A Series of Various Events

Nora / reviews, ratings, and recs, oh my! / my main blog is noradaexplorer

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Paper Girls Series

I read all of these in one very intense night after seeing someone recommend them on TikTok, and I was fairly underwhelmed. The art and the concept were interesting, but nothing felt like it 100% clicked between all the storylines and I found myself just wanting so much more from the story. 

I was unsure about this in the beginning, but, so far, this is a fun an exciting start. I’m definitely more than a little confused, but am enjoying myself tremendously so no complaints. Also love the Cleveland representation.

Favorite Quote: Why would Mars want to blow up a basement in Cleveland?

I’m still confused but I’m having fun and honestly that’s all I care about when it comes to a graphic novel. The girls are sweet and the time traveling doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I like the art.

Favorite Quote: -Why do you have to be so cheery?

-Because it’s 2016 and the world is still here!

Definitely my least favorite so far, though I’m not completely sure why. It was cool to go to prehistoric times, but I’m still just so confused.

Favorite Quote: I think tradition is fucking garbage.

I somehow liked this one a lot and also not at all. Chris is an icon. And I do appreciate how the stories are starting to actually connect with one another instead of just random event after random event.

Favorite Quote: In a sense, we’re all traveling through time...but no, I’m just a boring baby boomer. 

These just aren’t hitting like the first few did. I do appreciate that the story is starting to come together, but I’m still just like… why. Hopefully the last volume will explain everything but I’m not holding out any hope.

Favorite Quote: Sorry. You girls are just no good together. 

This was so close to a five star but something just felt unfinished about the whole ending. It wasn’t bad and I liked the callbacks to the earlier installments, but I still just feel confused as to why any of the plot even happened in the first place. Not a series I regret reading but I think I just wanted more from the ending.

Favorite Quote: We’re not just papergirls, we’re friends.

The series was fun and interesting, but lacking the depth I wanted from it. I’d be willing to cut it some slack since it’s a graphic novel series, but some graphic novels I’ve read have been genuinely works of art, so while I will give credit where it’s due, this was merely a fine series. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Books in Series: Vol. 1; Vol. 2; Vol. 3; Vol. 4; Vol. 5; Vol.6

Author: Brian K. Vaughan

Illustrator: Cliff Chiang

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The Apple-Tree Throne

Genuinely one of the simplest yet tremendously heartbreaking and lovely pieces I’ve ever read. This was one of the most affecting portrayals of life after war that I’ve read and I found myself completely wrapped up in the story. The ending completely wrecked me in the best of ways and I already find myself wanting to go back and read it all over again.

Favorite Quote: Three years we have all been away from the houses and people and streets we loved, and we have returned to find all changed, and not one thing the same, except what we were forced to leave behind. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Premee Mohamed

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Riot Baby

The parts of this story I loved were the raw emotion and poignant criticism of the criminal justice system in America. On the other hand, the story itself, particularly the more fantastical and futuristic elements, while interesting, never felt like they clicked into a cohesive story. Still worth a read, though, just for how impactful much of Kev’s story was.

Favorite Quote: Pastor, this isn’t peace. this is order.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Author: Tochi Onyebuchi

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Upright Women Wanted

On paper, this is something I would’ve loved, filled with radical librarians and western adventure, but it ended up paling in comparison to its premise. The world felt like literally nothing and even though it was in some weird future where the country had apparently like fully regressed back to wagon days, it was just bland. The characters had some interesting dynamics, but even that felt unsuccessful. I’m not sure if it was just a matter of my expectations being too high since I’d liked Gailey’s work in the past, but this fell short in most ways.

Favorite Quote: He wanted to be a soldier for his country. He wanted a chance at a fight. He wanted a chance to die. 

Rating: ⭐⭐

Author: Sarah Gailey

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Ring Shout

P. Djèlí Clark is a masterful author. The fusion of history and monsters made for such an exciting and intense story filled with both unimaginable and all too real horrors. The story was dark and hard-hitting, while still managing to feel hopeful and about the power of community.

Favorite Quote: They say God is good all the time. Seem he also likes irony. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: P. Djeli Clark

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LitenVerse Series

In my quest to read recent Hugo/Nebula nominated novellas, I came across the LitenVerse. As IKEA’s number one fan, that was immediately an interesting premise. Alas, I enjoyed these books but was not blown away by either. 

This was the epitome of a fun book. I loved the portal take on Ikea and the adventures that followed were weird and exciting. The story did feel a little Millennial at times, but it was funny enough that I could mostly look past it. The relationship between Jules and Ava was very real and complex and I really appreciated the thought put into its portrayal. Now I’m very excited to read the sequel.

Favorite Quote: It showed me that there were infinite possibilities, at all times. [...] I worried over every decision, doubted whether I was brave or smart or strong enough[...]. I could remind myself that somewhere in the multiverse of possibility, there existed a world where I was all of those things. Maybe it was the world that I already lived in. 

I had anticipated liking this more than Finna, but that did not end up being the case. The story was interesting and I loved the defekta, but for some reason I just didn’t like the story that much. On paper, I should’ve really enjoyed this—and to some extent, I did—and yet here I am.

