Book Review: Aqueous by Jade Shyback 4/5 Stars

 Have I been straying from my water theme?  Kinda Sorta. 

When I saw this on Net Galley, I knew it was one for my Water 2025 extravaganza.  I wasn't sure what to expect from this debut novel, as I've had some hit and miss this year indeed.  To be honest, I kind of went into this thinking it might not be that good. We are at the halfway point in my water year, and indeed...some of it hasn't been great. This however, hit me at just the right time! 

For me, this was a hit!  Firstly let's take a moment to appreciate the cover:  It took me a hot minute to discover the cover artist and designer:  Camryn Jette Anderson (Art) and Ashley Sherrif (Design) 

Small synopsis without spoilers: This is a Young Adult Debut novel.  Readers follow Marisol through the final weeks of her last year in school when she will be assigned to a permanent assignment in her undersea settlement. Marisol's been underwater on the Aqueous campus for 10 years, she's happy and well adjusted, and dreams of becoming an elite diver, a dangerous position. Prior to this she was adopted in the chaos of a dying earth above the ocean. She's always felt her mother gave her up so she would be sure to have a better life. As she adjusts into her new adult role, Marisol learns some information about the above world that changes everything. She's unsure of what's to come, but she won't keep silent. We are left with a big CLIFFHANGER and I'm left wanting book two now.

The biggest strength of the novel is the fantastic, detailed worldbuilding. I was fascinated and really enjoyed all of the descriptions of the sea steading pods created to survive climate disaster.  This is not the first underwater city that I've traversed this year (in reading) , but this is the first one I enjoyed. I could entertain a life under the sea if it's like this one! (OK so please, just let's go now!) 

 If there is a weakness, it's in the dialogue. Overall, it is oddly stiff/formal and made me feel like I wasn't really reading/listening to teens talk among themselves, but I was able to suspend my ideas and I told myself that theses were all kiddos who learned to interact "under the sea" and of course their language might be different. In addition, the author clearly enjoys alliteration, and for some this might be annoying. For me, I decided it was a quirk of Marisol, and thankfully it wasn't always present. 

This is a novel that's a bit unique in the YA genre right now. It is a true story for Young Adults. It isn't an adult story that's dumbed down, it's clear it really was meant for the YA audience specifically. I would have LOVED this at age 12 -14.  Marisol and her cohort go through things that kids her age go through, they deal with parents, relationships, confusing romantic (not sexually intimate) situations, and the angst of disappointment as the reality of the unfairness of life creeps into their under the sea community. I really liked that this wasn't a romance disguised as YA, and that the author didn't depend on supernatural powers for her characters development. Because of this, even though the underwater environment was different, I felt that Marisol and her community were very relatable. 

The audiobook is read by the author herself and does included 2 musical numbers which were pretty enjoyable (I usually skip right over any added lyrics /poetry so if I say I enjoyed it, that's a real endorsement).

  

This might not be appreciated by adults, but I think a certain subset of the population will enjoy it and I think it's definitely a very thoughtful book for the YA audience.  It would be great for a reading group as there are lots of themes to talk about: climate, community, gender norms, coming of age, discovering one's purpose, family, the future. I do want to read book 2, and I think this author/story line will only improve with each new installment. 

STATS

First Published : May 2023 

Pages: 204

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: ocean creatures, adoption/abduction, Climate crisis, Death of child, death of parent, blood, medical situation,  (not a complete list- be responsible!)

Book Review: We Speak Through the Mountain by Premee Mohamed 5/5 Stars

 Sometimes the middle book in a trilogy is considered the weak one.  If this is the weak one, I cannot wait to read book three!!!! 

 We Speak Through The Mountain picks up right where The Annual Migration of Clouds leaves off.  I highly recommend just reading the two as one novel, because they are novellas, and book two is where this really gains steam. 

(Take a moment to look at this cover!) 

No Spoilers- because spoilers are just wrong. Readers will continue a journey with our main character Reid as she reaches the fabled Howse University. This climate dystopia continues to help readers imagine life after climate collapse; instead of being on the outside looking in, the reader is now taken into the protected domes which had preserved life to pre-collapse times.  We learn some answers to many of the questions raised in the first book.  Reid settles in to university life, although she's uneasy about many things that others seem to accept without question. She's resolute in pursuing her goal to help those outside the glittering protective dome despite strong disapproval from leaders and her peers. When bad news come from home, Reid embarks on a new journey that promises to be full of risky adventure.  (which I am super excited to follow in the next novella!) 

   At the crux of the novella series is an age old conflict between responsibility to self, family and the community overall. This conflict is set in a futuristic, but realistic world which is well imagined and easily understood.  Mohamed's writing remains clear, compelling and cinematic. As I realized I was at "the end" I felt a bit torn away from the setting that I had become immersed in, and I wondered why this hasn't been optioned for film! 

