Book Review: Claw the System: Poems from the Cat Uprising by Francesco Marcuiliano

Title: Claw the System: Poems from the Cat Uprising

Author: Francesco Marcuiliano

Genre: Humor

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing - Copyright 2018

Read: August 30, 2018

Disclaimer: I received a digital advance reader copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: Cats are done with humans' crap. For too long they have put up with baby talk, the humiliation of holiday costumes, and the social injustice of being told, "No." They will not sleep through this anymore. We humans have woken the beast, and in this book they have gathered together to reclaim their voice, loudly and repeatedly until we pay attention. Watch the uprising unfold, through anthems such as "Redefine Terms," "Accepted," "Decide," "A New Dawn," and "Just What Do You Think You're Doing?" Show support for your feline friends and try to understand why they're so spitting mad.

Review: Claw the System is a fun, quirky book of poetry from a cat's point of view. Francesco Claw the System is a must-read for any cat lover.
Marciuliano has knack for capturing the snarky, apathetic vibe of cats who still believe they should be worshipped as gods. Filled with brilliant photos of adorable kittens and adult cats doing what they do best--napping, jumping, and ignoring their humans--

Review at a Glance:

Concept: A+
Execution: A
Writing Style: A
Characters: A
Reader Connection: A
Overall Grade: A
Would I Buy This Author Again: Absolutely!

Review: Annihilation - Book vs. Film

Title: Annihilation (Book 1 of the Southern Reach trilogy)

Author: James VanderMeer

Genre: Science Fiction/Horror

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers - Copyright 2014
Read: March 2018; July 2018

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Theatrical Release Date: February 2018
Director: Alex Garland
Starring: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gena Rodriguez, Tuva Novotny, Oscar Issac
Studio: Paramount

Disclaimer: I purchased an audio book of this title through Audible.com and rented the film adaptation via Amazon.com Prime Video with no offers of compensation from the author, publisher, or movie studio.  The following review reflects a comparison of both the book and the movie adaptation. All opinions are my own.

Book Synopsis: Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has

reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization, and the government is involved in sending secret missions to explore Area X. 

The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; all the members of the second expedition committed suicide; the third expedition died in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another; the members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within months of their return, all had died of aggressive cancer. 

Annihilation opens with the twelfth expedition. The group is composed of four women, including our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain and collect specimens; to record all of their observations, scientific and otherwise; and, above all, to avoid succumbing to the unpredictable effects of Area X itself. What they discover shocks them: first, a massive topographic anomaly that does not appear on any map; and second, life forms beyond anything they’re equipped to understand. But it’s the surprises that came across the border with them that change everything—the secrets of the expedition members themselves, including our narrator. What do they really know about Area X—and each other?

Review and Comparison: Before watching the movie, I listened to the audio book of James VanderMeer's Annihilation. My overall impression of the book can be summed up thusly:

What the fuck did I just spend six hours listening to?

Initially I found the book interesting. A mysterious "cataclysm" has created an area where the laws of nature have been suspended. People enter Area X but few return, and those who do return are altered

in some deep-seated way and die soon after their return. I thought I'd be encountering weird alien-like lifeforms through the narrator's point of view, but instead I listened to hours of confusing and vague descriptions of the narrator's surroundings, companions, and inner thoughts. Guilt over never truly connecting with her husband colors most of her observations and becomes tedious after the second hour.

Area X, in the book, is never full revealed. The narrator, known only as The Biologist, spends much of her time wondering what happened to her husband and arguing with the leader of the expedition, a woman known only as The Psychologist. The reader is supposedly reading the field notes/journals of The Biologist that has been recovered by a future expedition to Area X. For a biologist who claims to love observing new habitats and the creatures that dwell within them, she's not terribly observant in the book, or at least fails to make suitable notes regarding the nature of Area X's transformation from a familiar landscape to something that is supposedly alien. She also fails to remark on the strangeness of the wildlife beyond to say the few creatures she encounters are "familiar and yet changed in a fundamental way." 

This confusion and vagueness are captured in the film adaptation, but there are major differences between the book and movie. In the book, Area X is surrounded by some type of border, but it's never seen nor described. In the movie, this boundary is called "The Shimmer" and looks like a vertical oil slick when it's shown. In the book only four women enter Area X: The Biologist, The Psychologist, The Anthropologist, and The Surveyor. A fifth member of the expedition, The Linguist, doesn't enter Area X because she doesn't pass the required basic training. In the movie, five women enter Area X, and these women aren't stripped of their names as they are in the book. 

The movie shows a strange diversity within Area X that suggests crossbreeding between species that 

should never even encounter one another much less mate and produce offspring. There is beauty within the transforming landscape, as seen in the riot of colorful flowers and strange animals that also seem to be part plant, but there is also horror lurking in the shadows. The strangeness of the area and whatever is causing it to transform soon begins to take its toil on the group, and they start to distrust and turn on one another, just as previous expeditions reported.

