Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan

Finished! This was a fun ride and a great example of excellent pacing by way of dual-POV. Altan and Ahn were interesting heads to be in and their twisty adventure/relationship wasn’t overly predictable. It was a quick read once I got my groove going.

I do find that fantasy, and particularly this new age of YA fantasy, is full of a kind of worldbuilding I’m not so fond of. It’s too hung up on details and less about the people inside of them. I think it’s a trend and I hope it’ll pass — or maybe I’m not as into fantasy as I’ve always thought. I can’t say I’ve truly LOVED a high fantasy book recently.

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

Another speed-read to the end. To be honest, the premise is stronger than the delivery and I think this is a really good example of something I would have preferred as a short story. While following the adventures of S.T. as he discovers what happened to humanity and battles the chaos of Mother Earth is fun, there are only so many extremely specific descriptions of brands and ordinary things to color the picture I can read before I’m tired of the comedy and want more of a story.

That’s not to say there’s not a lot of heart. S.T.’s devotion to his owner is very pure-hearted and his protection of Dennis the dog is sweet. This is a true hero in a chaotic world, it’s just that it plods on a little too long to get to the conclusion that’s relatively inevitable/unsurprising.

The story is still a strong showcase for voice in fiction and from all my years working around comedian storytellers, I think it’s that muscle that flexes the most here. Comedy is present and tight and you have to focus and hone it well in order to make any kind of impact.