Down in the Sea of Angels by Khan Wong - #bookreview

 

March 4, 2106 - Marshall Cove, San Francisco

A dozen drones buzzed right in my face when I got there. Beside the bonfire, a scruffy guy in coveralls fidgeted with a tablet, tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth in concentration, presumably controlling these things...

***

The Blurb

In the year 2106, climate change has altered the world, transforming borders, cities, and socioeconomic structures. Additionally, a cosmic event known as the “Bloom” has awakened psionic abilities in a small percentage of the population. 

One such individual is Maida Sun, who possesses the ability to know the history of objects she touches. In the course of her new job with a cultural recovery project in San Francisco, she comes across an object that plunges her into the lives of Li Nuan, a sex-trafficked girl in a Chinatown brothel in 1906 longing for freedom, and Nathan, a tech-designer and hedonist in 2006 seeking greater purpose. 

When a chance encounter with a political leader’s watch reveals a plan to eliminate psions – people like her – Maida must find a way to stop his agenda before it gains traction. 

Flashes of the past and glimpses of the future provide Maida, Li Nuan and Nathan clues to help their own situations as they, each in their own way, confront exploitation and fight for liberation while living under the specter of environmental collapse. 

My Review

At the beginning of this year, I promised myself I would read some books which were outside my usual reading comfort zone. When I was offered the opportunity to read this one, it sounded like the ideal book to try out a little science fiction. 

This book is set during three time periods. We follow Li Nuan in 1906, Nathan in 2006 and Maida Sun in 2106. I reassured myself that with parts of the book set in the past and the present, then those would provide a gateway into the science fiction element for me. However, it was no time at all before I was absorbed by Maida's part in this story too. Isn't it wonderful to be pleasantly surprised by a reading experience?

I found all three of the characters completely believable. Li Nuan, who has been sex-trafficked, Nathan, who comes to realise that there must be more to life than his hedonism and job with a tech company, and Maida whose psionic abilities drive her towards an object that will link all three of them.

What I particularly enjoyed was Nathan's awakening to the fact that he was a contributor to the future environmental consequences that those in his period of time were causing. Fast forward to Maida's section of the book where those consequences have indeed occurred, and we observe a world in which those consequences have transpired due to the lifestyles of those who have come before her, known in the book as the Precursors. It serves as a warning to us all.

I enjoyed the journeys of all three of the main characters. They were engaging and each of their stories made for compelling reading. I particularly liked the way the author ultimately portrayed the connection between the three characters. He gathered all of the strands together to produce a satisfying ending to the book.

As a newbie to science fiction/fantasy this book has left me wanting more. Do you have any suggestions of what I should read next?

You can find out more about Khan's previous book, The Circus Infinite, here..

I will mention at this point that some of Li Nuan's story was difficult to read as she is a sex-trafficked minor and the sexual scenes are graphically portrayed. It is shocking to realise that not only did this happen during the time period but still happens today. That said, this is still an excellent book but if it is a trigger for you then you may want to give this one a miss.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1915998361

Publisher:  Angry Robot

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  400 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Khan Wong has published poetry, played cello in an earnest folk-rock duo, and been an internationally known hula hoop teacher and performer. He's toured with a circus and produced circus arts shows in San Francisco, where he also worked as a grantmaker with a public sector arts funding agency. His debut novel, The Circus Infinite, was a finalist for the Lambda LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction Award 2023 and long-listed for the BSFA Best Novel Award. 

You can also find Khan at:

Author Website

Linked In

Instagram

Facebook

BlueSky

Why not check out some of the other fabulous bloggers on the tour?

(ARC and media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Monti and Leo: A Newcomer in Pocketville by Sylvie Kantorovitz - #bookreview

 

There were four things Monti Mole liked to do in the morning... he welcomed the day...he stopped by the Pocketville Bakery... he visited the Pocketville library... settled on his favourite rock by the river and gazed peacefully at the water... It was a perfect routine...

