It takes the world of Shadow and Bone and completely ignores the at times overly YA political and religions machinations of that particular trilogy in favor of a somewhat darker and grittier heist novel.
For the most part, you really don’t need to have read Shadow and Bone first. There are a few references to the ‘Ravkan Civil War’ and even to Sankta Alina, but other than that, it’s a new world. There are still Grisha, but they’re far less ‘miliary’, instead using (and hiding) their powers in all manner of interesting ways.
And while the heist elements were strong (an impossible job, planning going absolutely sideways, and double triple crossing left and right) we also get all sorts of interesting backstory. Each of the main characters has chapters in their voice, but in the action going now, and explaining how they got into this mess in the first place. It’s a lot, but in a good way!
One gotcha is that, while the main heist plot is more than adequately contained in the book, it very much is the first half of a duology. It managed to just make me want to read the second… but don’t go into this looking for a stand alone novel.
I feel like it’s been a long time coming. He either has to figure out some way to heal… or move on from this world that isn’t even his in the first place.
Betsy-Tacy and Tib is … pretty much exactly what you’d expect. It’s Betsy-Tacy, but now with more Tib. A new girl moves in, they become instant best friends, hijinks ensue.
Once again, it’s a delightful book to read with my own little one. I enjoy seeing what messes the children get into. And although they do get in trouble from time to time, we’re reminded that it’s okay to be children.
Side note: my absolute favorite story is when they decide to cook. It goes as well as one might expect! 😄
Oh that’s quite an ending. After Shadow and Bone set the stage and Siege and Storm raised the stakes, Ruin and Rising really brings everything home.
We have the increasing religious fever of Alina as Saint–whether or not that’s what she wants.
We have what’s left of Alina’s friends and allies trying desperately to hold off the ever more powerful–and ever more unhinged–Darkling.
We finally get some real history, digging deeper into where the Darkling came from… and perhaps how Alina fits into it all as well.
We have more adventures; a desperate bid to find the third Amplifier that may well save the day–or doom them all.
And finally–obvious seeing as it’s the final novel in the trilogy–we have victory. But at what cost.
It’s by a decent margin my favorite of the three. A solid conclusion, in my opinion. Now I’m looking forward to the other series in the same world. Six of Crows especially to see where those threads in the show came from and King of Scars for a ‘what comes next’. Onward!
When people say impossible, they usually mean improbable.
Shadow and Bone had quite the ending. The Darkling showing his true allegiance, death and destruction, Alina and Mal on the run… So of course in Siege and Storm they get captured by pirates (cough I mean privateers), the Darkling shows up again, they go meet the royal family, the Darkling shows up again, and in the end… things just keep ending up getting worse.
It’s really a solid step up from Shadow and Bone. It’s still got a YA core, but it’s definitely edging on the darker end of it all–which I really enjoy. I’m absolutely looking forward to where this goes next!
Read a book in which the novel title contains a job title, military title, or title of nobility such as locksmith, lieutenant, or lord. This title can be something that is bestowed upon a character (such as “hero”) and it can include fictional titles that are only in the setting, such as Legendborn by Tracy Deonn*.*
Read one of the books that’s been on your To Be Read pile (TBR) the longest. If you do not keep a TBR, read one of the books that you have been meaning to read for the longest time but haven’t yet.
Hard Mode: None. Actually finishing a book you’ve been putting off for so long is already hard enough.
Read a book that portrays magical or unreal elements in an otherwise realistic or mundane environment. These books are often found on literary fiction shelves and book lists and not always shelved as genre fiction. This is a hard square to pin down as what makes something literary or magical can often come down to vibes, so use your best judgment. No saying A Game of Thrones is literary fiction since there aren’t a lot of magical elements. Check out this thread for further ideas and guidelines.
Hard Mode: Not one of the thirty books in the linked thread.
The protagonist has a commonplace job that can be found in the real world (so no princes or monster hunters!). We are also excluding soldiers as they are already extremely prominent in SFF.
Self-published or published through a small, indie publisher. If the novel has been picked up by a publisher, it only counts for this challenge if you read it when it was still self-published.
Hard Mode: Self-published and has fewer than 100 ratings on Goodreads, OR an indie publisher that has done an AMA with r/Fantasy.
