I’d been meaning to read The Book of Stolen Dreams by David Farr for a little while—it was one of those titles that languished for a bit in my saved list on the library app. Better late than never, since I really enjoyed it and thought it was delightful. This MG fantasy adventure reminded me a bit of Philip Pullman or Joan Aiken with a dash of Lemony Snicket. Told from the alternating viewpoints of siblings Robert and Rachel, the story follows the two as they flee the rule of a power-grubbing tyrant and race to keep a magical book out of his hands. The grimness of the setting and larger-than-life adventure kept me turning the pages, and I’m pleased that there’s a sequel I haven’t read yet.
I was intrigued by Liar’s Test by Ambelin Kwaymullina, a YA fantasy by an Aboriginal author—I hope more such books enter the market, though that may be a long shot. With this particular book, I was very intrigued by the many elements clearly inspired by Aboriginal beliefs and traditions. Main character Bell Silverleaf is determined to restore the status of her people, the Treesingers, when she’s unexpectedly thrown into a competition to rule the kingdom—the Queen’s Test. If she can win the Trials, she will be the ruler of the Risen—the very people who invaded generations ago and oppressed the Treesingers. Is that what she wants? Does she want to win the game, or upend it entirely? I really liked a lot about this book—it was fast-paced, the fantasy elements were novel and kept me engaged, and the secondary story about friendship and trust had a lot of warmth to it. I actually think this story needed to be a bit longer, though—the world-building was fascinating enough that I wanted a bit more time and detail invested in it here and there. Also, I felt like we could have gotten to know the narrator a bit more deeply, particularly before the Trials began. I wanted to feel more connected to her and her world. Overall, though, I found this to be an interesting read with a fresh approach. Here’s a fascinating interview with the author on The Nerd Daily.
On a very different note, I finally (she said sheepishly) read Sing, I by Ethel Rohan, who was in the same creative writing MFA program with me and Tanita. I’d classify the genre as literary women’s fiction, perhaps. The book is set in Half Moon Bay, a seemingly idyllic coastal California town—one which was rocked by a recent real-life tragedy less than two years ago, a fact which had uncomfortable resonance as I read. Main character Ester Prynn (YUP) is kind of muddling along in life, her marriage unsatisfying, her teenage son increasingly remote. Then the convenience store where she works gets robbed by a gunman wearing a mask (the implications of masks are an interesting theme lurking in the story) and it turns seemingly everything in her life upside down as she comes to terms with what she suffered and witnessed. The gunman isn’t caught, and continues to commit crimes, which only worsens Ester’s anxiety and existential restlessness. At the same time, her world is expanding and growing as she joins a local women’s choir, meets new friends, and finds a new job as a restaurant hostess. A brush with work romance opens her eyes to what could be, but also to what she already possesses.