***

A charming graphic novel for early readers with strong themes of friendship and kindness that celebrates difference and new ideas with a light-hearted touch.

Pocketville is a small town, set in its ways, and the arrival of a stranger causes a stir. Monti the mole is stunned one morning to find Leo the crocodile hogging his special reading rock. When Monti visits the bakery and the library, he learns that the last cinnamon roll has been purchased, and the book he was waiting for has been checked out. What’s a fastidious mole to do? When Monti confronts Leo, the newcomer turns out to be agreeable in the extreme, and friendship is a given. Now to convince the town’s cantankerous baker, Ms Sheep, to stop turning everyone against Leo. Together, Monti and Leo hatch a plot that will have Ms Sheep singing Leo’s praises in no time. This reassuring tale of friendship against the odds from the creator of the graphic memoir Sylvie draws on the author’s experiences as an immigrant and will appeal to anyone who has struggled to fit in in a new place.

***

This is a very sweet graphic novel that is aimed at early readers; children around six to eight years of age. It would also be perfect for reluctant readers too.

I loved the simple cartoon like illustrations that make this into a lovely humourous novel. They are clear and uncluttered and serve to demonstrate more than is written in the actual text.  It is written in chapter form, so is an excellent introduction to chapter books.

Monti and Leo's burgeoning friendship has much to teach about embracing difference and welcoming newcomers into the community. It is also about friendship and acceptance. This would be a great aid in schools to teach about welcoming new children into the classroom and why we should demonstrate kindness to one another.

And who amongst us would not like to start our day with a visit to the library and bakery? I know I would!

ISBN: 978 1529518566

Publisher: Walker Books

Formats:  hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  80 (paperback)

About the Author:

Sylvie was born in Casablanca in 1960 and grew up in France.She has lived longer in the US than in France. And yet, her accent gives her away very quickly!

After high school, she became a school teacher and read and drew for her students. She loved teaching but she also wanted to study art. 

In 1980, I went to New York City for a year and studied at the Art Students League. Back in France, I studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. It is during these years that she discovered — or re-discovered — the magic of children’s books. 

She moved to the US in her 20s, and now lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley with her partner, Barbara Lehman. Barbara is also an author-illustrator of books for young readers.

She started her career in books for young children with the illustrations for a Raffi Song to Read: Wheels on the Bus.

 She grew up reading popular French comics — or graphic novels.  When the form became more popular in the US, she embraced it wholeheartedly and found it the perfect way to tell her stories.

She loves books, movies, art (ethnographic art, medieval art, contemporary art, street art, outsider art, book art, children’s art, etc), strolls in town or in nature, drawing and doing collages.

(book courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

All Among the Barley by Melissa Harrison - #bookreview

 

Last night I lay awake again, remembering the day the Hunt ran me down in Hulver Wood when I was just a girl.  It was December, as it is now, and I had ventured out into the icy afternoon to cut come green boughs for the house...

***

The autumn of 1933 is the most beautiful Edie Mather can remember, though the Great War still casts a shadow over the cornfields of her beloved home, Wych Farm.

When charismatic, outspoken Constance FitzAllen arrives from London to write about fading rural traditions, she takes an interest in fourteen-year-old Edie, showing her a kindness she has never known before. But the older woman isn't quite what she seems.

As harvest time approaches and pressures mount on the whole community, Edie must find a way to trust her instincts and save herself from disaster.

***

This is a heartbreaking book that was worth every moment that I dedicated to reading it. It was suggested by one of the members of my Book Club. I must confess that until then I had not come across this book or the author.

In many ways it is an unsettling story. We witness the unravelling of the mind of the main character. Edith is a fourteen year old girl who is befriended by an older woman, Constance, who is a visitor from London and is not quite what she seems. As the reader, I suspected that she had an agenda of her own, but it is not until the end of the book that her motivations become apparent.