Read a book that is set in the Middle East or in an analogous setting that is based on real-world Middle Eastern settings, myths, and culture. See these pages for more info on which countries and regions qualify: Wikipedia page for the Middle East, SWANA page. Example novels would include The Daevabad Trilogy by S. A. Chakraborty and The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad
Read a book in which the setting contains at least two universes, dimensions, planes, realities, etc. that characters within the book can travel between. Multiple worlds in the same physical plane of existence - such as planets within a universe - would not count for this square.
Hard Mode: Characters do not walk through a literal door in order to get to another world.
Hard Mode: Novel takes place in a futuristic, sci-fi world. NOTE: this is now a recurring, yearly square but the hard mode will be changing every year to keep it exciting.
Read a book that prominently features at least one mythical beast, meaning a creature that doesn’t exist in reality. See this Wikipedia page for an idea of what counts.
Hard Mode: No dragons or dragon-like creatures (e.g. wyverns, Draccus in Kingkiller).
A book set in a world where queerness is normalized, accepted, and prevalent within communities. Characters are not othered, ostracized, or particularly remarkable in any way for their queerness.
Hard Mode: Not a futuristic setting. Takes place in a time akin to ours, in the past, or in a fantasy world that has no science fiction elements.
Read a book in which the novel title contains a job title, military title, or title of nobility such as locksmith, lieutenant, or lord. This title can be something that is bestowed upon a character (such as “hero”) and it can include fictional titles that are only in the setting, such as Legendborn by Tracy Deonn*.*
Hard Mode: Not a title of royalty.
Superheroes
Story focuses on super powered individuals. You know, heroes and villains and capes.
Hard Mode: Not related to DC or Marvel.
Bottom of the TBR
Read one of the books that’s been on your To Be Read pile (TBR) the longest. If you do not keep a TBR, read one of the books that you have been meaning to read for the longest time but haven’t yet.
Hard Mode: None. Actually finishing a book you’ve been putting off for so long is already hard enough.
Magical Realism or Literary Fantasy
Read a book that portrays magical or unreal elements in an otherwise realistic or mundane environment. These books are often found on literary fiction shelves and book lists and not always shelved as genre fiction. This is a hard square to pin down as what makes something literary or magical can often come down to vibes, so use your best judgment. No saying A Game of Thrones is literary fiction since there aren’t a lot of magical elements. Check out this thread for further ideas and guidelines.
Hard Mode: Not one of the thirty books in the linked thread.
Young Adult
Read a book that was written for young adults.
Hard Mode: Published in the last 5 years.
Mundane Jobs
The protagonist has a commonplace job that can be found in the real world (so no princes or monster hunters!). We are also excluding soldiers as they are already extremely prominent in SFF.
Hard Mode: Does not take place on Earth.
Published in the 00s
Read a book that was published between 2000 and 2009.
Story must feature angels or demons or both in a prominent role.
Hard Mode: The protagonist is an angel or demon.
Five SFF Short Stories
Any short SFF story as long as there are five of them.
Hard Mode: Read an entire SFF anthology or collection.
Horror
Read a book from the horror genre.
Hard Mode: Not Stephen King or H. P. Lovecraft.
Self-Published OR Indie Publisher
Self-published or published through a small, indie publisher. If the novel has been picked up by a publisher, it only counts for this challenge if you read it when it was still self-published.
Hard Mode: Self-published and has fewer than 100 ratings on Goodreads, OR an indie publisher that has done an AMA with r/Fantasy.
Set in the Middle East/Middle Eastern SFF
Read a book that is set in the Middle East or in an analogous setting that is based on real-world Middle Eastern settings, myths, and culture. See these pages for more info on which countries and regions qualify: Wikipedia page for the Middle East, SWANA page. Example novels would include The Daevabad Trilogy by S. A. Chakraborty and The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad
Hard Mode: Author is of Middle Eastern heritage.
Published in 2023
A book published for the first time in 2023 (no reprints or new editions).
Hard Mode: It’s also a debut novel–as in it’s the author’s first published novel.
Multiverse and Alternate Realities
Read a book in which the setting contains at least two universes, dimensions, planes, realities, etc. that characters within the book can travel between. Multiple worlds in the same physical plane of existence - such as planets within a universe - would not count for this square.
Hard Mode: Characters do not walk through a literal door in order to get to another world.