  I really liked this novella, and I think it would be a fantastic one for young adult students to read and discuss. 

I have book three tee'd up thanks to Net Galley  and ECW Press  and I can't wait to come back and (without spoilers...) tell you how it concludes. 

STATS

First Published : June 2024

Pages: 152

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: violence, blood, death, grief, medical situations,  (not a complete list- be responsible!)

Book Review: Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi

 Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi came out in April, and I was lucky to get an advanced listener copy to review. 

This is such a unique novel, I'm not even sure what to think of it! I enjoyed it, 5/5 stars!  Onyebuchi is a master, so I knew I'd be getting a well constructed story-line. I did not anticipate the story AT ALL! 

For me Noir has been a genre that I kind of like, but also kind of don't.  I'm a huge fan of the gritty, no frills characters, but I am not always a fan of the utter desperation that pervades the genre. Onyebuchi  strays from the usual noir narrative by adding in a pinch of magical realism, which adds just enough of the supernatural to sort of lighten the general noir darkness. Add in a unique setting  (post colonial West Africa), and I was sat in my seat listening to this one! 

No Spoiler summary (because spoilers are the baddest thing ever!) Boubacar is a former soldier, former police man, turned private eye for hire in a post-colonial West African country (possibly Mali, possibly not).  Work is not going well, and he's ready to hang it up- deal with his expenses and wait as the Harmattan comes in. The world, however, has other plans for Boubacar. A seriously injured woman stumbles into his home/office and disappears, only to be seen again in a most peculiar circumstance and Boubacar is drawn in to a intense investigation.  He, and the reader, are taken on a grand adventure across the city where he encounters terrifying enemies and unexpected allies. It's quite the mash - up of genres, and for it worked very well. 

   I was attracted to the novel because of the author, but also the title...as my first trip to West Africa was during a Harmattan, which was memorable. It's hard to describe, but that year the dust was so thick, our plane had to land in a different country- which was exciting- except for the lack of Visa for that country. It is easy to imagine the events of the story unfolding in that heavy dust which does sometimes just swirl around a person. 

Dion Graham narrated and his rich clear voice brought the character of Boubacar to life for me! 

STATS

First Published : May 2025

Pages: 336

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: violence, blood, death, grief, racism, (not a complete list- be responsible!)

Book Review: Curdle Creek By Yvonne Battle-Felton

 Wow.  What on earth did I just read? 

I picked up Curdle Creek on a whim.  I think I saw it as I was browsing through the library and decided it seemed like it would be for me. I liked that it was ostensibly about a creek- even though I could tell from the blurb that the creek was not really part of the plot. Water theme 2025, going strong- ish. 

 I will say this book really gave me a surprise, I felt like I knew what was going on, until I didn't and I found myself so very confused. So to say there is a plot twist is an understatement. There *is*  a PLOT TWIST. 

With (hopefully) no spoilers here is a quick overview.  Our main character Osira is a 45 year old widow living in a strict community where the rules must be followed or one might find themself turned out in a rather grim manner. Osira has always followed the traditions without much thought, and she's always had pretty good luck.  As her luck changes, she starts to question the validity of everything she's learned in this very small, closed community. She is thrown into a well as part of a ritualistic punishment, and finds she can jump realms, or "Well Walk" , thus escaping the community, only to join another at the other end of the Well. 

  Lots of themes up for discussion with Curdle Creek. Family relations, isolated communities (benefits and risks), the value of ritual, motherhood, belonging and home, and likely a few more. 

   What I found most interesting about this book was the roles that people play in each community.   Each new area Osira encounters is different, but they all have a (VERY CREEPY) slot to place a person in, in some cases going so far as to give the new-comer a new name, that is the same as the person he or she is replacing. I'm not sure about others, but many times in my life when entering into a new job/church/friend group I've found that some persons are often quick to try to assign a "role" allowing them to sort of decide who that person is and how they will participate and interact. As a bit of a "weird girl" this hasn't really worked out too well for me, and it doesn't work that well for Osira, though she tries hard to pretend that it is the best way for everything. I don't think that was the author's intent, but I think the story really helped me realize just how much people want things to be well defined and predictable - AND in turn how often, people do a lot to fit that assigned role so that things feel "easy" for those folks. At least in Curdle Creek, this kept the peace, but it kept it in such a way that no one really seemed to feel happy or relaxed or authentic in any way. No one trusts anyone, and no one seems to be capable of love. 

  Did I love this book?  Based on Vibes -NO, no I did not!  It was creepy, dark and foreboding and in each moment, I was feeling deeply concerned and distressed. The author was able to create all of those emotions with just some words on a page, so that's a lot of talent.  Uncomfortable talent, but talent none-the-less and honestly, very amazing. We are primed up for a happy ever after, I don't know that most of us are primed up for an absolute daily grind of horror that Curdle Creek delivers!  

