Month: September 2024

The Awakening (Zodiac Academy #1) by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

I am reading this series because a very dear friend of mine suggested I check them out. She warned me that they would probably make me angry — she was correct — but I’m going to get through this drivel if it kills me.

Darcy and Tory Vega are twins who were apparently swapped with human children by their royal Fae family as babies to protect them. Now that they have been found by the Fae, they return to that realm to learn to tame their fantastic powers at the Zodiac Academy. The thing is, though, there are four ruling houses headed up by “The Heirs” who will take control of the realm since the ruling family was gone. The twins’ return threatens that. Broody hilarity ensues.

I guess I should start out with what I find wrong right off the bat. First, off, the girls have their Fae names of Gwendalina and Roxanya. Nobody ever questioned which one was which, and that drives me bonkers.

Second, “The Heirs” are total jerks, but Tory and Darcy go between loathing and loving them. This books rife with situations where one of the twins is being literally tortured, but oohing and aahing over their torturer’s chiseled abs or plump lips. It’s maddening to me.

There is some intrigue that I find interesting. Yes, the twins are overpowered and, per the formula, don’t have control of their powers. In fact, they don’t even know what “Order” of Fae they might be. I imagine that will pop up in an important passage in a later book. I also did appreciate that Ms. Peckham and Ms. Valenti set these characters as a tad older than this typical fare from other authors. It made some of the situations and experiences a tad more plausible.

The one thing that bugged me the most was how rapey everything surrounding “The Heirs” is. I mean these guys are on a serious power trip, and it always seems to go threateningly sexual. Can’t they just be mean?

Yes, I’m in for the long haul with this series just because there has to be some sort of redemption arc somewhere in there. If not, I’ll roast more of them.

House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias

“All stories are ghost stories.”

I’ve sat on reviewing this book for a couple of weeks. This isn’t because I didn’t like the book (I loved it), it’s because words about this book need to be thought out. House of Bone and Rain is wonderful horror writing, but it’s far more than that. Mr. Iglesias has managed to tuck a massive amount of social commentary into a novel about five pretty different teenage boys living in Puerto Rico seeking revenge while a hurricane is about to hit.

Now what I just wrote seems like a pretty standard plot approach, it’s the individual bits of it that make this so profound. Puerto Rico is a country with a fascinating culture and history. I won’t delve into to much here because that actually gives away some of the plot (I do hate spoilers), but there has always been a bit of an air of mystery surrounding the island.

As Bimbo and his friends seek out revenge against the biggest drug kingpin on the island, with a storm ready to strike, House of Bone and Rain begins it’s spiraling decent into chaos and madness.

My favorite thing about this novel is the timing between the supernatural and the hurricane. As Maria starts to swell, so do the strange things the boys encounter. This parallel really enhances the experience, and adds a significant degree of tension.

While I thought a couple of the side stories were just flavor to take a break from the insanity that the boys were undertaking, they turn out to fold right in and be some of the most significant aspects to what happens with Bimbo and his friends.

It’s not often that one finds harsh realities in a fantastical horror story, but Mr. Iglesias really delivers it here. The amount of grief and devotion just cannot be matched.