and they have plenty to tell….
Daubed in gold and dipped in honey, Nghi Vo delivers a smooth and clever reimagination of an American classic tangling race, sexuality, magic, and class. I deeply enjoyed her sumptuously decadent writing, all the way until the party glamour dies and the gold drips its last luxury.
These Violent Delights do have violent ends indeed.... and Chloe Gong's debut masterfully sings their tune to the pandemonium of 1920s Shanghai where malice both monstrous and human swirl together in vicious harmony.
The Once and Future Witches is a a beautifully haunting, intricate tapestry best fit to tell the tale of sisterhood, justice, and the much, much righteous female rage.
While it is an alluring and eloquent tale of consequence, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue unfortunately falls to the trappings of immortality and struggles to resolve its story in a deeply satisfying way.
This is what happens when you throw in Les Misérables characters at their absolute worst outcome in a dark The Jungle Book retelling. It's not pretty. It's a fun summer read.
The Books are Rising 