Review: From Seed to Strawberry

From Seed to Strawberry by Mari C Schuh
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

A very skewed perspective on the strawberry's life cycle. The book is supposed to trace it from a seed, but there are no seeds in there. Turns out, strawberries can grow from seeds, but gardeners plant seedlings. Seedlings, apparently, appear out of nowhere. And the cycle ends with eating. So where the next generation of strawberries comes from is not entirely clear.

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Review: Heartless

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For once a book has left me speechless. So this review will be very, very short. Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, it sets the stage for it, taking the world created by Lewis Carroll and explaining how it all came to be. And even though Heartless is tragic and painfull, it is very much in the spirit of the Alice.

I found only one slip that keeps bothering me in this book. Chapter 52 looks like an afterthought, something to explain the whole character of Hatta tucked at the end. Besides, it doesn't quite checks out.

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Review: The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life

The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life by Anu Partanen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I guess I'm simply not the target audience for this book, but I can't imagine who is. The dust cover says that the author "wants to open Americans' eyes to how much better things can be". It started really well and totally relatable. When on page 153 I read that living in the United States was like living in the past, I laughed out loud. This is exactly how it feels for me! It doesn't take a person from progressive Nordic countries to see anachronisms in the US. But then that book went on and on about the same points in almost the same words. This repetitiveness made me feel quite relieved, when I discovered that the last hundred pages or so are bibliography and notes and the book itself is finally over. It probably takes awhile to instill a new idea into the reader's mind, but there were few ideas new to me there. Besides, I don't see how the target audience, the Americans, would appreciate the effort. As much as the author obviously tried to sugar the pill, many will (and already were, judging by some reviews) be insulted. And even if they are not, even if they would like to implement those ideas, they practically powerless to do so. Besides, even if they could, they wouldn't. The political events of this year showed exactly how much and in what direction people here want to change their country. I wonder what the author thinks of all that happened right after she published her book.

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Review: All Bets Are Off

All Bets Are Off by Marguerite Labbe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was a really good read, going for a solid 4 stars from me, which is rare for something of this genre. Right up to the point where too-real-life emotions appeared on the pages. I don't think there is a place for grief and pain in a romantic (read 'porn') book.

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Review: The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales

The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales by Dominik Parisien
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked up this book just for one story, the very last one in the book, by Naomi Novik. And it certainly didn't dissapoint. But there is a reason why I don't like collections of short stories. How do I rate the whole collection? Based on the best story? Does the most fantastic one make up for all the rubbish, making the book worth buying? Or maybe based on the worst story? Then all my ratings of such collections would reflect my dislike of them. Or maybe an average? Or a median?

I was reading strictly one story a day, leaving the one I anticipated more to be the last (so I at least tried to be objective) and rating right away. Here's what I got:

In the Desert Like a Bone by Seanan McGuire
1 star
Just plain boring. I didn't appreciate that version of the Red Riding Hood at all. The writing is also as non-captivating as possible.

Underground by Karin Tidbeck
2 stars
Just marginally better than the first story.

Even the Crumbs Were Delicious by Daryl Gregory
3 stars
This one at least was fun. What was that the author smoked?

The Super Ultra Duchess of Fedora Forest by Charlie Jane Anders
4 stars
Definitely better than the original, despite the sickly-sweet ending.

Familiaris by Genevieve Valentine
1 star
What was that? Sounded like a hormone-induced ranting of a woman suffering from a post partum syndrome.

Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar
5 stars
I really liked this mix of two fairy tales and the two princess saving each other. It's not the old story of a princess being a thing, a prize. It's also not a less old interpretation with a princess saving herself (and the world in the process, because ignorance is great, right?). It's something else completely. This is a story, where two princesses stop being princess, start thinking and loving, and become people.

Badgirl, the Deadman, and The Wheel of Fortune by Catherynne M. Valente
1 star
no, just no.

Penny for a Match, Mister? by Garth Nix
4 stars
An ok story that looked very good after the previous one.

Some Wait by Stephen Graham Jones
3 stars
This story was looking for a solid 4, or even 5, from me. Unfortunately, the ending was quite off key and very dissapointing.

The Thousand Eyes by Jeffrey Ford
2 stars
It seems I read everything in there in one book or another, couldn't find any new ideas or interpretations, but the writing was ok.

Giants in the Sky by Max Gladstone
3 stars
A rather trivial sci-fi spin on the Jack and the Beanstalk.

The Briar and the Rose by Marjorie Liu
5 stars
I can say that I really liked this one. The idea, the retelling angle, the writing, the characters, it all fits.

The Other Thea by Theodora Goss
4 stars
Trivial in some parts, enjoyable in others. Too focused on the happy ending. Provides a sollution to real life problems that can't work, because it's too simple. Some pretty un-ethical things are considered ok. Could end much more interesting.

