Tor Books

Quick Thoughts on THE FIRST BRIGHT THING

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this first Wednesday of August? It’s hot, so Dad has been lazy and watching TV. Since I have very little will power, that means I have also been lazy and watching TV. Though I did recently finish a beat sheet (Save the Cat! style) for the unnamed cozy mystery (the winner of the poll from a few weeks ago), so I’m going to start writing again. Soon. Anyway, it’s late as I’m writing this, so I decided to do a mini-review of J. R. Dawson’s The First Bright Thing. I don’t usually review the books of people I know (because bias), but I sincerely enjoyed this one so much that I decided a small review sans spoilers wouldn’t hurt.

Plot: the beginning is kind of a slow burn, but seeing the life of the circus and getting to know the characters makes it worth the wait. I loved the intertwining timelines and how the focus starts super wide, but gradually narrows down. It highlights the idea that if you focus on too much at once, you miss the chance to change the little things. And little things can have the biggest impact. It’s also cool how everything comes full circle in the end.

Characters: there are cripple characters! And not token cripples there to tug on heartstrings. They just exist. Like people. It’s cool. Rin is even disabled in a way. But aside from that, the main characters are all fleshed out and interesting. As a lover of villains, I admit I’m partial to the Circus King. He’s a jackass and not good despite what he thinks, but I still want to hug him and squeeze him until all his insides are squished together. And no, I don’t know why I’m like this.

Writing: I love how Dawson incorporates details about the circus and theater and Jewish life in this book. I learned quite a bit and nothing felt like an info dump. It flowed naturally, which I appreciate.

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Overall, I gave The First Bright Thing 5 out of 5 stars. That’s rare, even for books by friends (maybe I’m a little harsh). But this one just gave me all the right feels. Now that I’ve read it, I can confidently say that if you like fantasy, circuses, and/or found family stories, you should try this one.

THE FIRST BRIGHT THING by J. R. Dawson

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! Today, we’re interrupting our regularly scheduled programming to shamelessly promote my friend/fellow Stonecoast alum, J. R. Dawson! Yesterday (06/13), her book, The First Bright Thing, was released by Tor. I’m super excited for her, so I wanted to let my little part of the world know that this book exists and you should buy it. I’m currently only two chapters in, but I’m loving the atmosphere and characters so far. I’m so proud of you, J. R.! As far as where everyone can get the book, obvious choices include Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but also check out your local bookstores and libraries. You can find J. R.’s website here with access to her social media and information about tour dates, etc. And you can add the book to your GoodReads here. Go! Get the thing!

Blurb:

If you knew how dark tomorrow would be, what would you do with today?

The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson is a spellbinding debut for fans of The Night Circus and The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue.

Welcome to the Circus of the Fantasticals.

Ringmaster – Rin, to those who know her best – can jump to different moments in time as easily as her wife, Odette, soars from bar to bar on the trapeze. With the scars of World War I feeling more distant as the years pass, Rin is focusing on the brighter things in life. Like the circus she’s built and the magical misfits and outcasts – known as Sparks – who’ve made it their home. Every night, Rin and the Fantasticals enchant a Big Top packed full with audiences who need to see the impossible.

But while the present is bright, threats come at Rin from the past and the future. The future holds an impending war that the Sparks can see barrelling toward their Big Top and everyone in it. And Rin’s past creeps closer every day, a malevolent shadow Rin can’t fully escape. It takes the form of another Spark circus, with tents as black as midnight and a ringmaster who rules over his troupe with a dangerous power. Rin’s circus has something he wants, and he won’t stop until it’s his.

Thoughts on THE ECHO WIFE

~ shawnaborman ~ 1 Comment

Hello, hello! I’m currently writing this review between power outages, so if it ends up being late, the power went out again before I could finish. If not, yay! And sorry if it’s a little shorter than usual because I’m rushing. Anyway, Jordan Hanley at Tor Books reached out through NetGalley to see if I’d be interested in reviewing The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey. It seemed like an interesting read, so I said sure. It was released yesterday (February 16th). As usual, I must thank NetGalley and Tor/Forge for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get to it!

Cute and simple cover.

The Echo Wife follows Evelyn Caldwell as she struggles to pick up the pieces after her marriage fails, all while diving head first into her work. Enter Martine, who just brings more problems. Throw in a betrayal from the closest thing Evelyn has to a friend, a dark past full of secrets, and an experiment gone so right that she can’t even talk about it, and that pretty much sums up Evelyn’s life right now.