POC Author
Author must be Person of Color.
Hard Mode: Novel takes place in a futuristic, sci-fi world. NOTE: this is now a recurring, yearly square but the hard mode will be changing every year to keep it exciting.
Book Club OR Readalong Book
Any past or active r/Fantasy book clubs count as well as past or active r/Fantasy readalongs. See our full list of book clubs here.
Hard Mode: Must read a current selection of either a book club or readalong and participate in the discussion.
Novella
Read a work of fiction of between 17,500 and 40,000 words.
Hard Mode: Novella is NOT published by Tordotcom Publishing.
Mythical Beasts
Read a book that prominently features at least one mythical beast, meaning a creature that doesn’t exist in reality. See this Wikipedia page for an idea of what counts.
Hard Mode: No dragons or dragon-like creatures (e.g. wyverns, Draccus in Kingkiller).
Elemental Magic
Read a book that has elemental magic. The primary magic within the world deals with the classical elements: Earth, Wind/Air, Water, and Fire.
Hard Mode: Not V. E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series or Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera series.
Myths and Retellings
Read a book that is based on a myth or preexisting story.
Hard Mode: Not Greek or Roman mythology.
Queernorm Setting
A book set in a world where queerness is normalized, accepted, and prevalent within communities. Characters are not othered, ostracized, or particularly remarkable in any way for their queerness.
Hard Mode: Not a futuristic setting. Takes place in a time akin to ours, in the past, or in a fantasy world that has no science fiction elements.
Coastal or Island Setting
Story features a major setting that is near or surrounded by the sea.
Hard Mode: The book also features sea-faring.
Druids
A book that heavily features druids. This can be a classic druid, a priest or magician in Celtic lore, or a magic user whose powers stem from nature.
Hard Mode: Not The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne.
Featuring Robots
Read a book that features robots, androids, clockwork machines, or automatons.
Hard Mode: Robot is the protagonist.
Sequel
Read a book that is a sequel to another SFF book.
Hard Mode: Book 3 or on in the series.
Mini-reviews
‡ are my favorites, ∿ I listened to the audiobook. Full reviews + all reviews for each author are linked.
‡ Sequel (HM: Book 3+): The Infinite by Ada Hoffmann. Sci-fi with post-singularity AI acting as gods and a touch of cosmic horror. Interesting discussions about neurodiversity. My favorite of the series and a solid conclusion.
∿ Mundane Jobs (Not on Earth): Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee. A parallel to the China/Japan conflicts of a century ago and the jobs and sacrifices normal people (esp. artists) have to make during times of war and occupation. Also, Arazi (the dragon on the cover) really sells the book.
‡ ∿ Published in the 00s (HM: (HM: Not top 30 on this list): Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik. What if the Napoleanic Wars, but with DRAGONS. This one now with more travel to China. It’s a neat concept and I like throughout the series how the idea is explored in a number of different cultures, although as the series goes on, it starts to wear a bit thin. Temeraire and Laurence (dragon and … handler? it’s complicated) are really the soul of these books. Temeraire is the first book in the series; but I’d previously read that years ago.
Bottom of TBR: Blindsight by Peter Watts. Vampires. In Space. It’s such a bonkers idea that I want more of it. Plus you get a surprisingly solid scientific reasoning for a lot of Vampire myths, a discussion on AI and the Chinese Room argument, talk about multiple personalities. It’s dense and a bit chaotic and weird. I liked it.
Horror (HM: Not King or Lovecraft): Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz. What if Frankenstein survived into the modern era and tried to conquer the world Invasion of the Frankenbodysnatchers style. It’s a solid Dean Koontz book, which I hadn’t read in years now. The problem is that it tries to fit far too many threads into one story and doesn’t really work without the sequels (and only barely works with them). Another book dealing with autism, dealt with mostly well.
‡ Coastal or Island Setting (HM: Features Seafaring)Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. The feel of Princess Bride told through through the narrative lense of Hoid (which won’t make the least bit of sense if you haven’t read much of Sanderson’s Cosmere I suppose). I’ve read and enjoyed just about all of Sanderson and he’s got 4 novels out this year, so of course I have to use one of them. It’s delightful, touching little story and probably worth a read even if you haven’t read the rest of Sanderson’s work, although the ending will be weird.
