Goodreads Review

Morning Star (Red Rising #3)

There's a significant shift in tone in this book, which brings us to the conclusion of the first trilogy. It reads like a Vorkosigan novel, with planet hopping and engaged military struggles, both on the ground and in the void. There's a lot of talk about morals, without it seeming like a lecture, as Darrow continues to examine Eo's plans and his actions. No good deed goes unpunished. Although lots of bad deeds are also punished. Also features one of the best long cons since Romeo and Juliet.

Goodreads Review

Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1)

I am fascinated by the World of Oz, but I find LF Baum's authorial voice to be abrasive and condescending, so I don't want to read the original works. I did try, at least. The world of 're-imagined Oz' works is of wildly varying quality, sometimes within the same work. (Oz Squad comics, I'm looking at you.) So I was looking over some options, because I wanted some new Oz, but I was trepid because of the many opportunities for mis-steps. I ended up picking this one because the price was reasonable and reviews were good, and I was not disappointed. Apparently Dorothy realised what a shithole country Kansas was and somehow came back to Oz and essentially deposed Ozma, and what really fascinates me are the politics of Oz, so this played directly into my sweet spot as we begin the story of the rebel Kansan who is sent to free the country from her despotic yet happy and wonderful reign. (Okay, it's only happy and wonderful because Dorothy will execute or re-educate you if you say otherwise, but still.) I didn't know how extensive the sequel market to this was when I started, and further novels don't have the lure-you-in price tag that the first one did, so I'm hesitant to continue on because of the implications of investment. But I suspect I'll be reading more from this author in the near future.

Goodreads Review

Peter Pan

Part of why I'm reading this is research for a LoEG game where I'm playing Jas. Hook. Part of it is, much like Oz, I'm fascinated by the dystopian nature of the world. I'm firmly in the camp that Peter is a sociopath and that as well as boys, he's kidnapped sailors and 'redskins' and very possibly fairies to populate his kingdom. Oh yes, and he also kills the Lost Boys when they get too old. Sort of like Bill Mumy in the Cornfield Twilight Zone episode. And I take a certain delight in seeing Barrie relate this in a very Edwardian fashion. I laugh out louded over the author's conflicting views of Mary Darling, and was uncomfortable over the racist bits.

Goodreads Review

Divinity Circuit (Senyaza #5)

There are a lot of plates being juggled in the Senyaza universe, and it seems that in this book more of them are on stage at the same time. The long gap between reading the last book and this one definitely didn't help, and at times I had trouble keeping up with the plot. It feels like a lot of actions in this book are going to echo louder than usual into the later story--many shifts in relationships and revelations.