Seems like a fun little plot, right? It is, but it’s also super predictable. She works in clone science, which is made clear from the beginning, so all of the major twists are super easy to see coming. Even Evelyn’s backstory is easy enough to figure out when she mentions that her dad’s been missing for years. It’s a fun story, but if you have even a basic understanding of sci-fi, you won’t be very surprised.

Basically.

The characters were a mixed bag. Evelyn realizes she’s selfish and stubborn, but seems oblivious to the fact that she killed her marriage the moment she decided to have an abortion without telling her husband (not really a spoiler as much as something mentioned in passing). She told him she was pregnant, but didn’t bother including him in a decision that affects both of them. She doesn’t communicate and she doesn’t really think of anyone but herself, even her incentives for helping Martine are selfish. For a smart woman, she’s far too stupid a lot of the time. I like Martine a lot more. She’s really sheltered, but wants nothing more than to live and learn. Everyone else is basically just there to explain why Evelyn is such a crappy person.

Otherwise, the writing was lovely and made for a quick read. Things moved at a nice clip and kept me interested. It wasn’t anything new or insightful, but it was fun watching Martine grow and change over the course of the story. I just wish Evelyn would’ve evolved a little more.

Me to Evelyn.

Ultimately, The Echo Wife was just okay. It doesn’t really encourage me to look for other books by Sarah Gailey, but it wasn’t bad by any means.

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Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. If you don’t mind unlovable main characters and want something sci-fi, check it out. If not, you aren’t missing much.

Thoughts on THE RAZOR

~ shawnaborman ~ 1 Comment

Hello, hello!  It’s the last Wednesday of November (can you believe it?), which means it’s time for another book review.  This month, I requested something a little different from my usual genres: sci-fi.  I watch a lot of sci-fi, but I don’t read much of it, so I decided to give it a shot.  Today, I’ll be talking about The Razor by J. Barton Mitchell.  It was published on the 27th by Tor Books, which is an imprint of Macmillan.  I must thank them and NetGalley for allowing me access to an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC).  Without further ado, let’s get to the review!

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I picked it because the cover caught my eye.

The Razor follows a group of prison inmates as they team up and learn to count on each other to survive after their jailers randomly up and leave the planet.  The main focus is on Flynn, a brilliant scientist who was framed for murder and subsequently sent to serve out the rest of his life on the Razor.  Along the way, he teams up with Key (a gang member who attempts to kill him), Maddox (a disgraced Ranger with nothing left to live for), Raelyn (a doctor who made a grave mistake), Zane (a government experiment gone rogue), and Gable (a mad scientist).  Sounds pretty routine for a sci-fi adventure, right?  It is.

The book is comprised of 3 parts totaling 78 relatively short chapters and clocks in at just under 400 pages.  I bring this up because the way the book is laid out makes it feel like a super fast read. Getting through 4 or 5 chapters a day may seem like a lot, but by the time I was done, it was 2 and a half weeks later.  I actually prefer a lot of shorter chapters when I’m reading because it makes that “just one more” urge more acceptable.  But don’t be fooled.  This isn’t a quick read.

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Okay, that’s a little dramatic.  But still.

As far as the story goes, it’s fast paced and has a lot going on.  The plot is interesting, but if you don’t pay attention it’s easy to get lost.  I had to reread some stuff a couple of times.  I’m no scientist, but some of the stuff going on seemed shaky at best.  If you’re willing to trust in the science as explained, it’s a fun story.  From a writing perspective, it’s well paced and engaging.  However, the POV shifts… a lot.  In earlier chapters, the POV shifts are pretty isolated with one character per chapter, but after everyone meets up, things shift back and forth within chapters and it gets a bit muddled.  Sometimes it took me a minute to realize “that thought was Key’s, not Flynn’s,” or whatever.

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It gets confusing.

My main problem with this book is the characters.  I feel nothing for them.  The plot moves so fast that there really isn’t time for character development, but if you watch any sci-fi, you get the gist of who they’re supposed to be.  It’s all pretty generic.  The only one I actually kind of liked is Zane, but even he feels like a cookie cutter character.  He just happens to be the type I gravitate toward.  Then, there is Gable.  I don’t particularly feel like she is necessary.  Everything she did could have been done by one of the others.  It mostly feels like she’s there to even out the number of females vs. males.

Ultimately, I enjoyed the story enough that I’ll check out book 2 when/if it comes out.  But if some major character development doesn’t take place, it’s the kind of story I’ll eventually get bored with.

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Overall, I’d rate it 3 out of 5 stars.  I like it, but it doesn’t impress me.  If you’re into sci-fi and enjoy a fast plot, pick it up.  If you like a better balance of characters and plot, this probably isn’t for you.