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2h
A Trade of Blood
Robert Jackson Bennett
An Ana and Din Mystery Brilliant detective Ana Dolabra must prove a man's innocence to stop a civil war in the third book of the series that began with The Tainted Cup, named an Edgar, Hugo, and World Fantasy Award Finalist and one of the best books of the year (New York Times Book Review, NPR, Elle)—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy. In the canton of Sapirdad, two of the Empire’s most powerful families are moments away from going to war with each other, their hundreds of retainers gathered with swords drawn. If blood is spilt, the whole of the empire may be plunged into starvation and chaos. To de-escalate matters, someone must do the impossible: prove that one family’s eldest son is innocent of a gruesome and unforgivable murder, despite the incontrovertible evidence against him. It is with this undertaking that the great detective Ana Dolabra is tasked, her assistant Din at her side—and the two find themselves racing with great speed and little dignity to the scene. As ever, the impossible proves little obstacle for the deadly combination of Ana’s intellect and Din’s keen eye, and mere hours after riding into the dusty town, Ana glimpses the greater pattern behind the crime. A deeper, subtler web of death is being woven in plain sight, by a mastermind with an ancient magical technology at his disposal. But even Ana's uncanny insight is of little use when each new suspect she uncovers ends up dead--with each new killing calculated to bring tensions between the two rival clans past the boiling point. And as Din pursues their adversary through the canton's wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses, he finds his loyalties divided in unexpected ways.
And the River Drags Her Down
Jihyun Yun
And the River Drags Her Down
Jihyun Yun
And the River Drags Her Down
Jihyun Yun
And the River Drags Her Down
Jihyun Yun
And the River Drags Her Down
Jihyun Yun
Sister, I hear you, feel your hands in the dirt, searching.
I will answer your call--I'll return.
What a great, attention-grabbing prologue! It's so interesting that this section is through the eyes of the dead sister, supposedly hearing the call of the main character and describing the moments before and after her death. It's almost like the sister was a disembodied spirit watching everything that came after. It sets the tone and adds a small layer of horror already. The writing is sharp and biting (like in *"Water killed me before cold could; my lungs, an overfilled vase."), and yet, there is a tenderness in parts like "My funeral was small. Our family took me home in a celadon vase embossed with white-deer filigree. Made a makeshift altar above the fireplace with a photo of me smiling at something beckoning from just beyond the frame."
I also like the touches of culture included from the start. The part of the "white-deer filigree" is interesting. White deer are symbolic in Korea, and I wonder if this is intentional for something in the latter parts of the story.
And the River Drags Her Down
Jihyun Yun
Sometimes you read a book and you just think: 'I don't know what it is, but it's five stars from me!' - this was that.
I loved the prose style, it felt so enchanting and though I wasn't intending to read fast I still felt the pages were slipping effortlessly through my fingers. The blend of historical fiction and fantasy worked perfectly for me - I felt like the balance was excellent, and I loved the moments of 'wtf is happening' or 'oh my god what??'. The magic was the mix of unexplained, imperfect whimsy that I love, and I felt transported into the story every time I picked it up.
For all the wonder of the prose, I did think FMC Anne was more of an enigma that I wanted, and I didn't care for the (minimal) romance.
But despite those flaws, I still think it's 5 stars. It's the magic of the book, I guess!
jordynreads started reading...
8h
Cold Clay
Juneau Black
The second book in the "Shady Hollow" series, in which some long-buried secrets come to light, throwing suspicion on a beloved local denizen. It's autumn in Shady Hollow, and residents are looking forward to harvest feasts. But then a rabbit discovers a grisly crop: the bones of a moose. Soon, the owner of Joe's Mug is dragged out of the coffeeshop and questioned by the police about the night his wife walked out of his life--and Shady Hollow--forever. It seems like an open-and-shut case, but dogged reporter Vera Vixen doesn't believe gentle Joe is a killer. She'll do anything to prove his innocence... even if it means digging into secrets her neighbors would rather leave buried.
jordynreads started reading...
8h
Cold Clay
Juneau Black
The second book in the "Shady Hollow" series, in which some long-buried secrets come to light, throwing suspicion on a beloved local denizen. It's autumn in Shady Hollow, and residents are looking forward to harvest feasts. But then a rabbit discovers a grisly crop: the bones of a moose. Soon, the owner of Joe's Mug is dragged out of the coffeeshop and questioned by the police about the night his wife walked out of his life--and Shady Hollow--forever. It seems like an open-and-shut case, but dogged reporter Vera Vixen doesn't believe gentle Joe is a killer. She'll do anything to prove his innocence... even if it means digging into secrets her neighbors would rather leave buried.
Sometimes you read a book and you just think: 'I don't know what it is, but it's five stars from me!' - this was that.
I loved the prose style, it felt so enchanting and though I wasn't intending to read fast I still felt the pages were slipping effortlessly through my fingers. The blend of historical fiction and fantasy worked perfectly for me - I felt like the balance was excellent, and I loved the moments of 'wtf is happening' or 'oh my god what??'. The magic was the mix of unexplained, imperfect whimsy that I love, and I felt transported into the story every time I picked it up.
For all the wonder of the prose, I did think FMC Anne was more of an enigma that I wanted, and I didn't care for the (minimal) romance.
But despite those flaws, I still think it's 5 stars. It's the magic of the book, I guess!
jordynreads started reading...
23h
And the River Drags Her Down
Jihyun Yun
She has always known the rules – never resurrect anything larger than the palm of her hand, but that was before her sister died. A chilling, compulsive exploration of sisterhood, loss, and revenge. When her older sister is found mysteriously drowned in the river that cuts through their small coastal town, Soojin Han disregards every rule and uses her ancestral magic to bring Mirae back from the dead. At first, the sisters are overjoyed, reveling in late-night escapades and the miracle of being together again, but Mirae grows tired of hiding from the world. She becomes restless and hungry . . . Driven by an insatiable desire to finish what she started in life, to unravel the truth that crushed her family so many years ago, Mirae is out for revenge. When their town is engulfed by increasingly destructive rain and a series of harrowing, unusual deaths, Soojin is forced to reckon with the fact that perhaps the sister she brought back isn’t the one she knew.
jordynreads started reading...
23h
And the River Drags Her Down
Jihyun Yun
She has always known the rules – never resurrect anything larger than the palm of her hand, but that was before her sister died. A chilling, compulsive exploration of sisterhood, loss, and revenge. When her older sister is found mysteriously drowned in the river that cuts through their small coastal town, Soojin Han disregards every rule and uses her ancestral magic to bring Mirae back from the dead. At first, the sisters are overjoyed, reveling in late-night escapades and the miracle of being together again, but Mirae grows tired of hiding from the world. She becomes restless and hungry . . . Driven by an insatiable desire to finish what she started in life, to unravel the truth that crushed her family so many years ago, Mirae is out for revenge. When their town is engulfed by increasingly destructive rain and a series of harrowing, unusual deaths, Soojin is forced to reckon with the fact that perhaps the sister she brought back isn’t the one she knew.
