Tag: 2023 favorite book contender

Review: Thistlefoot

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Thistlefoot
GennaRose Nethercott

I’ll cut to the chase, this was one of my favorite books I read in 2023.
Thistlefoot takes place in a world of magic and not, a world where most things are exactly the same as they are in reality but with an important exception —the scars of an event can awaken the spirit of a place.

One of the early mentioned examples of this is a Burger King that grew eyes after a break in.

Thistlefoot, the book’s name sake, is a house that sprouted chicken legs.

The sibling pair at the heart of the story, Bellatine and Issac Yaga, are the inheritors of Thistlefoot and the generational trauma that both makes them who they are and that has been kept from them by their family. They both have their own unusual gifts, which unbeknownst to them are adaptations to that trauma. The book examines disapora in a fascinating way.

The story follows both the Yaga siblings and the history of the house itself in a slow burn reveal of the tragic events that led Thistlefoot to sprout legs and flee.

All while being hunted by a similar oddity, which intends to destroy Thistlefoot.

This book was such a delicate and well constructed handling of generational trauma and particularly genocide. I had gone into it blind and was taken in immediately with the world and characterization.

It’s an absolute recommendation.

Review: The Six Deaths of the Saint

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The Six Deaths of the Saint
Alix E Harrow

A copy paste ! :There are several stories available for free download if you are already subscribed to amazon prime, and I took advantage of that recently and thought I’d spend November telling you about the short stories and novellas I picked up that I liked best and thought was worth the read.

These tend to be stories commissioned by Amazon and put into collections by Amazon

Okay, back to review:

*Vomit, scream, fall over in vomit*
It’s perfect.
Professional start, no?

I absolutely adored this story. It checked every mark for me: time travel, time loop, deal with the devil, character development by progressing through trauma, sacrifice motif, clear evil, unclear anachronistic time period. The tone and voice of the story was so clear and strong immediately, the narrative wasting no time to establish the character outside of anything other than a force to be reckoned with through the motif of willpower.
I have recommended this short story to so many people at this point that even at 29 pages I’m willing to offer it up as one of my contenders for my favorite book I’ve read this year.
It is beautiful, the wording and flow of sentences purposeful and well sculpted.
No notes.

Camp Damascus

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It’s October! I should do some spooky books.

Starting the month with Dr Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus is hands down one of the best books I have read this year. A quick read under 300 pages, it is one of these most effective horror stories I have read in ages. Centered around religious trauma and homophobia, the action begins almost immediately, with no ‘wait till the third act’ nonsense. Shit hits the fan, and hard, and keeps coming. Dr Tingle takes no time to bullshit around with building suspense, the true horror comes from the nonchalant reactions and denials of the clear horrors occuring.
The main character’s neurodivergence was written so naturally and well, it was a wonderfully refreshing representation that I didn’t realize I had been craving.
Easily one of my favorite books of the year, I absolutely encourage you to read it, I am so excited for his next book that I know is in editing stages.

Prove love 💕

Review: Honeycomb by Joanne M Harris

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I’ve been sitting on writing this review because I’m not sure how I want to structure it. Structure is fundamental to Honeycomb by Joanne Harris and this is my second contender for my favorite book that I’ve read in 2023.

In fact, the reliance on bees within the story is, I’m sure, a direct reference to the importance of structure to the novel.

I want to be assured that I do it justice.

Honeycomb is presented as a series of short chapters introducing interlocking stories and continuations of earlier chapters and characters, chiefly following The Lacewing King. Characters are, importantly, not named but given honorifics as the book utilizes traditional fae myths. As a person with ….an unkindly level of entomophobia, you’d think that this book would be near impossible for me to read as the many factions and clans of fae are all based on different insect species. However, I persevered and I actually really enjoyed the way the insects and the affectations of each fae were discussed.

Anyone who may remember the horrific katydid incident last year where I blew up discord channels and texts demanding to know how I got rid of the beast that had flown into my window (it took me four hours to work up the nerve to trap him between the screen and sliding glass door) should be very proud of me!

Not only did I push through, but this book has stuck with me incredibly. I love the very arch yet traditional approach to fae stories. It was nostalgic, reminiscent of reading collected fairy tales and brother’s Grimm compilations, but with an interconnecting thread that built and drove you deeper into the world that Ms. Harris was creating. It had an atmosphere similar to Susanna Clarke’s fae. The characterization both holds you at a distance as a reader and is engrossing, drawing you in to learn more about the various flawed characters and is reminiscent of old school fantasy like George MacDonald.

I recommend it highly.



Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

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I am a known sucker for deals with the devil. Anyone who’s read one of my manuscripts can guess at that. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab was a recommended read that dropped in my lap, generated by an algorithm that I don’t usually pay attention to, but I decided to read it completely blind with all the spirit of why not, and it may be my first contender for favorite book of the year.

It originally came out in 2020 and I feel already late to the party of people who already know that this book is amazing, this book has a purposeful and distinctly timeless quality.

I found the pacing, character development, and flow of the story to be beautifully drawn out and balanced, shifting between scenes from the past and scenes from the present in 2014. The flow of story is important because it is reminiscent of the story’s crux, known as the darkness or Luc with whom Addie has made a deal for her soul. In her plea for time and freedom she has inadvertently rendered herself unable to leave a mark on the world around her, walking for eternity. Addie comments that Luc had initially been short, in her imagination, for Lucien but now apparently Lucifer. There is an elegant, flowing, consuming quality to the prose that mirrors its antagonistic presence well.

Ultimately, though, the most compelling nature of the book is that Addie herself is indomitable. At no point does she surrender, as Luc keeps seeking, and even in the end she is scheming her way to independence and survival. The love story that intertwines is practical in many ways while still romantic.

At 444 pages, it was a methodical, visually descriptive read and I would absolutely encourage you to seek it out.