What we observe in this book is also the unravelling of a way of life. The book is written with a gentleness that reflects the way of life in a rural community. On one hand, it depicts the beauty of the countryside, and it's slow pace of life, but on the other, it demonstrates the harsh realities that farmers were facing during the period in which the book is set. 

The environment in which this book is set is all-consuming. The way of life is not described in sentimental terms, and it does not depict a romantically idyllic version of country life. What it does do is to demonstrate the hardships afforded such families as they faced the change of farming with mechanisation, coupled with poverty and debt.

The book is perfectly paced for its subject matter. I enjoyed the slow rhythm of the writing, coupled with the slow-moving pace of life it depicted.

This is a fantastic book that I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend wholeheartedly. 

ISBN: 978 1408897973

Publisher:  Bloomsbury Publishing

Formats:  e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  352 (paperback)

About the Author:

Melissa Harrison is the author of the novels Clay and At Hawthorn Time, which was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award and longlisted for the Bailey's Women's Prize, and one work of non-fiction, Rain, which was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize. She is a nature writer, critic and columnist for The Times, the Financial Times and the Guardian, among others. Her new novel All Among the Barley was published in August, 2018.

(author media courtesy of Good Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

Hard Times for the East End Library Girls by Patricia McBride - #bookreview #blogtour

Cordelia walked towards the corner of her street, her mind on the Christmas she'd just spent with her parents. It had been a subdued holiday. Her father was furious that much of their house was to be requisitioned by the army as a convalescent centre...

***

As the war hits London, they’ll band together…

War strikes close to home for chief librarian Cordelia when her flat is bombed, and her beloved Robert is called up and sent abroad. Fortunately, her colleagues Mavis and Jane can help see her through hard times.

The three friends find purpose in making the Silvertown library a friendly sanctuary for their deprived and devastated community. But sinister forces, from callous bureaucrats to crafty criminals, still lurk among the stacks. Worse, Jane’s soldier husband is injured and suffers both physically and mentally.

With so many struggles Cordelia and her friends might need more than books to survive war's shadow. Can they find light in the darkness?

A captivating tale of resilience and determination, perfect for fans of Lizzie Lane, Elaine Roberts and Lesley Eames.

***

Last year I read the first book in this series, The Library Girls of the East End, and if you would like to read my review please click here. I enjoyed that book very much, so I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to read the next book in the series for a blog tour.

I enjoyed the opportunity to spend more time with the three main characters, Cordelia, Jane and Mavis. Their personalities are developed further in this book, and by the time I had finished reading it I definitely felt as though these three women were my friends.

They are all employed by the library and are alone with their men away at war. In this book, we meet a new library volunteer, conscientious objector, Tom, as well as a range of visitors, each of who have something to add to the colour of the story. 

The library is also to be used as an IIP centre by the Red Cross, where people can come to look for their missing friends and relatives. In addition, they set up a quilting group to enable those who have lost or are lonely to come together to talk, share and to produce a quilt dedicated to those they have loved. The library becomes the real heart of the community.

The author is a great story teller and has the skill to bring her characters alive on the page. She is also accomplished at creating a setting which is completely believable. It is a very engaging story with much to commend it and demonstrates the importance of friendship and community. I highly recommend it.

Although this book is the second in a series, it would work equally well as a stand alone novel.

ISBN: 978 1835180105

Publisher:  Boldwood Books

Formats:  e-books, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  264 (paperback)

About the Author:

Patricia McBride is an author of heartwarming World War II sagas featuring fierce female friendships. She resides in Cambridge, England with her husband. When not writing, Patricia enjoys curling up with a cup of tea and books about strong woman in war time. Patricia's latest series follows the adventures of three librarians living and working in London's impoverished East End during the Blitz. The first book, The Library Girls of the East End, introduces posh Lady Cordelia Carmichael, bold Mavis and more timid Jane. Despite their differences, the three band together to keep their beloved library running amidst food rationing, air raids, and family troubles. And of course, romance.

(ARC and all media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)