One element that remains the same between the book and the movie is the central focus of The Lighthouse. Secrets are hidden within The Lighthouse and are ultimately revealed to The Biologist but in different ways. In the book, she discovers a trove of journals from prior expeditions that suggests far more than twelve expeditions have entered Area X to study it and try to determine the source of its power. However, in the film, she discovers a camera that has recorded a shocking moment that throws her entire world into chaos. From this point forward in the movie, the utter weirdness and confusion ramps up to a total WTF moment that coasts to the ending and leaves the viewer with far more questions than answers. 

I've purposefully written this review and comparison to avoid revealing spoilers for anyone who may want to read the book or watch the movie. Normally, I hold the opinion that the book is better than the movie because there is only so much information and plot that can be folded into the average two hour film. Books usually contain far more character development, plot, and world building. However, I have to reverse my opinion for Annihilation. The movie carried a better plot and development of character than the book. My enjoyment of the movie was colored by my frustration and disappointment in the book, and I wish I had watched the movie before reading the book...or skipped the book altogether. 

Annihilation is the first book in the Southern Reach trilogy. Perhaps VanderMeer explains more of Area X's origins and the effects it has on those who enter its borders in the subsequent books. However, I don't plan to continue with the trilogy. I had hopes at the beginning for a science fiction thriller with a dash of horror, but all I got was a nearly incoherent mess of navel gazing, slapdash character development, half-assed plotting, and lackluster world building. 

Book Review at a Glance:

Concept: B+
Execution: C+
Writing Style: C+
Characters: C+
Reader Connection: C
Overall Grade: C
Would I Buy This Author Again: Unlikely

Review: Children of Blood and Bone by Toni Adeyemi

Title: Children of Blood and Bone

Author: Toni Adeyemi

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. - Copyright 2018

Read: March 2018; July 2018

Disclaimer: I purchased a hardcover copy of this book via Amazon.com as well as an audio book through Audible.com with no offers of compensation from the author or publisher. The following review reflects a combination of both the hardcover book and the audio book. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: 
They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

Review: Toni Adeyemi's debut novel burst onto the book scene in March 2018, and has been going strong ever since. Initially I bought the hardcover version of the book for the cover, which is awesome! Then I got excited because of all the buzz I kept hearing about it so I had to start reading it.

I loved Adeyemi's writing, and the voice she gave Zelie was that of a strong, independent young woman who wasn't going to let anyone or anything stand in her way. Another aspect I loved about Children of Blood and Bone was the unique magical system based on traditional West African religious beliefs and mythology. Outside of L.A. Banks's Neteru series have I encountered such an original spin on magic and the consequences for those who wield it.

As Zelie's world unfolded upon the pages, I was enthralled. I loved her spirit. I loved the action packed onto the page. I loved the attention to detail in the world building. I was feeling really good about the book. Then I had some personal setbacks, and I had to set the book aside for a time, but I kept thinking about it. Eventually, I did return to Zelie's story but in the form of an audio book. The excellent narrator for the book added another layer to the story, and I remembered why I loved Zelie.

But then something happened about midway through the book. I'm not certain what happened, why, or how, but Zelie lost her luster. The spirit I loved in her started to slowly die. Even though she remained active and determined to free her people from the oppressive state in which they lived, her spark diminished as other characters began to share more of the page until by the end of the story I was in a serious state of dislike for Zelie.

Yes, there are some heavy themes throughout the book--most notably the treatment of minorities by the supposed majority and the unfairness of such a brutal system. I'm not unsympathetic to the real-world equivalents, and I know from experience that when a person is constantly belittled and berated that it takes a toll on the mind, body, and spirit. However, I felt that the drastic cooling of Zelie's inner fire--the very thing that made me admire and love her--perhaps went a little too far.

I'm still on the fence as to whether I'll continue with the series for this reason. As the time draws closer for the second book to launch, perhaps I'll re-read Children of Blood and Bone and I'll feel differently. For now, I can say that, overall, I did enjoy the book, and I think Adeyemi has a bright future ahead of her.

The second book in the Legacy of Orisha series, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, will be published in March 2019.

Review at a Glance:

Concept: A
Execution: A
Writing Style: A
Characters: B+
Reader Connection: B+
Overall Grade: A
Would I Buy This Author Again: Undecided but leaning toward "yes."