Favorite Quote: Oh, you are good. [...] You managed to get me monologuing.

Overall, this was a fun and innovative set of stories, but not one I really have any intention of rereading. If Cipri were to release more books in this universe/store, I would definitely pick them up, but there’s no real lasting impact from these. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Books in Series: Finna; Defekt

Author: Nino Cipri

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The Necessity of Stars

Aspects of this were completely beautiful, but the overall story never quite managed to do what I think it wanted to. I tend to be climate fiction’s number one audience, and in this case, Delphine was my favorite part of the story. The recurring thoughts on memory were interesting and definitely not something I’ve seen done before, but the overall story arc never quite clicked with me.

Favorite Quote: The easy solution is stop fucking polluting the planet. Get the corporations off their goddamn asses. Hold them accountable. This fucking metal cup isn’t going to save a nearly dead world. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Author: E. Catherine Tobler

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And What Can We Offer You Tonight

I 100% see why this won the Nebula. It was innovative and Jewel had such a distinct voice that made it impossible not to get swept away in the story. This is the second work I've read by Premee Mohamed, and now I feel it's my duty to read through her entire bibliography. I do wish we'd gotten to learn more about this world and culling, but with Jewel as our narrator, that makes a lot of said exploration entirely infeasible. The commentary on power structures present within capitalist systems was well done and eerily familiar with the lack of accountability for the powerful. This was a quick and thought-provoking read, and I'm excited to read more by Mohamed.

Favorite Quote: They think boot polish gives you magical powers and the more you lick it the closer you come to god. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Premee Mohamed

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The Plotters

I have a complicated relationship with Un-su Kim in which I’m both completely captivated and wildly frustrated by his writing. I loved the first half or so of the story, but it started to lose me a little toward the end. The cast of characters was full of huge personalities and the story definitely opened up a number of questions about morality and just life in general. The story was funny and it was dark and certain passages sounded exactly like something ripped from The Cabinet (though I guess since this book came first it’s technically the other way around). Parts of the story left me wanting more, but it was generally an exciting and innovative thriller. This was my second book by Un-su Kim and I will definitely be checking out any of his other works if they get translated to English.

Favorite Quote: Black tea is steeped in imperialism. That’s what gives it its flavor. Anything this flavorful has to be hiding an incredible amount of carnage. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Un-su Kim

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The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories

With this being such a diverse set of stories covering science fiction in a million different ways, it was bound to be a bit of a mixed bag, but, after finishing this, I came away with some new favorites and a newfound appreciation for the art of translation. To highlight a few standouts, “A Brief History of Beinakan Disasters as Told in Sinitic Language”, “Dragonslaying”, “New Year Painting, Ink and Color on Rice Paper, Zhaoqiao”, and “The Woman Carrying a Corpse” were by far my favorite stories of the collection. I also really enjoyed the five essays throughout and felt I had learned something new from each one. I loved having this opportunity to read more sci-fi from Chinese authors and even though I couldn’t necessarily “relate” (though I loathe the use of that term in this context) I felt like reading this had been a treat in its own right.

Favorite Quote: Most prefer to ignore the truth. The elites create a context. The masses accept it. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Editors: Yu Chen and Regina Kanyu Wang

Contributors: Anna Wu, BaiFanRuShuang, Cara Healey, Carmen Yiling Yan, Chen Qian, Chi Hui, Chu Xidao, Count E, Elizabeth Hanlon, Emily Xueni Jin, Mel “etvolare” Lee, Gigi Chang, Gu Shi, Jing Tsu, Judith Huang, Judy Yi Zhou, Ling Chen, Nian Yu, Rebecca F. Kuang, Ru-Ping Chen, Shen Dacheng, Shen Yingying, Wang Nuonuo, Xia Jia, Xiu Xinyu, Xueting Christine Ni, Yiling Wang, Zhao Haihong

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Ree Varekai Series

I started this series thinking, for some reason, it was going to be boring and just not my cup of tea. Alas, I ended up adoring the first book and mostly enjoying the second (and hoping for a third and fourth and so on). Ree is such a compelling character and I really love her and this world. 

This was an unbelievably hopeful story. I wasn’t totally sure what was happening all of the time, but neither did the narrator, which made for an enthralling experience. It was a super brief story and the stakes never felt super high, but despite all that I still managed to find myself caring deeply and truly empathizing with our narrator. Aadet was a lovely companion and the brief discussions on war throughout the story felt very poignant. The beginning was captivating, the ending heart-warming, and everything in between was just genuinely lovely to read.

Favorite Quote: The only ones hurt by hope are those who believe in it. 

By itself, this was an exciting and enjoyable read, but compared to its predecessor, I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed. Ree’s journey of self discovery felt less urgent here. I still love the world and felt it come alive from page to page, but I just wasn’t as invested. I am holding out hope, though, that there will be another installment after the ending we got.

Favorite Quote: Dead was dead.