When I Lay Frozen by Margo Lanagan
1 star
For once, this story is noticebly worse than the original. It's basically Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina with added author's fascination with sexual relationships. For some reason it looks like for her it's something secretely desirable, but seemingly shocking. The result is far from elegant. The note at the end said that she wanted to give some agency to a poor manipulated creature, but I don't buy it.

Pearl by Aliette de Bodard
5 stars
I didn't read the original, Dã Tràng and the Pearl, a Vietnamese folktale, but this tiny little space opera was really good.

The Tale of Mahliya and Mauhub and the White-Footed Gazelle by Sofia Samatar
1 star
Pompous, verbose and empty.

Reflected by Kat Howard
3 stars
An ok story, though not exactly a retelling of the Snow Queen.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik,
5 stars
I expected it to be good, but I never expected it to be that good. The writing is impeccable. The story is mesmerizing, spinning away by the canons of the genre and being something new entirely at the same time. I so can see it as a full length novel! There is a rumor that it's going to be one. Can't wait!!

On hindsight, all other 5 stars I gave to stories in this book are not the same 5 stars as I give the Spinning Silver. This story is way above any competition from the rest of them. So what should I give the book? There were more 1s than I expected and the average is only 2.9. Maybe 3 is a good rating for a book, if 5 out of 18 stories got only 1 star. But it's not fair to Naomi Novik!

My favorite line from this book (guess which story it's from) sounds like something I should have heard before, but an extensive search didn't yield anything, so I have to assume it's original:
"A power claimed and challenged and thrice carried out is true; the proving makes it so."

View all my reviews

Review: The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales

The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales by Dominik Parisien
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked up this book just for one story, the very last one in the book, by Naomi Novik. And it certainly didn't dissapoint. But there is a reason why I don't like collections of short stories. How do I rate the whole collection? Based on the best story? Does the most fantastic one make up for all the rubbish, making the book worth buying? Or maybe based on the worst story? Then all my ratings of such collections would reflect my dislike of them. Or maybe an average? Or a median?

I was reading strictly one story a day, leaving the one I anticipated more to be the last (so I at least tried to be objective) and rating right away. Here's what I got:

In the Desert Like a Bone by Seanan McGuire
1 star
Just plain boring. I didn't appreciate that version of the Red Riding Hood at all. The writing is also as non-captivating as possible.

Underground by Karin Tidbeck
2 stars
Just marginally better than the first story.

Even the Crumbs Were Delicious by Daryl Gregory
3 stars
This one at least was fun. What was that the author smoked?

The Super Ultra Duchess of Fedora Forest by Charlie Jane Anders
4 stars
Definitely better than the original, despite the sickly-sweet ending.

Familiaris by Genevieve Valentine
1 star
What was that? Sounded like a hormone-induced ranting of a woman suffering from a post partum syndrome.

Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar
5 stars
I really liked this mix of two fairy tales and the two princess saving each other. It's not the old story of a princess being a thing, a prize. It's also not a less old interpretation with a princess saving herself (and the world in the process, because ignorance is great, right?). It's something else completely. This is a story, where two princesses stop being princess, start thinking and loving, and become people.

Badgirl, the Deadman, and The Wheel of Fortune by Catherynne M. Valente
1 star
no, just no.

Penny for a Match, Mister? by Garth Nix
4 stars
An ok story that looked very good after the previous one.

Some Wait by Stephen Graham Jones
3 stars
This story was looking for a solid 4, or even 5, from me. Unfortunately, the ending was quite off key and very dissapointing.

The Thousand Eyes by Jeffrey Ford
2 stars
It seems I read everything in there in one book or another, couldn't find any new ideas or interpretations, but the writing was ok.

Giants in the Sky by Max Gladstone
3 stars
A rather trivial sci-fi spin on the Jack and the Beanstalk.

The Briar and the Rose by Marjorie Liu
5 stars
I can say that I really liked this one. The idea, the retelling angle, the writing, the characters, it all fits.

The Other Thea by Theodora Goss
4 stars
Trivial in some parts, enjoyable in others. Too focused on the happy ending. Provides a sollution to real life problems that can't work, because it's too simple. Some pretty un-ethical things are considered ok. Could end much more interesting.

When I Lay Frozen by Margo Lanagan
1 star
For once, this story is noticebly worse than the original. It's basically Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina with added author's fascination with sexual relationships. For some reason it looks like for her it's something secretely desirable, but seemingly shocking. The result is far from elegant. The note at the end said that she wanted to give some agency to a poor manipulated creature, but I don't buy it.

Pearl by Aliette de Bodard
5 stars
I didn't read the original, Dã Tràng and the Pearl, a Vietnamese folktale, but this tiny little space opera was really good.

The Tale of Mahliya and Mauhub and the White-Footed Gazelle by Sofia Samatar
1 star
Pompous, verbose and empty.

