TandeWrites

I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve read so far this year, and I want to spend a little more time talking about my favourite reads of the year so far and collect those thoughts in one place.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

As the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter, Marra escaped the traditional fate of princesses, to be married away for an uncaring throne. But her sister wasn’t so fortunate—and after years of silence, Marra finally realized that no one was coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself. On her quest, Marra is joined by the grave witch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the prince’s throat and frees Marra’s family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler.

There are so many elements here that make me feel like the book was written for me specifically, including this being a quest fantasy with a found family element, and also being fairytale-esque. It plays with fairytales in a way where we have the comfort and cosiness of the story with a dark thread running throughout it. I think that tonal dissonance might be off-putting for some readers, but I think the darkness is well-woven with the cosiness, and I greatly enjoyed reading it. It’s one of my favourite ways to see fairytales explored. It’s also not a retelling in any way that I can tell, just heavy on the fairytale vibes. The imagery and the setting were immaculately described, and the tone in places was almost blunt and very to the point, which was quite refreshing. This is my first T. Kingfisher read, and I am already deeply in love with her fantasy work and how unique the worlds are.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Effy is studying architecture, but her true passion lies in literature, and one book in particular: Angharad is a piece of folklore literature that is considered a modern-day classic in this world. It is the one piece of media that Effy feels entirely seen by. The author of Angharad passed away a few months before the start of this book, and Effy receives a mysterious letter inviting her to help redesign the late author’s manor after she won a contest. Obviously, she has to go. This guy is her favourite author, and this is her favourite book. But when she gets there, she discovers that the manor is crumbling into the sea. It is not fit to be restored by a first-year architecture student, and there’s another kid there named Preston from the literature college who is intent on proving that Angharad is not written by the person that we think it is.

I think that the character of Effy is resonating with a lot of people. She’s like other Ava Reid characters I’ve read in the sense that she’s an outsider to society and within her own life. She’s not like other Young Adult protagonists, and I don’t mean that in a derogatory ‘not like other girls’ way, but she’s not snarky, she’s not witty, I wouldn’t call her very strong or necessarily very brave, but I would call her a survivor. The strong writing style and these characterizations are what contribute to what I think is the strongest part of this book, which is the thematic elements of it. It is impressive how much Ava Reid was able to cover thematically with a relatively short book. This is a book about how men take advantage of women, how particularly academic systems will not change unless pushed and forced to change, and how people will endure difficult situations even if they get worse over time because it’s all that they know and they don’t see a way out. It is often a dark book, but I think it’s a very rewarding one.

Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews

High school senior Andrew finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality – Thomas, his best friend who turns his stories into whimsically macabre art. And, with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to boarding school, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more. But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas is haunted by something. Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster—Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator.

Drews has a gorgeous writing style. The prose is beautiful (which I already knew as an avid lover of their other works) and I’d absolutely be willing to try another book by this author with these horror influences just because of that. This book is hugely atmospheric and dreamlike (or nightmarish?) with hauntingly beautiful imagery that I have taken infinite screenshots of so I can read my favourite lines over and over again. The spectrum of representation in this story is refreshing and touches on themes of identity, mental health, and disordered eating. These are not easy topics to discuss with equal parts honesty and sensitivity, but they are important to talk about, especially for the young adult target audience.

Junker Seven by Olivie J. Kelley

Castor is a junker—a bounty hunter making a living off of collecting and selling valuable scrap. They live a quiet life, bouncing from job to job and not worrying about the brewing galactic rebellion. Except, when they get a job offer for an irresistible amount of money, they find themself embroiled much deeper than expected. Their task? To smuggle transgender activist Juno Marcus across the galaxy under the watchful eye of the Intergalactic Police Force and a propaganda-filled galaxy. It’s too dangerous to accept, but too valuable to refuse, and it doesn’t help that Juno herself is charming and beautiful. Agreeing drags Cas into a whirlwind race against those who want Juno dead to make it across the galaxy to safety, risking it all for a cause they can’t– or won’t– believe in.

‘Junker Seven’ was a book that, under most circumstances, I probably wouldn’t have picked up with eagerness because it’s science fiction, a genre that I usually don’t foray into except under extremely specific circumstances. It’s a romantic, queer sci-fi epic about changing the galaxy, one girl at a time, and honestly, I picked it up because I was a judge for the Indie Ink Awards where this book was a nominee, and it won’t stop consuming my social media feeds. And I’m glad I did pick it up because it was wonderful. It’s set in space. It’s T4T. There’s sapphic yearning. It has an autistic and disabled main character. It’s perfect.

Icarus by K. Ancrum

Icarus Gallagher is a thief. He steals priceless art and replaces it with his father’s impeccable forgeries. For years, the wealthy Mr. Black has been their target, revenge for his role in the death of Icarus’s mother. To keep their secret, Icarus adheres to his own strict rules to keep people, and feelings, at bay: Don’t let anyone close. Don’t let anyone touch you. And, above all, don’t get caught. Until one night, he does. Not by Mr. Black, but by his mysterious son, Helios, now living under house arrest in the Black mansion. Instead of turning Icarus in, Helios bargains for a friendship that breaks every single one of Icarus’s rules. As reluctance and distrust become closeness and something more, they uncover the bars of the gilded cage that has trapped both of their families for years. Icarus is determined to escape, but his father’s thirst for revenge shows no sign of fading, and soon it may force Icarus to choose the escape he’s dreamed of, or the boy he’s come to love.

Ultimately, ‘Icarus’ is a book about opening yourself up to weakness and vulnerability. There are so many books written about the weak learning to be strong, and less so about how hardening yourself to survive has a cost, and the bravery of beginning to remove that protection and allowing yourself to grow. But this one is a love letter to the value of emotional intimacy and human connection, as all Ancrum books are, and it never gets less heart-wrenching to read about.

Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao

Despite knowing she’ll never fall in love, Sophie enjoys running “Dear Wendy”, an Instagram account that offers relationship advice to students at Wellesley. When Jo―also a first-year student at Wellesley―created their “Sincerely Wanda” account, it wasn’t at all meant to be serious or take off like it does―not like Dear Wendy’s. But now they might have a rivalry of sorts. While tensions are rising online, Sophie and Jo are getting closer in real life, bonding over their shared aroace identities. As their friendship develops and they work together to start a campus organization for other a-spec students, can their growing bond survive if they learn just who’s behind the Wendy and Wanda accounts?

Dear Wendy is the platonic love story of my dreams. I’m always searching for more contemporary stories that explore the nuances and complexities of being aroace, and this was certainly it. This book is a platonic comedy with an exploration of a-spec identities and college life and teenager-y feelings, and is ultimately a love story about two people who are not―and will not―be in love. I loved that, while Sophie and Jo are both settled in their identities and this is a book about being aroace rather than discovering asexuality, they still had societal pressure induced insecurities and anxieties. It felt like a piece of my own life had been put onto the page.

So those are my favourite reads of the year so far. If you’ve read any of these and have opinions, or if you want to gush about your own favourite reads, let me know in the comments below.