‡ ∿ Queernorm Setting (HM: Not Futuristic)Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune. So… what do you call a slice of life story when the protagonist dies at the end of the first chapter? Whatever you do, Under the Whispering Door is a delightful example thereof. Despite taking place within our world, I would say it’s Queernorm within the much reduced setting of the story (the tea house and this specific corner of the afterishlife).
∿ Set in the Middle East (HM: By an author of Middle Eastern heritage): Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust. Take Persian mythology and worldbuilding, more than a touch of fairy tale feel, a cursed princess, demons, div (what in a Euro-centric story would be probably be fae), a touch of romance, and the spark of revolution. It’s an interesting world, an interesting premise, and you really want everything to go right in the end. I like the variety of non-humans. They feel the same as dozens of stories I read before–and yet, being based on a different set of myths and legends, different. All at the same time. It’s fun.
∿ Title with a Title (HM: Not Royalty): The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Take the extremist end of the American Protestant religious right. Give them everything they want (plus some) over the span of years (if not months). Like any good story of this sort, it takes a potential problem–an idea–and turns it up to eleven. It goes steps further than anything we’ve seen in modern times–or at least differently. And all the more telling when you feel people in today’s world taking it as inspiration rather than a cautionary tale.
∿ Superheroes (HM: Not DC or Marvel): Zeroes by Scott Westerfield. The story of six American teenagers who discover they have superpowers. What I like most perhaps was the entire idea of the title: “Zeroes, not Heroes”. They’re not superheroes. (oops, guess it doesn’t fit after all). I also enjoyed how diverse the cast was.
∿ Magical Realism or Literary Fantasy (HM: Not from this list): The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd. Plus side: I love the premise. Take the idea of phantom settlements / copyright traps. Now make it so that if you happen to have the right map–you can actually get to those phantom settlements. I may have to check out Paper Towns. Minus side: it takes forever to actually get to the magic of the book. You (as the reader) are sure there’s more to them than you’d think, either having read the blurb–or just being aware of the book’s genre. But for how magical a concept it is, we barely get anything to do with them until halfway through the book and even then we’re only touching the surface. I suppose that’s Magical Realism for you?
‡ ∿ Multiverse and Alternate Realities (HM: Not through a literal door): The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. Hopping between worlds–with one big caveat. If you visit a world where another you is still alive, you die. It’s fascinating digging into the idea that the best world hoppers are those raised under circumstances where they should have died.
Myths and Retellings (HM: Not Greek or Roman): The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec. It seems no matter the culture, myths and legends get weird. Norse mythology is absolutely no exception to that. In this story, we have a novelization of the story of Angrboda. Wife of Loki. Mother of monsters. She’s been around a while (it’s mythology, even she doesn’t know how long) and she just wants to be left alone.
‡ ∿ Set in Space (HM: Not from Earth) (replacing Book Bingo/Readalong): House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds. In House of Suns, we have the story of a small subset of humanity writ large. The speed of light is the ultimate limit. Planets are decades apart; the galaxy hundreds of thousands of years around. So how do you continue that oh so human drive for exploration and expansion? Well in House of Suns, you create a thousand clones. Imprint them all with your memories. And send them out into the universe. Set it up so that ever few decades/centuries/millenia, they meet up, share all they’ve been to. What other branches of humanity have risen–or fallen? What other miracles of technology have been discovered? Who’s fallen in love? Sci-fi at it’s finest.
Druids (HM: Not Iron Druid): Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier. Take a bit of magic/folklore in an oldentimes Ireland; add in a Fae bargain (with all the complications that ensues); combine with a prince and princess who’ve never met outside of letters–and seem entirely different in person; and finish it all off with fairy tale magic of Dreamer’s Pool. It’s got an interesting cast and a nice fairy tale sort of plot, if a bit incomplete feeling.
∿ Mythical Beasts (HM: Not dragons): The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. It’s one of those books that just feels like a fairy tale. An ageless story. A story passed down from long ago ages of myth and fantasy. Ages with heroes and villains and wizards and–you guessed it–unicorns. It’s beautifully written (for the most part; there are certainly parts that feel overdone), chock full of wonderfully fantastic descriptions and metaphors that just sort of stick around. I really enjoy the characters, especially the titular Last Unicorn–they don’t feel human; which I appreciate.
