Submerged by A.M. Deese
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
As book 2 of a series, readers will know, including myself, going in that there are characters and plot to remember. But I have to say: either my memory is terrible, it’s been far too long since I read book 1, or the prompts in the narrative to remind the reader are poorly implemented in Submerged. It took me until almost halfway through to feel like I had a sense for all our characters, locations, politics, etc. I suspect it’s a bit of all three contributors that led me to really struggle at the beginning. Now in fairness there is a large cast of characters, locations, politics, religions, etc. to contend with here. Yet I often read elaborate fantasy books and do not usually have as much trouble as I had here with A.M. Deese's second offering in the Dance of the Elements series.
Submerged continues immediately following book 1’s cliffhanger and takes no time at all to get ramped up. We are thrown back into the elaborate game of politics, war, and treachery that began in Ignited. Were the characters a bit more developed, and a little less cliché, Submerged could easily move from being in any sort of new adult category to straight-up fantasy. I think what Deese really needs is a strong fantasy editor; perhaps from Orbit or TOR to really nail down some character traits, facts, and world development. I’m not saying this will be Sanderson level quality (who is really?). With a couple rewrites and good editing there truly is a solid story and cast of antagonists and protagonists. These sentiments echo my thoughts on book 1. A really great editor could make this series so much more!
Finally, fair warning, there is an epic cliffhanger here just as there was in book one. As with many middle series books it feels (at times) that the story didn’t progress very far. Although, I do believe there is a resolution of sorts here; even if the cliffhanger makes you revolt a bit with its drive to pull the story into book three. I really enjoyed our two main gals (finally!) meeting one another (not a spoiler, it had to happen eventually for the series to progress), and felt that the romantic interests were tamed down and allowed the politics and plot to stand-out more. This was a huge plus for me as I usually can do with less romantic stuff in the average book marketed such as Submerged has been.
I hope Deese continues to promote and write her book series. Even if a part of me also hopes a bigger fantasy publisher steps in to give Dance of the Elements series a more fantasy texture and elevate it to the level I think it could be.
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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A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons
by Kate Khavari
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A relatively quick read that includes: mysterious poisons, embezzlement, historical showing of women being looked down upon, university professor culture, and an adorable little love story.
There's nothing too special here per say but if you like simpler mysteries or want something that won't bend your head around twenty times (the way some mysteries do today) this is a good choice.
There is not a lot of the 'thriller' genre here. A few briefly intense moments, including an almost sexual assault attack that left me feeling not only disgusted by the man in question; but also reminded that I am lucky we have any of the supports in place today (even if they are inadequate still) and aren't subject to whatever any man wants like back in the 1920's. Lots of chauvinistic pompous academia comments from men towards our leading lady. I do think it's a good representation of what it was like back then to struggle as a female scientist. And I do like that not all the men are portrayed as awful. There are at least two, probably more like four that have our leading girls best interest at heart and are trying to do what they can to watch out for her. Keeping in mind that "doing what they can" within the confines of respectable society (and that which will protect their own butts and careers) may not seem like much to some; however, it is again what was at least some sort of support back in the day. Our leading lady graciously notes this many times so as to remind the reader that the men of this time and place don't have to do anything for her (sadly).
Overall a good beach read; and a great little break to take between epic novels (if you’re like me and need that). A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons is a quicker read that should satisfy the average reader for a weekend or so. It is also fairly safe to lend out to others and recommend as it's interesting enough (who doesn't like learning about poisons!) without having too many trigger warnings like a WWII historical novel might.
I’ll certainly read the next in the series and would be interested in more starring our leading lady Saffron or other publications by Kate Khavari.
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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The Echo Wife
by Sarah Gailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Part thriller, part science fiction. If Michael Crichton and Lee Child had a book baby that was just a little bit of each style then it would be The Echo Wife. While immensely readable, fairly compelling, and an overall good read; I did find myself wandering a few times. One chapter would be all encompassing and them the next a bit boring. The pacing is just a touch inconsistent and that put this one down to four stars for me. But that's not to say that Sarah Gailey hasn't written a wonderful book; because they have. Overall I would classify The Echo Wife as accessible to a large group of readers that aren't just dedicated to one genre (not unlike the Da Vinci Code; but story is written a million times better).
