Book Reviews

Cyber warfare, citywide virtual reality recreations, AI applications, political and immigrant conflict, cadet academy and post-grade school placements, Chloe Gong’s novel Coldwire has a lot of fascinating elements going on. Marketed as a YA cyberpunk dystopian series debut, this book is full of excellent ideas with a story that mixes action with deeper social commentary. Though it possesses excellent material in theory, unfortunately the messy handling of its world-building and an assortment of storytelling shortcomings hold Coldwire back from being the exciting book by all accounts it should be. Set in a futuristic, technologically advanced world, the story has a dual-perspective presentation. Eirale is a contracted NileCorp soldier who is part of a response team firmly situated in Downcountry, aka the physical real world. Eirale’s team is assigned to capture an anarchist figurehead Nik Grant who is seen as a threat to both the country of Atahua as well as the NileCorp organization, a private business turned political asset who has developed a virtual reality recreation of the real world referred to as Upcountry. Meanwhile cadet-in-training Lia Sullivan attends the Nile Military Academy, a government mandated requirement for all orphaned children or wards from the opposing country Medaluo. The last…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Entangled: Mayhem Books. Like a flashback to the highs of the dystopian trend of the 2010’s, The Verdant Cage is an expertly crafted start to an utterly compelling new YA series. Taking the best elements of past dystopian works modernized and fused with fresh and green ideas, Jess Lourey takes the reader on a thrilling murder mystery story set within a lush valley surrounded by a foreboding and immense ancient wall. Featuring excellent plotting, great pacing, well-written and appealing characters, The Verdant Cage is a book that understands the assignment, delivering a satisfying and pitch perfect YA dystopian reading experience and an ending that leaves you eager for more! Born into the apothecary house, Rose Allgood has trained extensively in the art of healing, medicine, and caregiving. Living in the pleasant and rural Noah’s Valley, the village and surrounding forest are protected by staggering ancient walls built over a hundred years ago to protect them from the dangerous beasts and unknown threats outside. Warned to keep a low profile and abiding by the laws of the village, Rose has lived her whole life responsibly following the rules and what’s…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. Like the cake and other baked goods Calisa makes when she arrives at the isolated inn, Sarah Beth Durst’s YA book The Faraway Inn feels like it’s filled to the brim with all the right warm and cozy ingredients. Light magical whimsy, cottagecore aesthetic, dusty and neglected rooms, and an assortment of amusingly odd customers checked in for extended stays. While certainly cozy and devoid of anything remotely uncomfortable, the Faraway Inn is a book that some may find too safe and lacking a notable hook or spark compared to other similar reads. Following the recent betrayal and breakup with her boyfriend Ethan after she finds him cheating with another girl, a heartbroken Calisa seeks a mental and social reset during the summer break before her senior year of high school. She arrives at the Faraway Inn, a reclusive bed and breakfast in the Vermont wilderness and is shocked to find the once charming inn to be in a state of disrepair. To make matters worse, her Aunt Zee doesn’t even want her to stay or help at the inn,…

There are many ways one could describe Matt Dinniman’s scifi novel Operation Bounce House, but what I’ve settled on is “refreshingly brilliant”. A self-contained standalone satirical epic that mixes Dinniman’s signature over-the-top absurdity with a lot heart, this book is what Dungeon Crawler Carl was to the LitRPG swapped for Apex Legends with parallel metaphors encompassing the political tension of the last several years. Despite having a premise that sounds like a fever dream on paper, Operation Bounce House is an excellent scifi book with a lot of depth and substance, easily one of my favorite reads of the last few years. At a first glance, Operation Bounce House is a book of seemingly endless contradictions that somehow works through sheer audacity and confidence. While its synopsis and book blurb has a lot going on, when stripped of its flashy styling and scifi jargon, the story is essentially one of government sanctioned genocide. If that is a turnoff, bear with me for a sec before throwing in the towel. Taking place on the distant planet of New Sonora, Oliver Lewis is one of many humble agricultural farmers whose ancestors several generations ago were sent as settlers to colonize the planet…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Atria Books. Mixing existential discussions and human feelings with dystopian AI themes and fears, Glenn Dixon’s the Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances is a thoughtful and compact speculative fiction novel that is as charming as it is bleak. Initially cozy before transitioning to its more cautionary back-half, this book is a highly accessible and quick read that carries the spirit of Thomas M. Disch’s the Brave Little Toaster aged up and modernized. Inspired by yet very much its own creation and story, this is a cute novel for those looking for a concise speculative fiction read. Presented through multiple POV’s that include multiple humans and a smart vacuum cleaner named Scout, the Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances introduces the reader to the elderly couple Harold and Edie Winters who have an unassuming house in a residential suburb. The early chapters follow Scout and her fellow smart appliances and devices in the house observing an ailing Edie slowly succumb to her illness as Harold continues his best efforts to comfort her. Despite the somber circumstances of Edie’s declining health, the first half of the book has a distinctly cozy and…