Goddess in the Machine

By Lora Beth Johnson

Hardback

385 pages

YA SF

Owlcrate 

Totally, 100% science fiction, even though it does talk about magic.

This was super interesting, and I read the entire thing today. 

Letter from the author! 

And signed!

The most fun part of gilded edges: when you open the book for the first time, and turn the pages, and the very edges stick together and you have to pull them apart.

So. Characters: likable and interesting. Plot: satisfying. I guessed some plot points, but it did still hold surprises. Ending: good. I mean, I disliked some of the choices characters made, but it was actually okay. 

But there was also this chapter:

I started to translate it, but decided not to do the whole thing. May contain spoilers, I don't know.

And - joy of joys - I think it's a stand alone novel.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

By Suzanne Collins

Hardback

517 pages

YA

A friend lent me this to read - it's a prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy. 

It is very separate from the other novels - it takes place way before, during the 10th annual Hunger Games. 

Some lines to consider before jumping into the story. It is a story of ambition, control, want, appearances, and power. 

The main character is Coriolanus Snow. Yes, future President Snow. It's actually been so long since I read the trilogy that I wasn't sure until I looked it up whether this was the same character, or an ancestor. 

But I was rooting for him almost the while time. 

There is a moment at the end that didn't feel right to me, but overall this was an enjoyable, readable book. And a quick read: I started it Thursday evening, and finished it Friday night - and I went to work during the day on Friday! 

(For the record - that means that I liked this one, and the first book in the trilogy. I dont actually like the second or third books!)

August Owlcrate!

Yay yay yay, it's Owlcrate day!

Theme: Written in the Stars. 

What a glorious box! And, see the dark purple dyed edges of the pages in the book? It's so pretty! 

Cute push pins!

Maybe my favorite of all of the pins. And the moon in the mide glows in the dark!

(all the pins)

The scarf/headband/bandana. I'll probably actually hang it on the wall or something. 

Parable of the Sower

By Octavia E. Butler

329 pages

Paperback

Speculative Fiction

This was another book club pick! I have never read any of her work before. 

The copyright on the book is 1993, and it's set in... not far from now...

It's actually kind of a terrifying dystopia because it feels so real and possible and plausible. There is no big enemy, just economics and climate change and greed. People are good and people are terrible. There is no sigular enemy to rise up and rebel against for the salvation of the oppressed. 

I started reading this book on Tuesday and finished it by Thursday. 

Page 1

To be honest, I was a little bored in the beginning. I kept putting it down, talking to people, getting snacks, and checking Facebook. 

But then, maybe 50 pages or so in, I got into it. 

The plot moved well. The characters weren't immensely engaging to me, but I was okay with that, somehow. It was structured as journal entries from the point of view of the main character, but felt more like date-stamped scenes. I dont know if that makes sense. 

It reminded me of The Road, a bit. 

It spans several years, but doesn't feel too drawn out. 

There is a sequel. Some of my book club members already got it (and some of them didn't like this one, so for sure wouldn't!)

I dont feel the need to read the sequel because I was satisfied by the ending, but apparently I was a minority there!

It was outside of my normal reading. I'm glad I read it. 

Where Dreams Descend

By Janella Angeles

447 pages (+ acknowledgements)

Naked Hardback

Fantasy

Owlcrate 

I dont think I've ever gotten a naked hardback book before. No dust jacket, just this glorious cover. 

And on the back. It's foil, and shiny, and gorgeous.

And signed, which always brings me joy.

It came with 2 super cute stickers! And aren't those endsheets pretty?

Letter from the author. 

Okay, so it's pretty. But what about the story? 

I can't cheat and take a picture of the jacket summary, so here goes:

Kallia is a female magician (in this world it is a male dominated field) who performs in the Hellfire Club. She likes performing, but she wants to go out there in the world. Leaving the club is difficult, but she manages early in the book and the rest of it takes place in a nearby city. Everything about the city is wrong. And then, bad things start to happen, but she's trapped. 

Also, there is a hot magician/judge of the contest she has entered. And a circus. 

Really, there is a LOT happening in this book. 

It's book 1 of ?

I'm guessing there will be 4 books, becuase there is a card motif so that equates to a book per suit?

Overall I enjoyed it. Interesting characters, magic system, setting. But it does feel very incomplete.