Reflected by Kat Howard
3 stars
An ok story, though not exactly a retelling of the Snow Queen.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik,
5 stars
I expected it to be good, but I never expected it to be that good. The writing is impeccable. The story is mesmerizing, spinning away by the canons of the genre and being something new entirely at the same time. I so can see it as a full length novel! There is a rumor that it's going to be one. Can't wait!!

On hindsight, all other 5 stars I gave to stories in this book are not the same 5 stars as I give the Spinning Silver. This story is way above any competition from the rest of them. So what should I give the book? There were more 1s than I expected and the average is only 2.9. Maybe 3 is a good rating for a book, if 5 out of 18 stories got only 1 star. But it's not fair to Naomi Novik!

My favorite line from this book (guess which story it's from) sounds like something I should have heard before, but an extensive search didn't yield anything, so I have to assume it's original:
"A power claimed and challenged and thrice carried out is true; the proving makes it so."

View all my reviews

Review: The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales

The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales by Dominik Parisien
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I picked up this book just for one story, the very last one in the book, by Naomi Novik. And it certainly didn't dissapoint. But there is a reason why I don't like collections of short stories. How do I rate the whole collection? Based on the best story? Does the most fantastic one make up for all the rubbish, making the book worth buying? Or maybe based on the worst story? Then all my ratings of such collections would reflect my dislike of them. Or maybe an average? Or a median?

I was reading strictly one story a day, leaving the one I anticipated more to be the last (so I at least tried to be objective) and rating right away. Here's what I got:

In the Desert Like a Bone by Seanan McGuire
1 star
Just plain boring. I didn't appreciate that version of the Red Riding Hood at all. The writing is also as non-captivating as possible.

Underground by Karin Tidbeck
2 stars
Just marginally better than the first story.

Even the Crumbs Were Delicious by Daryl Gregory
3 stars
This one at least was fun. What was that the author smoked?

The Super Ultra Duchess of Fedora Forest by Charlie Jane Anders
4 stars
Definitely better than the original, despite the sickly-sweet ending.

Familiaris by Genevieve Valentine
1 star
What was that? Sounded like a hormone-induced ranting of a woman suffering from a post partum syndrome.

Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar
5 stars
I really liked this mix of two fairy tales and the two princess saving each other. It's not the old story of a princess being a thing, a prize. It's also not a less old interpretation with a princess saving herself (and the world in the process, because ignorance is great, right?). It's something else completely. This is a story, where two princesses stop being princess, start thinking and loving, and become people.

Badgirl, the Deadman, and The Wheel of Fortune by Catherynne M. Valente
1 star
no, just no.

Penny for a Match, Mister? by Garth Nix
4 stars
An ok story that looked very good after the previous one.

Some Wait by Stephen Graham Jones
3 stars
This story was looking for a solid 4, or even 5, from me. Unfortunately, the ending was quite off key and very dissapointing.

The Thousand Eyes by Jeffrey Ford
2 stars
It seems I read everything in there in one book or another, couldn't find any new ideas or interpretations, but the writing was ok.

Giants in the Sky by Max Gladstone
3 stars
A rather trivial sci-fi spin on the Jack and the Beanstalk.

The Briar and the Rose by Marjorie Liu
5 stars
I can say that I really liked this one. The idea, the retelling angle, the writing, the characters, it all fits.

The Other Thea by Theodora Goss
4 stars
Trivial in some parts, enjoyable in others. Too focused on the happy ending. Provides a sollution to real life problems that can't work, because it's too simple. Some pretty un-ethical things are considered ok. Could end much more interesting.

When I Lay Frozen by Margo Lanagan
1 star
For once, this story is noticebly worse than the original. It's basically Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina with added author's fascination with sexual relationships. For some reason it looks like for her it's something secretely desirable, but seemingly shocking. The result is far from elegant. The note at the end said that she wanted to give some agency to a poor manipulated creature, but I don't buy it.

Pearl by Aliette de Bodard
5 stars
I didn't read the original, Dã Tràng and the Pearl, a Vietnamese folktale, but this tiny little space opera was really good.

The Tale of Mahliya and Mauhub and the White-Footed Gazelle by Sofia Samatar
1 star
Pompous, verbose and empty.

Reflected by Kat Howard
3 stars
An ok story, though not exactly a retelling of the Snow Queen.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik,
5 stars
I expected it to be good, but I never expected it to be that good. The writing is impeccable. The story is mesmerizing, spinning away by the canons of the genre and being something new entirely at the same time. I so can see it as a full length novel! There is a rumor that it's going to be one. Can't wait!!

On hindsight, all other 5 stars I gave to stories in this book are not the same 5 stars as I give the Spinning Silver. This story is way above any competition from the rest of them. So what should I give the book? There were more 1s than I expected and the average is only 2.9. Maybe 3 is a good rating for a book, if 5 out of 18 stories got only 1 star. But it's not fair to Naomi Novik!

View all my reviews