Featuring Robots (HM: Robot protagonist): Lock In by John Scalzi. A near future Earth where a flu-like pandemic (Haden’s Syndrome) has caused locked-in syndrome in some small percent of the world’s population (a small percent of billions is still an awful lot of people). Those affected are completely paralyzed, unable to move, while still being fully aware and conscious. Luckily(ish) a massive global effort has figured out how to embed computer hardware in their brains so as to allow them to remotely pilot either robotic bodies (threeps) or (more rarely) other humans who’ve allowed them access. This of course is widely accepted by the rest of humanity and causes no issues whatsoever. It’s arguable if the human minds in robotic bodies (the threeps) counts for the square, but if Murderbot counts, I would think this does too? It’s their body (although that’s a decent plot point in itself).
Novella (HM: Not Tordotcom): Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente. Take (the vague outline) the story of Snow White. Make it a Western. Things get weird. It’s an interesting premise and certainly an interesting writing style–although not my favorite.
‡ ∿ 5 SFF Shorts (HM: An Anthology): Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang. Story of Your Life became the film Arrival, which got me to read the book. The rest are also really good, including some really interesting alternate takes on religion.
‡ ∿ YA (HM: Published in the last 5 years): A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. A world with weirdly specialized sorts of wizards. You might be able to cast lightning bolts… or you might have the power to animate and converse with dead horses. Or you might even have magical powers over… bread! It’s such a delightful idea and Kingfisher manages to do all sorts of fun things with it. Some obvious (Mongo eat your gingerbread heart out), some less so (Bob the sourdough starter; so delightful). I need to read more Kingfisher.
∿ POC Author (HM: Furturistic Sci/fi): Rosewater by Tade Thompson. A fascinating premise. Take the world a half century in the future. Most things are the same, but there’s a bit more tech floating around, mostly. Introduce a massive alien organism that lands in London and ends up burrowing it’s way to Nigeria. From that alien blob, fill the atmosphere with alien microorganisms/cells that create their own xenosphere, enabling (among other things) psychic powers in some very small proportion of the population. Writ rather more gritty than I was expecting with a complicated structure.
Self/Indie published (HM: Fewer than 100 ratings): The Book of Zog by Alec Hutson. Zogrusz is an Eldrich Horror, a being from beyond time and space. But… a nice one? That just wants to do the right thing? It’s surprisingly adorable with some interesting cosmic level universebuilding.
∿ Elemental Magic (HM: Not Shades of Magic or Codex Alera): Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. Rather YA and the TV show is better (partially because it pulls from the other series in the same world as well). But I did enjoy the Russian influenced worldbuilding and the slightly more flexible than many YA contemporaries groupings. Has a lot of potential for the series.
Published in 2023 (HM: Debut): The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown. A generation ship with something going bump in the night? Isn’t it always night in space? In any case, it’s nicely terrifying if rather short (at novella length). Feels very similar to Alien, but that’s not a bad thing. A solid debut.
(I originally read VenCo by Cherie Dimaline for this spot, but realized as I was writing this post that it doesn’t fit hard mode.)
Humanity screwed up. To get us out of it, we sent a generation ship to the stars. But when we got there… it wasn’t any better, so they turned around to go home. On the way back… well, we just might not be alone.
A generation ship is a great setting for a sci-fi/horror mashup. There really is nowhere to run but plenty of places to hide.
The idea of things lurking out there between the stars? Terrifying.
The feel of the book, especially as it ratchets up to the big reveal/fight scenes throughout the ship? Excellent.
I think the only real problems I had with the book were:
It was too short! Novella length, but the premise alone could certainly fill a novel.
The technology was a bit odd at times (what exactly are they doing with ‘jumps’?)
The things in the dark between stars not actually being the monster? Awesome. But... what were they then?
Worth a read though! A debut author worth following.
Browsing through Netflix last fall, I came upon Shadow and Bone. Watched it. Quite enjoyed it. Figured I should read the book.
In a nutshell, it’s not bad, but I enjoyed the show more. For one, it pulls in Kaz and co, which don’t appear in this novel at all (they’re originally from the related Six of Crows books), which is a bummer. For two, the additional dynamic of Alina as half-Shu in addition to being an orphan added rather a lot to her character.