These are both tremendously short novellas that quite literally maybe took an hour to read each. Despite the short length, they were both incredibly captivating and honestly just a treat to read. I’m desperately hoping another will be announced ASAP, but for now, I’m content with having read these two. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Books in Series: Cold-Forged Flame; Lightning in the Blood

Author: Marie Brennan

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Gemworld Series

I honestly don’t remember how I first came upon these books, but, for the most part, I’m glad I somehow did. Wilde has a distinct voice that depending on the story, can either draw you in or shut you out. The gems are an interesting concept that somehow goes underused despite them being the main premise behind the world. 

This was a very disappointing read. I'd wanted to like it, or at least enjoy the read, but I could manage neither of those things. The characters were both exceedingly flat with Sima repeating the same phrase for 90% of her part, and Lin barely feeling like a character at all. The idea was really interesting but the story was just a whole lot of nothing. I might try and read its sequels because I'm marginally curious about its outcome, but we'll see if I even manage that.

Favorite Quote: She would carry both their memories, beyond the castle wall.

I had absolutely despised the first book, but decided to pick this one up anyway, and actually ended up enjoying it. It wasn’t perfect and a lot of my problems from the first book I still found to be an issue here (mainly the utter lack of characters I could actually care about), but the story and overall narrative structure made for a much better experience. As other people have said, this was a Gemworld take on Fahrenheit 451 that brought up a lot of questions on barriers to information, with one hand being total authoritarian control, and the other being controlled by money and education, which I thought was especially poignant given the cost of education today. The story was fun and I thought the transcripts broke it up nicely. This wasn’t exactly a new favorite, but I’m glad I picked it up anyway.

Favorite Quote: Books are measures of time. They are made to grow old, to grow, occasionally, wrong.

After totally hating the first novella, I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself enjoying its successor. The Gemworld world is interesting, if underdeveloped, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Wilde does in future installments. The series isn’t perfect, but it’s (mostly) interesting and for that alone I’d give it a shot.

Rating: ⭐⭐  (hopefully higher after next book—the first was just so horrible for me it’s dragging the average way down)

Books in Series: The Jewel and Her Lapidary; The Fire Opal Mechanism

Author: Fran Wilde

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Fireheart Tiger

I honestly loved every page of this story. The on-page negotiations were so fraught with tension, I felt like I was in the room with them. Each character felt totally distinct from the rest in a way that made the whole story just that much more real and complex, especially in its depictions of the power dynamics present throughout, both on the larger scale of colonization and more personal matters within families and relationships. I do wish the story had been just a bit longer (though not a full length novel—the novella format suits it quite well) but with what we had, my complaints are few and far in between.

Favorite Quote: Just because it makes sense doesn’t mean it needs to happen that way.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Aliette de Bodard

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Elder Race

This is one of those books that merely a few hours after finishing, any lasting impact it may have had has already dissipated. Lynesse, who I liked more, was about as boring as a character can get and felt exactly the same from start to finish. Nyr was objectively more interesting, but I just couldn’t bring myself to care. I thought it was a well-crafted story with my favorite aspect being the cultural disconnect of the languages, which I found really added a dimension to the story as a whole. Nothing about this novella was particularly bad, but it felt entirely forgettable.

Favorite Quote: I don’t know. I can’t say anything about this. I don’t know why I don’t know.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Flowers for the Sea

This was one of those stories where I just wanted more from it. I try not to hold it against novellas since the very format requires a different arc in general, but I wanted to know more about the past and how the end affected the future. I loved the writing style and I was totally on the edge of my seat the entire time, but something felt lacking.

Favorite Quote: You’re too angry for death, to truthful to deceive the world with your passing. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Author: Zin E. Rocklyn

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I Kissed Shara Wheeler

I need to stop trying to like Casey McQuiston books. I genuinely didn’t like a single character (except maybe Ace) and the whole story felt unrealistic to a fault. I love being swept away in a story, but despite this on paper being enthralling, it just made me want to throw the book across the room—though, with it being a library copy, it remains in pristine condition. The plot was silly and the stakes were artificially elevated to a point where everything felt ridiculous. There were some sweet parts which kept me from just quitting, but this was not an enjoyable or particularly good book in general. Will I probably hate-read One Last Stop at some point? Yes. But if this ends up being my last McQuiston book, I won’t lose sleep over it.

Favorite Quote: Shara isn’t a monster inside of a beautiful girl, or a beautiful girl inside of a monster. She’s both, one inside of the other inside of the other. 

Rating: ⭐⭐

Author: Casey McQuiston

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Siren Queen

Nghi Vo consistently creates totally captivating stories, and, at this point, I’ll read anything she writes. This story was a little harder for me to get into (though clearly not that hard since I finished it in the span of a morning). The world felt so real that it you’d told me old Hollywood producers and actors were just monsters masquerading as men I wouldn’t bat an eye. I really loved Luli (and Greta) and this story did an excellent job of addressing racism and homophobia present within these circles and many others. I did find myself wishing a few of the smaller plots had been explored more, but I really enjoyed reading this.

Favorite Quote: What else are we doing here but looking for our little bit of forever? Otherwise, what’s the point?

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Nghi Vo