RaveTor.com... touches on themes found in Wells’ book such as the morality surrounding science and religion, but it also touches on topics that Wells ignored, such as colonialism, racism, and how women struggled (and still struggle, frankly) to claim their own power and their own inherent worth in a world that treats them as less than human ... This isn’t happy stuff, but it’s Carlota’s love of Yaxaktun and the hybrids, as well as the others around her, that keep the story afloat. You find hope through Carlota’s strength, and you can’t help but be swept up in her journey as she struggles with the changing world around her and the inevitable pain that comes from realizing that some love comes with strictures on how she must act and, fundamentally, the role in life she is expected to play ... Through all of these characters, however, Moreno-Garcia weaves a story about how life is often hard and full of unwanted surprises, and how finding your own inner strength to face these challenges is as important as accepting help from those who love you, just as you are ... It’s a story you can get lost in, and it’s a tale whose bittersweetness will pull on your heart just enough for it to ache but will also leave you with hope that the characters are moving on to something better, no matter how hard getting there may be.
Nick McDonell
PositiveTor.comIn many ways, The Council of Animals is a whimsical story full of puns and fur-filled adventures. It is also, however, a book rife with references to philosophical ideas, moral quandaries, and very serious works ... If exploring the root of human nature isn’t your jam, however, there’s also fun asides about historical frameworks ... At its heart, The Council of Animals is a fun story, a tale that—on its surface—is a pleasant read. You don’t have to delve into the book’s many allusions or reflect too much on the story’s commentary about society to still enjoy the tale ... The ending is an interesting one, and one that could spark a thousand different conversations. But you can also close The Council of Animals and enjoy it simply as an entertaining read. Readers of almost all ages will get something out of it —it’s a fun story, after all. But it’s also a fable, and as a fable, it also comes with a message about human nature and modern-day society. Whether you care about that message or not, however, it’s still a book worth picking up, especially if talking animals are your thing.
Christopher Buehlman
PositiveTor.comKinch has a lot of voice—you can easily picture him in a tavern somewhere relaying his tale to a group of pleasantly soused patrons ... Kinch, a blacktongued thief indebted to the Taker’s Guild, starts his story when he and a group of fellow thieves try to rob the wrong Ispanthian warrior. The story moves on from there ... Kinch telling us about that journey. And just like how some late-night tavern talk might go, Kinch’s descriptions aren’t for the pearl-clutching or faint of heart ... That’s not to say that Kinch isn’t above killing someone who has done him wrong, but it’s his moments of mercy that may make readers care about him as well, making the novel more than just a fun, swear-laden read ... Buehlman also weaves in an impressive amount of worldbuilding throughout the book ... also treats fantasy fans to a plethora of magical beasts and creatures ... There\'s an ending that has enough closure to make it feel like a standalone book, something that can be hard to find in the first of a trilogy. There’s still enough unresolved, however, to warrant another tale or two from Kinch, and I’m sure there will be readers aplenty waiting and ready for it.
R. F. Kuang
PositiveTor.comThere’s nary a silver lining to find in The Burning God’s 560 pages, and those looking for a lighthearted book won’t find it here. What readers will get, however, is a gut-wrenching ride ... That is one of the strengths of The Poppy War books—they are at least as much about the characters as they are about the ramifications of war. Kuang, for example, is able to make us care about Rin even as she commits unforgivable atrocities ... Who is right and who is wrong is often (often, but not always) muddled in The Poppy War trilogy, and The Burning God is no exception to this. The book, however, goes beyond exploring the moral ambiguity war creates to ask whether it even matters who is ultimately right or victorious, if all that’s left at the end is death and devastation.
Natalie Zina Walschots
PositiveTor.comHench is similar to the comic book series and recent television adaptation of The Boys, where a corporate conglomeration uses superpowered people as (among other things) a product to sell to the masses ... Great superhero comics have long explored different themes and trends that impact our society. Hench also does this quite well, and uses the existence of superpowered people to show the well-explored comic book premise that superheroes and supervillains are two sides of a coin ... like many good books, reading Hench leaves you with questions and concepts that will linger after the last page is read ... Hench is rich enough to digest on its own, an enjoyable read whether you’re already a huge fan of superhero stories or new to the genre.