Review: The Good Demon by Jimmy Cajoleas

Title: The Good Demon

Author: Jimmy Cajoleas

Genre: YA Fantasy/Horror

Publisher: Amulet Books - Copyright 2018
Publication Date: September 18, 2018

Review Copy Source: Edelweiss+ 

Read: August 8, 2018

Disclaimer: I received a free digital advanced review copy of the book reviewed below in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: Clare has been miserable since her exorcism. The preacher that rid her of evil didn’t understand that her demon—simply known as Her—was like a sister to Clare. Now, Clare will do almost anything to get Her back. After a chance encounter with the son of the preacher who exorcised her, Clare goes on an adventure through the dark underbelly of her small Southern town, discovering its deep-seated occult roots. As she searches for Her, she must question the fine lines between good and evil, love and hate, and religion and free will.

Review: Jimmy Cajoleas captures the spirit of teenage girl angst in Clare, a girl struggling to find her way in both her small Southern town and the larger world. Clare’s home life is less than perfect with a mother and stepfather who are both more interested in the contents of a bottle or where to find their next high. The death of her biological father continues to haunt her, and a lack of friends completes
Clare’s isolation. This is where the demon known only as Her comes into play. 

Clare and Her are literally inseparable from an early age until an incident reveals Her’s presence, and Clare is subjugated to an exorcism and loses Her. Clare’s isolation grows daily as she mourns the loss of her only friend. However, Clare soon finds herself at the center of a decades old mystery surrounding the disappearance of another teenage girl, the suspicious death of a teenage boy, a secret society at the dark heart of town, and a budding romance with the son of the preacher who performed Clare’s exorcism.

To say Clare’s life is complicated is an understatement, but Cajoleas handles the multiple threads with deft skill, weaving a complex tapestry worthy of the Southern Gothic tradition. Mystery, romance, horror, and dark humor all come together to tell Clare’s story and reveal the corrupted heart of a small town. The Good Demon asks multiple questions regarding the nature of good and evil, the line between dogma and free will, the boundary between dependence (childhood) and independence (adulthood), but most importantly, what defines a friendship.

Easily one of the best novels I’ve read so far this year, I highly recommend The Good Demon to anyone who enjoys young adult horror mixed with a healthy dose of dark humor. I read this book--cover to cover--in one day. I couldn't put it down! If you like dark fiction, read this book. Seriously. Read it.

The Good Demon hits the shelves September 18, 2018.

Review at a Glance:

Concept: A+
Execution: A+
Writing Style: A+
Characters: A+
Reader Connection: A+
Overall Grade: A+
Would I Buy This Author Again: Absolutely!

Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Title: The Cruel Prince (Book 1, Folk of the Air series)

Author: Holly Black

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers - Copyright 2018

Review Copy Source: Purchased via Audible.com

Read: May 16-19, 2018

Disclaimer: I purchased the copy of this book that is reviewed here and have received no compensation from the author or publisher. All opinions are my own.

Review: Before I dive into my review of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black,

allow me to provide the description as provided by the publisher:

"Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever. 

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe. 

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him--and face the consequences. In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself."


Now, with that little piece of business out of the way, here is my unbiased, totally professional review...



From the moment I began listening to The Cruel Prince, I was hooked. Holly Black is a master world builder, and she certainly proves it here. There are a plethora of Fae- and Fairy-based books and series available in the young adult fantasy market, and at times they seem to overlap in their mythologies. For example, Black and Sarah J. Maas (author of the Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses book) both seem to pull inspiration from Celtic myths. Both authors have protagonists who are human, or who at least appear human, trying to survive in worlds in which they are ill-equipped to deal with the magic-wielding, physically stronger, and long lived Fae/Fairy who surround them. However, The Cruel Prince doesn't seek to change the fundamental humanness of Jude because it's her humanness is her greatest strength.

The embodiment of Cardan's and Jude's interaction.
Original artist unknown - Source: Pintrest.com

Cardan, the literal cruel prince of the story, hates Jude...or does he? There is certainly chemistry between the two and a helluva lot of tension and even animosity, but each have their own strengths and weaknesses. One weakness they have in common is the other. Jude starts as a strong character who continues to gain in strength and power throughout the book. Cardan is no slouch, though. He is the embodiment of the bad boy you hate to love.

The multiple strands of deceit and manipulation that run throughout the story kept me guessing until the very end, and then when the Big Reveal was made, it was something that hadn't even crossed my mind as a possibility. And yet, it made complete sense, but it wasn't until that moment I realized exactly how well Holly Black had set up the strands and tied them together in a satisfying way that still left me hungry for the next book.

The Cruel Prince is an automatic "must read" recommendation from me, and I can't wait until the sequel, The Wicked King, drops in January 2019.

Review at a Glance:

Concept: A+
Execution: A+
Writing Style: A+
Characters: A+
Reader Connection: A+
Overall Grade: A+
Would I Buy This Author Again: Absolutely! *crying* Why must I wait soooooo long for a sequel?