Morality of Cloning
Cloning will always be an immensely interesting subject to me, and it will always be fraught with moral ambiguity. If you can recreate your spouse and tweak them just a bit wouldn't you want to? Many people would instinctively say 'yes'. Except that your new spouse isn't the same tissue or matter that they were before; and they are a little less human (perhaps), but very predictable. Gailey brings us this moral and scientific crisis into a home that is fraught with tension over having a baby or not, over obedience, and (to a certain degree) over professional jealously. I can first-hand attest that it's not a good idea to be in the same industry as your partner (especially the same job position). For a time my spouse and I were competing for the exact same jobs in the design industry; it was tolerable (and proved we do love one another by having excitement for one while disappointment for the other) but I wouldn't suggest it to anyone. Plus it's not a financially stable choice as if the industry tanks you are in trouble with two incomes up in the air. So eventually I swapped industries (totally by choice) and almost a decade later we are much more successful and happy. In the long run, don't do exactly the same thing as your spouse unless you are a tight-knit team together; and even then Gailey shows that you need to be very confident in that relationship.
Mental Manipulation
The next piece of The Echo Wife is a bit more complex and might turn some people off of the novel. There is a fairly significant piece of this novel that is about emotional and mental manipulation and abuse. How much will you do to make your spouse happy? And how much should you have to do to retain a relationship? Certainly work is involved in any happy coupling; but you should not fear for your life or well-being at any time. However, in our cloning context, if you know your partner can easily replace you with another iteration does that change things? If definitely gives a power balance unfairly in one direction. And this is what we see first-hand from two different perspectives (both of the abused woman) in The Echo Wife.
It's important to note a couple things here. One, Gailey has first-hand knowledge of what it feels like to be trapped in a relationship like this (as per her acknowledgements), and two they do an excellent job of representing the contrasting guilt and responsibility that many individuals are plagued with when they feel they are not upholding their side of a relationship. When that is always going to be untrue and manipulation is when the power balance is one-sided. Now that's not to say that there isn't an argument for when a coupling is not working; but wanting to permanently change or control your spouse is never going to be the answer. Never. And so I caution those with triggers for this type of behavior to be aware that the majority of the book does revolve around two controlling and manipulative relationships.
What is Identity?
Finally the third piece of The Echo Wife is the concept of identity. Gailey brings us into some very complex relationships. That between husband and wife (as discussed above), scientist and subject (clone or not), professional colleagues, and somewhere between all these spaces, friendship. Gailey asks questions about friendship in unbalanced power situations, comradery in professional capacities, and ultimately the final element needed for any relationship: trust. If I were to say that there is one message from The Echo Wife to focus on it's that your own perception of your identity including: where it comes from (internal or external), how you define it (your terms or others), and the importance of it to you (ego or id). Gailey is in a very unique position to discuss this at length, as an expert on the subject, identifying as non-binary. Gailey uses the pronouns they/them and embraced their true identity later in life. It's so encouraging to see someone who has struggled with identity share some of that in fictional characters that can help us (the reader) relate to ourselves. I found myself asking about how I validate myself, who I think I am, and why I think I am that person. These are all very pertinent questions for anyone to ask themselves; especially in today's external focused social media crazed world (where you can formulate an identity online without truly being that person).
Overall
I really want to give Gailey's thriller/sci-fi story five stars; and it really was sooo close. I can't quite pinpoint exactly what was missing or not quite there for me but I just didn't feel as compelled to read forward as I wanted to be (or felt I should be). But by no means would I discourage anyone from reading The Echo Wife. In fact this is an easy book to recommend. There is something here for almost everyone. The biggest concern I'd have in recommending this book is that someone may feel triggered by the very personal and emotionally charged mental abuse that is a great focus of this novel.
The Echo Wife is the type of book I will be recommending to my Mother, my friends, my colleagues, and so many others. Not only does it discuss very pertinent issues (such as mental abuse and identity) but it brings some current scientific laws (if you will) into question. I'd recommend picking up The Echo Wife and going on a journey of identity, morality, and reality. What is a living thing? What rights does someone have, and does it matter what that someone is made up of? Be ready to be challenged into considering how you define yourself first (even before you start defining others); and to ask yourself what would you have done given the crisis' presented to our characters (both the 'good' and 'bad' ones).
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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