Tiny Navajo Reads ARCs: Whispers of Shadow & Flame

Whispers of Shadow & Flame by L. Penelope

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*Published October 1, 2019*

I received this ARC from NetGalley. This in no way affects my thoughts on the book or the following review.

This was so good! And it’s the second in a series, which I did not expect to be able to understand, but it’s enough of a stand alone that it can be read without any previous knowledge.

The Mantle that separates the kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar is about to fall. And life will drastically change for both kingdoms.

Born with a deadly magic she cannot control, Kyara is forced to become an assassin. Known as the Poison Flame in the kingdom of Lagrimar, she is notorious and lethal, but secretly seeks freedom from both her untamed power and the blood spell that commands her. She is tasked with capturing the legendary rebel called the Shadowfox, but everything changes when she learns her target’s true identity.

Darvyn ol-Tahlyro may be the most powerful Earthsinger in generations, but guilt over those he couldn’t save tortures him daily. He isn’t sure he can trust the mysterious young woman who claims to need his help, but when he discovers Kyara can unlock the secrets of his past, he can’t stay away.

Kyara and Darvyn grapple with betrayal, old promises, and older prophecies—all while trying to stop a war. And when a new threat emerges, they must beat the odds to save both kingdoms.

An excellent introduction into a world where people have Songs that granted them the ability to manipulate the elements, Darvyn and Kyara are on opposite sides of a war, where Songs are prohibited and stolen from the people to augment the powers of a corrupted king. As Darvyn works to free his people and stand up against those who are oppressing the commoners, Kyara is the king’s top assassian, a woman whose Song is so very different from those around her. Instead of life, her Song creates death. And without full control, Kyara’s Song has catastrophic consequences.

As they come together and work to free each other from their chains, we see the world through the eyes of others and how the very minutiae of this world’s political aspects has devastating consequences for all those involved.

This book was so good, and it being the second in a series, I had no troubles or issues following along with the story, the world that was created, or the characters. I loved how well-rounded Darvyn and Kyara were, as well as being able to see the world through the eyes of others who are involved in some way, shape, or form. They don’t all interact with one another, but you do see a ripple effect come through when a character does one thing that affects another.

Because of this book, I do wish to read the first one now, as well get my hands on whenever the third one comes out.♦

Tiny Navajo Reads: The War Outside

The War Outside by Monica Hesse

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*Published September 25, 2018*

I actually read this book for a book club that I’m hosting for teens at my library for tomorrow. It was a surprising good book. Yes, it’s a Sequoyah Award winner, which is part of the reason why it was picked, as well as why I shouldn’t have been surprised by how good it was.

A novel of conviction, friendship, and betrayal.

It’s 1944, and World War II is raging across Europe and the Pacific. The war seemed far away from Margot in Iowa and Haruko in Colorado–until they were uprooted to dusty Texas, all because of the places their parents once called home: Germany and Japan.

Haruko and Margot meet at the high school in Crystal City, a “family internment camp” for those accused of colluding with the enemy. The teens discover that they are polar opposites in so many ways, except for one that seems to override all the others: the camp is changing them, day by day, and piece by piece. Haruko finds herself consumed by fear for her soldier brother and distrust of her father, who she knows is keeping something from her. And Margot is doing everything she can to keep her family whole as her mother’s health deteriorates and her rational, patriotic father becomes a man who distrusts America and fraternizes with Nazis.

With everything around them falling apart, Margot and Haruko find solace in their growing, secret friendship. But in a prison the government has deemed full of spies, can they trust anyone–even each other?

I think was so good about this book was it brought forth some (to me) unknown history of the concentration camps during World War II. I knew there were Japanese internment camps near the West Coast, but I didn’t know that there were Enemy Alien Camps. This book is focused on the two girls and their families as they try to figure out why they are in the camp in the first place. There is Haruko, a first generation Japanese girl whose father was taken by the FBI and they are now following him to Crystal City; Margot, a German girl whose mother is deteriorating and her father is becoming a part of the Nazi party.

As Margot and Haruko slowly become friends, they learn that there is more to being friends than just being in the same place at the same time. But when disaster strikes the camp, the girls are turned against each other and they look to their families for survival.

This book gives a peek into what it may have been like to live in one of these cities, an internment camp; forced to go somewhere because your government is afraid of you because of your heritage. I was glad to read this book, if just to learn a little bit more about the history that hidden from the textbooks.