That said, it was very well plotted and executed. As a reader, I was uncomfortable, I did think hard about the plot and how Osira's situation related to our modern situations. None of the characters are particularly loveable, and I did not find myself cheering for anyone at all, in fact, I had to take a break from the novel because I was just feeling all the sad feels.  (and Yes, I read a fluffy Cowboy Romance to help!) I suspect this was the aim of the author so - very successful. The ending was not to my liking because of course- it was entirely open ended, and that just... drives me bonkers, but for other readers this will likely open up avenues to speculate! 

The author herself is interesting - an American now living in the UK.  She's done a nice Ted talk you can view here. 

This book is a great one for "Summerween" or to save for actual spooky season. 

STATS

First Published : October 2024

Pages: 304

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: death, grief, bullying, racism, cult/religious trauma, paranoia. (not a complete list- be responsible!)

Book Review: Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen

 Blood on her Tongue was my book club read for May.  I dutifully borrowed it from the library on my kindle and read 1-2 chapters. Then I promptly put it down.  I admit, if you want me to read something, I do much better with an actual physical copy or an audio book. 

So, when I saw the audiobook on Net Galley, I hit "request".  My Book buddy had the same idea, and we ended up both with Advanced listener copies.  Many Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ALC. 

I am very glad I had her to read with because we flew through this lush gothic historical vampire horror novel.  Our reaction when we finished was "WHAT DID I JUST READ" 

    This is definitely a book for a specific audience.  I'm not saying I'm not that audience, but... I'm also not saying that I definitively AM that audience. It left me feeling a little bit unsettled overall. 

    No spoiler synopsis-  Sarah and Lucy are twins and very close. Sarah marries and Lucy remains single due to no dowry situation after their parents pass on. A bog body is found on the property where Sarah resides. It's buried in a curious way, and while it is being unearthed, curious Sarah is essentially bitten by this body and thus begins a terrifying and horrific illness. Lucy travels to her side, but Sarah indeed worsens. As Sarah's body sickens, secrets are revealed and Lucy must contend with these secrets and also with the two overbearing men involved in the novel, Sarah's husband, and the friend of the family - the doctor.  As Lucy navigates a quite tricky situation- she becomes protector and investigator rolled into one- roles she's not feeling particularly prepared for nor skilled at. 

   The writing is fantastic.  Tight and well put together. I did note a few very modern kind of terms popped in here and there.  A phrase "it is what it is" was used and seemed quite out of place for the setting and time frame, but in general- the scene was set and I could feel the dreary- eerie quality of the Zwartwater Estate where much of the novel is set. In face, both my buddy and I decided that the book was making us feel quite distressed and unsettled - which is a little odd as it stuck with me even after I set it down. 

Emily Tucker narrates the book and I appreciated the clear narration that did not detract from the story.   She doesn't do any special voices in the story, but given the nature of this novel, I think the clean clear narration was plenty! 

   This would be a great book for summerween, spooky season, and for fans of Gothic Horror (with a capital G!)   There is even a deluxe edition with sprayed edges.  For me, it might actually be that one step too far into creepy and I'll stick with the audio version. 

STATS

First Published : March 2025

Pages: 368

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: Death, chronic illness, violence,  alcohol, medical content, body horror, eyeball horror, mental health, child death, accidental burial, cannibalism, domestic violence, classism (not a full list- read responsibly!!!!)

 

Book Review The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed

 I'm tempted to review this set of novellas together, but,  I thought why not do them as I go.

  I initially attempted to read this novella several months ago and I set it aside, likely due to ARC reading distractions. I did request the ARC for her latest novel- which turned out to be... the third in this series!  So, back to The Annual Migration of Clouds it was! 

     I liked this novella a lot, and I think once I finish the other two books that go along with it, I may come to love it. My usual complaint is that the novella just kind of stops.  Some things are wrapped up- but overall, as a reader, I want more. 

A  No Spoiler summary - because I really loathe Spoilers! 

Set in the future where we have finally fully destroyed the climate, Reid , a 19 year old girl is our protagonist. She's just received word that she's been accepted to a university that has taken on mythic qualities within her small survival oriented community. She's thrilled and in shock, and she definitely wants to go, but- not everyone in her community thinks it's a good idea.  Reid is infected with a fungal symbiote and this symbiote seems to have a mind of it's own! This push-pull between family/community obligations and a desire to grow and explore beyond the daily routine is something that many readers will instantly find relatable. While it's focused on the first time leaving home, I felt this as a much older adult who still struggles with family and society obligations. The back drop of climate destruction and survival gave the work a serious tone that several coming of age stories miss. The decisions that Reid makes have serious consequences for her and her community.  We end this short novella with a final decision made, and a sort of new order established, but readers are left wondering if this was the right decision!  Luckily, We Speak Through Mountains is readily available! 

