ever remained a taste. Miigwans in the school, then escaping, then returning to the school to look for Isaac is the only other example we readers get into what the Recruiters are doing once caught—it's all snippets. I know keeping to the borders makes the schools seem more frightening from the group's point-of-view because they don't know what happens in detail, but me the reader wanted more. This reminded me a bit of my previous review of The Memory Police in which (*spoiler*) (*spoiler*) (*spoiler*) we don't get a definitive insight into how the Memory Police operates and who runs it and how they "erase"—which of course ties into its themes on dementia. (*end spoiler*) (*end spoiler*) (*end spoiler*) 

   My interpretation of dream-stealing means more about holding onto our humanity, holding onto Indigenous cultures and what makes their languages and customs special and worth protecting and preserving. Dreams can be preserving history and heritage. Frenchie's eagerness to hold onto his dreams after all he's lost by pursuing to learn more words from his elders about their ancestral language is heart-warming. He wants more than himself. He wants his culture to survive.

   I will address the big plot hole though. If they spent so much time together, why didn't Frenchie learn more words? How come none of the other members tried to learn more? Rose learned a little from Minerva but it was from small talk. Why didn't the elders push to teach their language as equally as they did about surviving? Is it a Native American custom to not be as open about teaching about history? Or is it merely reflective of the dire circumstances of this dystopian world? The only one who pushed to learn more aside from Frenchie was Riri, his adorable, trusty sidekick, and I really think 50 more pages would have been able to answer that appropriately.

   (I really just want more out of their story~) ;)

   A qualm I had, maybe even another plot hole, was concerning the sense of direction the group made during the narrative. My first issue with it was when the group kept saying they were going north and yet after *years* they never reached the North Pole or the Arctic Ocean. Is "travelling north" more like a True North situation? They go whichever direction they need to survive? The book never details them going south so I assumed they were literally always travelling north? 

   Another direction hiccup that I couldn't wrap my head around that I don't know is a story error or grammar error or just my personal misreading error, but halfway through the novel in the chapter "The Potential of Change" (around pg. 115) when the group comes across the strangers Travis and Lincoln it's stated they are camped WEST of their own camp. When discussing the options to confront them or avoid them, Miigwans first says they will continue travelling EAST to avoid the strangers, however after three days they make progress and eventually catch up to them. So what happened, did they end up going WEST? Or were the strangers always EAST and it was a typo? It's unclear.

   I would be remiss to never discuss the climax no one was present for (around pg. 172). (What a triumphant scene after a stone-skipping, domino fall of captured characters. My heart broke with Riri's death and with both the youngest and eldest's sudden departures from the family, this book was getting uncomfortably dark. But victory! Victory even if no one got to see it!) Minerva's song. Her song, her ancestors, that brought down the Recruiters institutions. I found it very powerful, exponentially so after the sacrifice she'd made to help the others escape. Our elders teach and guide, but they are as pivotal as leaders, as warriors, as healers, and as children. It's the one we overlook who may play the most important role. What a beautiful message along a beautiful story. 

  

Until Next Time,

Nicole Ciel