What do you find interesting about history? What have you learned that you feel you should have learned in school? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: Nightshade City

Nightshade City (Nightshade Chronicles #1) by Hilary Wagner

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*Published October 1, 2010*

For those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you know that I’ve had this particular book on my TBR list. And I finally read it! I do believe it was worth it, but I’m not completely sure that it’ll be one that I’ll read again, but it was a good book.

Deep beneath Trillium City, a modern metropolis, lies the Catacombs, a kingdom of rats of extraordinary intelligence and ability. The once peaceful and democratic colony has become a harsh dictatorship ruled by the High Minister Kildeer and his henchman, Billycan, who runs the Kill Army and collects weekly Stipend from the terrified subjects. The two of them rule with iron fists. With most of the adult rats wiped out in Killdeer’s Bloody Coup and the subsequent great flood, orphaned young male rats are forced into the army and the females into servitude or worse. But change is coming. . . .

Two orphan brothers, Vincent and Victor Nightshade, sons of a hero killed in the Bloody Coup, manage to escape from the Kill Army and meet up with Juniper Belancourt, leader of a rebel group seeking to overthrow their oppressors and restore peace and democracy in a new city. The brothers are quickly caught up in Juniper’s cause: “We survive by cover of night. We live in the shadows, waiting for our redemption! Our name must symbolize our burning spirit. . . . Tonight and forever, we are Nightshade City!”

Juniper’s plans are complicated by many factors. His lovely young niece Clover has been picked by Killdeer to be his next Chosen One, so the rebels and their allies the Earthworms must work fast to save her. Can the rebels locate their enemies’ War Room? Can Juniper’s former love, now holding a position in Killdeer’s Ministry, be trusted? Will the rebels be able to execute their plans without the aid of a young Topsider (human)? And how will Vincent and Victor fare in battle will they honor their father’s legacy of courage?

This book, to me, feels like the Redwall series and the Secret of NIMH movie got together and had a baby. I mean, that sounds simply marvelous, especially if you love stories of animals that are essentially human. In this book, it is darker than most Redwall books so it’s more Secret of NIMH, along with the intelligent animals that reside in a human world.

In this book, we are dropped right in the middle of a world that has been taken over by a tyrant. A world that has decayed and those who are oppressed are just trying to survive. In another city, a new city full of those who were overthrown in the original coup, there is planning to save all those under the tyrant’s rule. To provide a new life, a life that was supposed to be before their world was overthrown, the rats must work to do all they can to save their city.

I can’t really talk a whole lot about this book without giving a whole lot more away, but I do recommend that you read it. It’s a great adventure book that carries hints of the Secret of NIMH. What sorts of books carry themes from other media that you’ve noticed? Do you like it when a book does that? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: The Night Masquerade

The Night Masquerade (Binti #3) by Nnedi Okorafor

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*Published January 16, 2018*

The final book in the Binti series, we see what has happened to cause essentially another war between the Meduse and Khoush, the violence now touching Binti’s family and the Himba.

The concluding part of the highly-acclaimed science fiction trilogy that began with Nnedi Okorafor’s Hugo- and Nebula Award-winning BINTI.

Binti has returned to her home planet, believing that the violence of the Meduse has been left behind. Unfortunately, although her people are peaceful on the whole, the same cannot be said for the Khoush, who fan the flames of their ancient rivalry with the Meduse.

Far from her village when the conflicts start, Binti hurries home, but anger and resentment has already claimed the lives of many close to her.

Once again it is up to Binti, and her intriguing new friend Mwinyi, to intervene–though the elders of her people do not entirely trust her motives–and try to prevent a war that could wipe out her people, once and for all.

Don’t miss this essential concluding volume in the Binti trilogy.

In this final book, we see Binti work with her newest friend Mwinyi from the Desert People, to hopefully, finally bring peace to the Meduse and the Khoush. Unfortunately, when things start to come to a head, violence fall upon her family, Binti is far from home. By the time she gets back home, things have been destroyed, both for the Himba and for Binti.

While her elders don’t quite trust Binti because she no longer looks or acts Himba, they let her act as an intermediary between the Meduse and the Khoush. But not everyone is willing to let go of their hatred and someone shoots during the peace negotiations. Things go south and Binti is taken from her home again. I won’t spoil the ending, but it continues the themes of the past two books of change and accepting that change and how change is not always a bad thing.