     Mohamed has a beautiful writing style. It is precise but also conveys emotion and personality.  Her characters seem fully developed in just a few sentences. I felt immersed in the post-apocalyptic community and invested in the decisions that Reid had to make. Definitely one I'm going to recommend in the future! 

STATS

First Published : September 2021

Pages: 168

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: Death, absent parent, chronic illness, violence, animal death, alcohol, medical content, body horror (not a full list- read responsibly!!!!) 

Book Review: Into the Great Wide ocean by Sonke Johnsen 2.5/3 stars

  I read Into the Great Wide Ocean  by Sonke Johnsen  as part of my 2025 Water reading! 

  I - errr- did not love it. I do think however, it's a book for a certain population. 

Dr. Johnsen describes life in the water column of the open sea, an area that is not studied as frequently as areas closer to shore. This is interspersed with stories about how he got started in marine biology and how his career unfolded. 

   I was super excited when the audio book finally came off hold and I dove in rapidly. Johnsen has a bit of a folksy style  and did a fairly good job at interspersing amusing stories from his life at sea and on shore with facts and findings about the deep ocean. Frequently, however, the author's passion for the topic did go fairly deep into the physics of things and as a casual reader I was a bit lost. I can see that if I attended a lecture with Dr. Johnsen as the speaker, I would highly enjoy it, but as a reader, the pages and pages of discussion of some of the drier aspects of things did find me tuning out a bit. So, I personally would not pick this one up again, I suspect Dr. Johnsen would have had a best seller if he had partnered with an author like Susan Casey  who makes her living off sort of translating complex ideas into lay-people understanding. 

That said - If this was a text book for a class I was taking, I would LOVE it.  It brings this part of the ocean to life in a way that a text book typically does not, and it did encourage me to start asking more and more questions about the topics at hand.  If I was a person with a bit of a stronger interest in this topic, I suspect I also would have loved it slightly more.  If I had a teen aged cousin/niece/nephew interested in marine biology, this would be on their gift list. If I ran a book club on the natural world, it might make it to the club list.  For me, I do not do any of those things, so, I was glad to have read and learned some more things about the ocean, and I was also glad to hit the return button for the library. 

So if you fit the bill, this will probably be a great read for you! 

STATS

First Published : October 2024 

Pages: 248

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: Oceanic accidents,Sea-sickness, 

Book Review The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley 5/5 stars

  Readers!  I'm ashamed to admit that I essentially slept on Bradley's The ministry of Time because 

I frankly did not like the cover. 

I mean... 

It honestly did nothing for me.  I heard a lot about this novel, but I kind of think that most of the nice people trying to sell it on Tik Tok either hadn't read it, or didn't have the ability to really speak about it. (I've seen many negative reviews from people complaining that they "Had to look up words from the book")  They all made it sound sort of...well, lets just say not one of those hundreds of Tik Toks influenced me in a good way. 

But it has been nominated for a 2025 Hugo award, so I decided I'd give it a go. So... this was a lesson for me.  Firstly Tik Tok reviewers are not always very good at their reviewing, and I guess the old adage about judging a book by it's cover would also be true.  I would hope maybe - given it's smashing success- they might consider a different cover, one without the fake GMA sticker that no one wants on their cover, and something other than just circa disco era lettering? 

So, I LOVED THIS NOVEL WITH MY WHOLE HEART and possibly some of my soul as well. I'm not sure how it holds up against the others, but it's definitely one of my favorites of the six. 

  In short (with no spoilers because spoilers are just the worst...) This is a story that one could tackle on many levels.  The basic premise is that in a near future UK, the Government has found a way to time travel. The agency then decides to displace 5 figures from history that "would have otherwise perished"  and bring them into the current time. Each is assigned an agent to assist them in adjustment to time and monitor their health and behavior. All of these displaced persons are fascinating and well fleshed out- not one is a cardboard cutout for things to "happen to"  (Kudos to Bradley for this feat!) As this year winds along, our narrator discovers that there is far more going on than just an experiment with temporal space. Suddenly she is embroiled in a high stakes cat and mouse kind of game between the displaced persons, people in her era and those in the future. Throughout the novel, our narrator - who is the child of a Cambodian refugee, opens up space for her characters and readers to reflect on how we perceive race, gender, religion, mental health, sexuality and power. We end with a definite change in circumstances for all involved, but one that was entirely gentle and somewhat hopeful. 

  My only disappointment is that I wasn't able to read it with a group of people because I just know that would have enhanced my enjoyment tenfold. 

I am very interested in what Bradley is going to produce next! 

STATS

First Published : May 2024 

Pages: 352

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings:  racism, confinement, institutionalized racism,  emotional abuse, alcohol, gun violence, mental health, sexism, death,