Strange book.

On the one hand, it’s a straightforward epic fantasy in a pseudo-Japanese settings, similar to what I’ve recently read in Jade City and Shadow of the Fox. I can’t say there’s anything surprising—the avalanche of terminology was also expected.

On the other hand, it’s full of Winnetou-type scenes, more suited for children’s books, including endless sword fights. Epic drama-rama, the kind I usually prefer to avoid.

If I had to rate it based on just that, the book would get 2 stars, 3 at most. But there’s more to it—there’s a magical world just beginning to unfold, reminding me of a new series by Raymond Feist or Robin Hobb. There’s a sense of promise. And there’s an unusual structure, as if Maya Wang didn’t particularly care about how books are “supposed” to be written. I liked that part.

So in the end, I think I might eventually read a sequel—unlike with Jade City. I want to find out what these blood puppeteers are.

This was an unusual month for me. I got caught up in a the series about Frieda Klein, read all 8 books from the series and as an added bonus, completed House of Correction by the same authors. Nicci Gerrard and Sean French write together under the name Nicci French.

I feel it’s mostly pointless order these books from best to worst, especially when read like that one after the other, they all felt very similar.

Blue Monday, Tuesday’s Gone, and Waiting for Wednesday felt long for my taste but were otherwise great books. House of Corrections (the only one that was not from a series) was a slow start and the settings were static by design, which likely makes it the worst of the 9. Apart from that, all 9 books were solid 4/5 or 5/5, and if there was a 9th book about Frieda Klein, I’d buy it without thinking.

I own one more book by Nicci French but decided to switch back to Fantasy and Sci-Fi for August. I am currently reading a very long and famous book.

My strategy for June was to read books from the piles of unread books I gathered over the last months. Six out of the eight books below were there, collecting dust.

This approach had mixed results.

Best

1. Captain Blood – the only fiction book I truly enjoyed last month. Pirates, sea battles, honor, and love – I felt 15 again
2. The Engineering Leader by Cate Huston – I wrote a post about it called Energy Management. It was a great learning experience about certain areas of leadership
3. Shift by Hugh Howey – even though this book was not as good as the first part of Silo, it grows on you, and the ideas are very cool. Also, the main main character Juliette is badass. I rated it 4/5 but I think it gained a star over the weeks since I completed it and no longer feels like a 4.

Worst

1. I read a gamebook about the Tsaritchina mystery – a very promising subject. However, I could not find the mystery. It’s large, takes a lot of space, and I kind of wish I didn’t buy it
2. The fall of Koli by M.R. Carey – I rated it 4/5 but the whole series is now waiting on the shelve to be donated, not sure how I managed to complete it. It lost a star since I finished it and it now feels like a 3.

The other 3 books were fine, solid 4s, and I’ll read the continuations.