As the weather starts to get better, there’s no excuse for not kicking back with a good book and enjoying the sunshine. Or at least the lack of biting winter wind. And if fantasy is your thing- and in particular stories about kick-ass women- then hello and welcome to this post! I’ve been getting stuck into some great reads over the last month and here I present to you some of the books I haven’t been able to put down.
Sistersong, by Lucy Holland
Think Celtic mythology with a healthy dash of family dysfunction. Sistersong is a gorgeously written book all about something you don’t tend to read too much about in fantasy: sibling relationships, especially the relationships between sisters. Sistersong takes us all the way back to Dark Ages Britain, and the embattled kingdom of Dumnonia, where sisters Riva, Keyne and Sinne are struggling to find thier place in a changing world. Riva has been terribly scarred in a fire; Keyne knows that she isn’t a woman but in fact a man; Sinne is waiting for a prince to come and sweep her away. All three girls can wield magic, but will it be enough to save them from the encroaching Saxons?
The book is actually based on a traditional folk ballad but Holland takes this source material and runs with it, weaving together history and fantasy into something rather unique, with shades of Madeleine Miller’s Circe. Holland spends time with each of our three heroines (each of whom have their own distinct narrative voice)- and their relationship feels simultaneously prickly and intimate, like real sisters- but by far the most compelling character is Keyne. who is what we would now call transgender. Her fight to be recognised for who she really is forms the heart of the book and definitely made her my favourite protagonist.
The plot is intricate and full of twists and turns, packing in politics, intrigue, the rise of Christianity (with the brilliantly evil local priest), romance and betrayal. With all that going on, it’s a wonder that the book makes sense, but Holland weaves her tale brilliantly and left me hanging on her every word, right up until the tragic ending.
Ballads/ 10: 8
Witherward, by Hannah Matthewson
From Ancient Britain to a take on Victorian Britain… welcome to Witherward!
Alternative Londons have been around for donkey’s years and yet I never get tired of reading about them. London is a city that’s so bursting with life and so rich with history that it’s easy to imagine it could be magical too. And that’s the case with Witherward. Here, the alternative London is a shadow city to Victorian London, and it’s bursting with magical factions and races with tensions that are rapidly reaching boiling point…
Our guide is Isla, a shapeshifting Changeling who is taken to Witherward after being targeted by a rival faction. There, she discovers that she’s related to the leader of the Changelings, Gedeon, who has mysteriously gone missing- and in his absence the city is in danger of falling into civil war. It’s a bold premise and Matthewson follows it up with reams of world-building, constructing a city where addicts co-exist alongside a fantastical underground cavern that telekinetic Psi have made their own. This blend of the gritty and fantastical lends a nice rounded feel to the whole story, which underpins Ilsa’s fairytale with dark undertones.
As far as plot goes, it absolutely romps along, teasing us with red herrings and introducing us to a revolving cast of interesting characters (the least interesting of which, sadly, is stereotypical love interest Eliot), all of whom seem to be absolutely gorgeous- but hey, that’s YA for you. Quibbles aside, though, this was a wildly entertaining book with an exciting premise. More please!
Londons/ 10: 7.5
Malice, by Heather Walter
Step aside Sleeping Beauty, it’s the wicked witch’s turn to shine!
I loved Malice from the start- even if I didn’t twig it was a retelling of Sleeping Beauty until about halfway through. That’s to its merit, though: the book more than stands on its own two feet, flipping the narrative and shaking up gender roles in a far more satisfying way than the original Sleeping Beauty ever managed to do.
Our (anti) heroine is Alyce, the last remaining descendant of the Vila, a race of monstrous fairies who had the power to destroy and warp thorough their magic. But she’s living in Briar, a kingdom that prizes beauty beyond everything and employs Graces- women granted special powers by their Fey neighbours- to improve the way customers sing, dance… even to change their eye colour. But Alyce is the Dark Grace, whose powers do the opposite: curse rivals, poison lovers.
And she’s about to be sucked into a political battle for power. The princess Aurora is cursed: if she doesn’t kiss her true love before her 21st birthday she will die. And she thinks Alyce can break the curse.
So, it’s a complicated premise, but it’s oh-so-readable. The chocolate-box setting of Briar can seem a bit cloying and YA to start with, but its ugly underbelly is soon revealed. Alyce is lonely, reviled by her fellow Graces and struggling to understand the scope of her Vila powers. Walter does a great job establishing her character: Alyce isn’t inherently likeable, but she is sympathetic, and Walter treads that line for most of the book- I honestly didn’t know if she was going to end up the villain, or the misunderstood hero. And Aurora provides the perfect foil to this: confident, outspoken, beautiful and warm.
Dark, exciting and unafraid to take chances, Malice is such a good read. If YA books, LGBT romances or fantasy is your thing, pick it up ASAP.
Curses/ 10: 9
The Roaring Bookworm 