What do you think of science fiction? Do you enjoy it or not? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: Library Wars, Vol. 6

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 6 by Kiiro Yumi

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*Published September 6, 2011*

I think what I like most about school/real life anime is that they do Valentine’s Day and I love seeing how much people freak out and I love seeing the difference in how it is celebrated. In Japan, the way I understand it is that Valentine’s Day itself (Feb. 14) is for girls to give chocolate to the boys they like, then on White Day (March 14-ish) boys reciprocate by giving chocolate back to the girls. So I just find it fun when a manga/anime does a Valentine’s Day mini-arc.

In the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable. The libraries vow to protect their collections, and with the help of local governments, form a military group to defend themselves–the Library Forces!

It’s Valentine’s Day, and Iku’s hopes are dashed when Dojo, the guy she’s been crushing on–and who’s her Library Force superior!–receives an elegant box of chocolates from another woman. Romantic intrigue strikes the whole team as Shibazaki meets a would-be suitor and confides in Iku about her tortured love life. And it seems that Hikaru is being followed by someone from his past…

I think that besides having Kasahara spy Dojo supposedly receiving elegant chocolate for Valentine’s Day, we get to know more about Shibazaki in this volume. We learn a little bit more why she acts the way that she does, but that she truly does see Kasahara as a friend and wants to be as close to her as a friend can be. I also like that we see some division within the library now when it comes to an article in a magazine. Yes, the library has to protect the magazine and make sure that it’s not picked up by the Media Betterment Committee, but at the same time, they are not sure whether the article in the magazine should be distributed to the public.

For someone who works in a library, without an MBC watching over them, it’s interesting to see how the politics in a library can lead to a library questioning its purpose, which is to provide all information for everyone. Not certain information for certain people.

What do you guys think of something like this happening in your local library? How do you feel about your local library? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: Skyward

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

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*Published November 6, 2018*

Thank you again to Clovis, my awesome Sanderson-loving coworker, who brought this fully to my attention. The main reason I read this one is that he wanted me to kind of vet it for him. I was planning on reading it anyway, just not as soon as I did, which was as soon as our library’s copy came in. He even held it behind the desk for me so that I could be the first person to check it out. And while not a part of the Cosmere, as far as I can tell, this is still a spectacular young adult book about space and learning about yourself.

Spensa’s world has been under attack for hundreds of years. An alien race called the Krell leads onslaught after onslaught from the sky in a never-ending campaign to destroy humankind. Humanity’s only defense is to take to their ships and combat the Krell. Pilots are the heroes of what’s left of the human race.

Becoming a pilot has always been Spensa’s dream. Since she was a little girl, she has imagined soaring above the earth and proving her bravery. But her fate is intertwined with that of her father–a pilot himself who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, leaving Spensa’s chances of attending Flight School at slim to none.

No one will let Spensa forget what her father did, but she is determined to fly. And the Krell just made that a possibility. They’ve doubled their fleet, which will make Spensa’s world twice as deadly . . . but just might take her skyward.

I loved this new world that Brandon Sanderson has brought! A colony of humans trapped on a planet, beneath the surface where they must struggle to grow larger than a few hundred in one settlement. But for Spensa, this is a world that suffocates her. She wants to fly, be a pilot, like her father before her. We also see her father’s death has intertwined into her own fate and it causes Spensa to not only feel tension at the mention of her father but doubts about herself as well.

I love that we can see Spensa and her flight grow together and become more than what anyone thought they could be. With this being a war though, and a war fought in space, Spensa and her flight experience loss. A loss that they have never had to deal with before and one that teaches them they cannot take their lives for granted. We also see Spensa confront the death of her father in a way that she was not able to before, especially when she finds out more about his death. We see her rage not only at the world, but at herself, the Flight Academy, and her father. We also see her learn to control that rage and do what she does best, which is fly!

What are some of your favorite reasons to read? Do you read every book of a particular author? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: Library Wars, Vol. 3

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 3 by Kiiro Yumi

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*Published December 7, 2010*

I read all the volumes of Library Wars while visiting family for Christmas. I needed something to read and my library had all the copies on Overdrive, so I was able to read all of them! So much fluff and love and war! So great!

In the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable. The libraries vow to protect their collections, and with the help of local governments, form a military group to defend themselves–the Library Forces!

Iku is witness to a disturbance during a Board of Education speech on protecting children from the danger of books. The perpetrators are two young boys protesting the banning of their favorite books. But while Iku wants to reach out to the next generation of book lovers, Dojo insists that they can’t play favorites. Will Dojo’s prickly insistence on sticking to the rules ruin their budding friendship?

