This autumn, I’ve rediscovered my love of reading. After a summer spent racing from one job to the next, never slowing down, this autumn has allowed a rekindling of the imagination. The early evenings have afforded me hours and hours to lose myself in these beautiful new fictional worlds, some of which are new all-time favorites. From the magical heist of Six of Crows to the windswept isle of Thisby in The Scorpio Races, here are some of the books I’ve been savoring for the last two months.
The Six of Crows duology // Leigh Bardugo
Six dangerous outcasts, one impossible heist.
In the bustling trade city of Ketterdam, Kaz Brekker (the right-hand leader of a criminal gang) is hired to commit a deadly heist—to break into an impenetrable fortress. Despite the impossible stakes, Brekker recruits five skilled criminal outcasts to help him pull it off. And then the chaos begins.
I’ve heard a lot about this novel, and let me just say: Six of Crows lives up to the hype. I don’t know what I can say about this novel except that it’s as close to perfect as a fantasy novel can get: it’s fairly clean, masterfully written, and chock full of suspense, witty banter, an imaginative world, and tragic backstories. Every character is complex, has agency in how the story unfolds, and has their own motivations. The plot is a web of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s so complicated that this must have been a nightmare for Leigh Bardugo to write, and yet the storytelling feels effortless. The sequel, Crooked Kingdom, somehow lives up to its predecessor (and possibly surpasses it). I couldn’t put these books down.
In summary, the Six of Crows duology is quite simply among the best books I’ve read this year. In other words: go read it. You won’t be disappointed.
The Shadow & Bone series // Leigh Bardugo
Shadow & Bone, along with its sequels Siege & Storm and Ruin & Rising, take place in the same world as Six of Crows, but a generation earlier. It narrates the rise of Alina Starkov, a teenage orphan serving as a soldier in the First Army, as she discovers her powers and becomes a Sun Summoner, one of the most powerful Grisha in the world. I’ll be honest and say I didn’t enjoy this series much, but I absolutely loved the world building. Rather than rely on a medieval fantasy setting, Leigh Bardugo based Ravka off 19th-century Tsarist Russia.
Just last month Netflix announced the upcoming adaption of Shadow & Bone and Six of Crows that’s in the works to premiere in 2020. For the purposes of a TV show, with some alterations to the plot, I think this could be a fantastic show. I enjoyed reading the books for the sake of the backstory and understanding the world better, but between the cliche plot and flat characters*, I despised didn’t enjoy the Shadow & Bone books.
(*Except for Nikolai. Nikolai is fantastic.)
Bridge of Clay // Markus Zusak
Wikipedia summarizes it best: “Bridge of Clay revolves around five brothers coming to terms with the disappearance of their father.” But like most of Markus Zusak’s books, it’s elusive and defies explanation. The novel mainly focuses on the Dunbar family—the devastating moment of their mother’s death that tore them apart and the slow journey to bringing them back together again. Most of the narration follows Clay Dunbar, who takes it on himself to bring the family together after their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance.
Since releasing The Book Thief in 2005, Markus Zusak has spent the last thirteen years languishing over Bridge of Clay. The craftsmanship and attention he invested into this work is evident: it’s a sweeping coming-of-age story about family, redemption, and forgiveness, simultaneously written with a visceral attention to detail. It’s a very elusive novel, because it’s not concerned with gripping the reader’s attention as much as examining the Dunbar family’s story. Once you adjust to the slow pace, this is a masterful book.
The Scorpio Races // Maggie Stiefvater
“It is the first day of November, and so today, someone will die.”
So begins The Scorpio Races. Every October on the isle of Thisby, demented carnivorous water horses, the Capaill Uisce of Celtic folklore, emerge from the sea. Every November, riders attempt to ride these water horses in the Scorpio Races and survive their steed’s magical pull to the sea long enough to make it to the finish line.
Sean Kendrick has won the Scorpio Races for the last four years, and knows the Capaill Uisce better than anyone else. Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to enter the competition, never meant to race, but doesn’t have much of a choice.
As a standalone novel, The Scorpio Races intrigued me at once. It tells a compelling story with deadly stakes, and features two extremely likable main characters. Although the book is titled “The Scorpio Races,” it’s really not about the races at all. Instead, it explores the ancient understanding between the ancient Capaill Uisce and the bleak isle of Thisby, namely Sean and Puck. It’s a beautiful, ambient story that touches on some innate part of the human imagination, a place of windswept cliffs and raging seas. The Scorpio Races is one of those rare, haunting novels that is meant to be savored like a mug of hot chocolate.
Something about the autumn months always puts me in mind for a brooding 19th-century tale or a good old-fashioned high fantasy, so that’s what I’ve been filling my reading list with lately. I’ve just begun The Brothers Karamazov and have a small stack of books waiting at the library to be picked up and devoured, so we’ll see where November takes us!
Happy reading,
<3 Olivia Grace
