Book Review: Snow Song

Snow Song 

by A.K. Riley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A very lyrical children's book with few words and lots of beautiful illustrations.
The illustrations really portray the idea that snow swirls to the ground. Unlike rain it doesn't fall straight now, instead it is taken on a journey to the ground. All of the children are fairly dressed for their playtime in the snow; which as a Canadian I really appreciate. There is nothing like arguing with a toddler to put on their gloves and hat because it's cold outside and them telling you Elsa doesn't wear gloves (thank goodness Anna does)!
The words here are nice and easy to read, with a rhythmic verse and flow to them. However they are a bit too flakey (haha) for me. I like the idea of the snow being soft, pretty, and fun. But snow is also cold, hard, and dangerous. As someone who lives in a cold climate (where many people I know have frostbitten toes or fingers from their childhood) it is important that we avoid making snow too romanticized. By creating the illusion that it is all fun, soft and lovely to play in the snow we do children a disservice.

It's disappointing as this book is written by two Canadians (albeit both live in relatively warm areas of the country: Vancouver and Southern Ontario) who should really know better than to write a story for kids that doesn't mention putting on gloves, toques, jackets, etc. There should be a reminder to not stay wet from the snow (a common way kids get frostbite is their socks or mitts get wet from the snow, that dampness freezes and causes frostbite). And perhaps the last page should have been a mug of something hot (like chocolate or cider) to warm them up from their play time. Snow is super fun to play in; but like anything (ie: beach, lake, forest, etc.) you have to be aware of your surroundings and what dangers they might bring.
Some may consider me overly cautious given this book is relatively innocent. However I believe that these types of romantic musings about nature and weather are where children begin to learn the idea that there is nothing to be cautious of in situations.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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Book Review: Goldilocks

Goldilocks 

by Laura Lam
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a sci-fi, space voyage with one distinct difference from usual; it’s all women. No men need apply. As a female this excited me to see female astronauts steal a spaceship and try to ‘save’ all of humanity. Unfortunately, as is often the case, Laura Lam takes it a bit too far. By the end of the book I was so over all of these women, discussion of fertility and babies, and their giant space egos. Proving that gender holds no sway over how confident someone is in their own opinion being right.

Future Set-up
This is a future vision of Earth where a version of Trump is US president, and boy does this guy hate women. He’s systematically removing us ladies from positions of power, or even from working at all. Thus we have five women who bond together to steal a spaceship and take over a mission to find sustainable life on another planet (as Earth is nearly toast). And so begins the non-stop feminist agenda. It’s a rhetoric that doesn’t work for me personally. I believe all types of people and personalities are needed to build a cohesive team; especially one that is manning a five-person spaceship to find humanity a new Earth-like planet.

Babies
Someone might accuse me of jealousy here based on what I’m about to say. I’m okay with that, as it might very well be true. I doubt I would have picked this book up if the blurb had made it clear that a large focus of the story would be about re-population, pregnancy in space, and babies/children in general. As a childless woman, sort of by choice (I have medical constraints and chose not to pursue surgery, IVF, etc), I love real life tiny babies, am okay with toddlers and kids until about 7-years-old. Then I’d rather handle a 16-year-old as I have difficulty relating to middle grade children.
When a book throws at me an obsession with whose had a baby and when, especially if I’m not prepared for it, then I tend to shy away. This is where Handmaiden’s Tale influences come into place in Goldilocks. I think there are some interesting concepts to develop here; but I just wish it was a lot less of the story.

New Planet and Warp Technology
I’d have rather focused on the science of what is needed for a new planet similar to Earth for us all to move to. There is some context; like growing food, different length of a day, sky being a different colour, etc. But mostly it’s fairly vague.
Secondly I’d have rather focused on how and why the warp drive works that makes them faster than the speed of light. And while I realize this is fictional I like getting into some of the nitty gritty dirt of these types of scientific ideas or concept.

Overall
Thus it's 3 stars for Goldilocks because the blurb was a bit misleading. I was wanting to read some space cowboys with women; not about too much estrogen in the bloodstream and how a woman may handle that in space and not babies in space. If that interests you then you'll probably really enjoy this. If you are looking for a solid space travel book, or the way to find a new planet for humans this is an okay book; if you want a fun space cowboy story you will not find it here.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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Book Review: The Unspoken Name

The Unspoken Name 

by A.K. Larkwood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Unspoken Name is a lesson in why beautiful prose just isn’t enough. This is a gorgeous story. It’s written in a vivid (albeit sometimes confusing language) with lots of world building and depth. A. K. Larkwood takes us on an elaborate, lengthy journey where years pass by allowing our characters to grow and change. There is a tension held just below the surface of the story that keeps you flipping pages and wanting to scream at characters to just do things (like kiss, even though the romance is subtle in this)! And yet I didn’t care about a single one of the people in the story; and thus the proof that beautiful prose and an elaborate fantasy story just aren’t enough.

Subpar Characters
I want to say I cared about our leading gal Csorwe, or the mage that saves her, or any of the numerous people they encounter over the years in this book; but I just didn’t. The opening (Part I and Part II) are interesting enough as we are learning the world (or if you’re me being confused by how the Maze works), encountering new religions, trying to decipher how to say things (there is a pronunciation guide at the start), and keep everything straight (there is also a cast of characters at the start). However as the book progress past those first 100 or so pages and Csorwe ages, develops her skills at being a thief, a spy and an assassin, I came to realize that she could live or die and I kind of didn’t care. The only reason to keep her around was that she was our main character and the story revolved around her.

Remote Location
A second critical error that Larkwood makes here is taking us from a vibrant, exciting small town with thieves, assassins, magic, competing religions and more; into a remote, boring planet with only 2 other people on it besides our leading lady and her perpetual (it seems) shadow of a partner (that she loves to hate). It was like going from Coruscant or Cloud City to Tatooine or Hoth; instead of the other way around. It just doesn’t have enough depth and excitement (no matter what monsters or magic are thrown at our characters) to compete with the cute little town we encounter early on in the story.

Debut Novel
It is worth noting that this is a debut fantasy novel. And so for a first publication in fantasy it is actually quite good. But to stand-up next to the many amazing novels written in fantasy over the last 20 years (or even just 10) there is more substance and emotional tie needed to the characters. The world, the magic, the fighting, the religion, and the constructs of society are all good enough to create a series from that is robust. I’m not opposed to reading the next of Larkwood’s books in this land as it is a very intriguing place (especially the Maze!); but I’d like to see Larkwood move into more of the grim dark genre that she teases with. A little more depth in the writing and substance are needed; and perhaps a bit more thought into some of the odd metaphors, similes, etc. are needed. This one in particular made me actually laugh out loud.

“He was white as a ghost, one-eyed, and handsome in the style of a shark.”

Not only did I laugh because I have no idea what it means; but because I couldn’t stop thinking of Chandler on Friends and his shark fetish! 

Overall
I did appreciate that The Unspoken Name didn't have a huge cliffhanger ending, and so if you wanted to try it out and not continue you’ll feel like you read a complete story. This is an interesting choice in a genre where large series are common. Many desire for stand-alone books (including myself) and yet when you put so much heart and time into the world developing it seems a shame to only use it once; and so I’m glad there will be more books and hope that Larkwood improves on what is a decent start.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review. 

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