In this volume, we see more of why Kasahara wants to protect the library. There are two kids that wish to protest the restrictions adults are placing on them and what they can read, and Kasahara wishes to encourage this. Instead of setting off fireworks, they (the Library Task Force) help the kids present at the protest forum being held at the library. It goes to show you that you can help others fight for their rights in the correct manner and still be able to have a voice in the crowd.

Do you guys use your public libraries? Why or why not? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: The Poppy War

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

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*Published May 1, 2018*

Oh. My. Gosh!!! This was so good! I saw it a lot on BookAce’s Tumblr blog a few months back and I finally got around to reading and I’m so glad that I did! Oh!!! Just so good!! Anyway, onto the review!

Fang Runin does what no one believes she should be able to do; she aces the Keju, the Empire-wide test that finds the most talented youth to learn at the academy for the future of the military. She gets into Sinegard, the highest military academy in the Nikan which is even a bigger surprise. As Rin learns though, not all surprises are good.

Targeted from the beginning for being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south who somehow made it in Sinegard, Rin learns that there is more for her to learn that about military strategy. She learns that she has an unnatural and uncontrolled shamanistic ability. As she explores the depth and tries to master her control with help of a possibly insane teacher, Rin learns that while the Empire is at peace, war is brewing once again.

Rin’s powers may be what is needed to save her people should war break out, it may cost more than she is willing to give to the vengeful god that chose her. But what does her loss mean if her country lives?

This was such an interesting book! Rin was also an interesting character, a character that strived to take her future into her own hands because she does not want to go back to her home where her future will be taken from her. She also works against those who seek to push her down and push her out of where they believe she doesn’t belong, though she has proven she made her way there. We also get to see her grow throughout her education and grow in her powers as well. She is also a flawed person, a person who can’t let go of things. She can’t let go of power, especially as power is what she believes she needs to take control of her life.

Have you read The Poppy War? Did you like the characterization of Rin and her cohorts? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: Monstress, Vol. 3

Monstress, Vol. 3 by Marjorie M. Liu

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*Published September 11, 2018*

The third volume of Monstress, the majority of time is spent at Pontus, their current place of refuge. Throughout their stay, we learn more about Maika, the demon that resides inside of her, Ren and Kippa. We actually have a lot of more time dedicated to Ren and Kippa in this volume and we learn more about them than we have in the two previous volumes.

We also learn more about Maika and the demon that lives inside her and the plans that everyone else in the world has planned for that power. As Maika struggles to harness her control over the demon she also needs to find out and learn more about her mother and the shards of a mask she was trying to gather.

Some of the best things about this comic is the art. This is a beautifully drawn world; an ugly story placed within a pretty skin. It’s just beautiful and I love the way the characters are drawn! It’s all just beautiful and steampunkish! Wonderful!

What are some of your favorite comics? Is it the art or the story you like? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: ArchEnemy

ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor

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*Published October 14, 2010*

The third and final book in The Looking Glass Wars series, which I just talked about yesterday in my Thursday Threes: Trilogies post, but I need to actually review the book itself.

In this final book, we’ve started right where we left off. WILMA, the weapon created by King Arch to defeat Imagination, has been set off by Hatter Madigan on orders of Queen Alyss. The Heart Crystal is fully depleted and Alyss and Redd have no way of defending themselves. With Imagination gone, Unimaginists have started to create rallies where the House of Clubs are rounding of the depleted Imaginationists and placing them in essentially concentration camps. Everything seems to be going wrong for Alyss and her allies and now they have to worry about King Arch moving forward and taking over Wonderland. But when the caterpillar oracles start to talk not only to Arch, but to Molly and Alyss as well, the Wonderlandians have to figure out what to do next in order to keep their country free from Arch’s tyranny.

I would have to say that this was a good ending to a series about Alyss being the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland. I enjoyed this book series being about Alyss and her return to Wonderland, rather than Alyss going to Wonderland and talking about it and being placed in an insane asylum. Much more satisfactory in my opinion. Now, I have read several different Alice in Wonderland retellings, this has been one of the kindest ones. Other have been about Alice going crazy or the world being dystopian and the names of the characters just turn into bad people. So, I’m glad this one wasn’t about Alyss being crazy.

What retellings are ones that you like the most? Are they darker retellings or relatively the same? Comment below and let me know!