Author: Jen

“The House of Frank” Review

Posted on by Jen

“House of Frank” by Kay Synclaire

Powerless witch Saika is ready to enact her sister’s final request: to plant her remains at the famed Ash Gardens. When Saika arrives at the always-stormy sanctuary, she is welcomed by its owner, an enormous, knit-cardiganed mythical beast named Frank, who offers her a role as one of the estate’s caretakers.

Overcome with grief, Saika accepts, desperate to put off her final farewell to her sister. But the work requires a witch with intrinsic power, and Saika’s been disconnected from her magic since her sister’s death two years prior. Saika gets by at the sanctuary using a fragment of a fallen star to cast enchantments – while hiding the embarrassing truth about herself.

As Saika works harder in avoidance of her pain, she learns more about Frank, the decaying house at Ash Gardens, and the lives of the motley staff, including bickering twin cherubs, a mute ghost, a cantankerous elf, and an irritating half witch, among others. Over time, she rediscovers what it means to love and be wholly loved and how to allow her joy and grief to coexist. Warm and inventive, House of Frank is a stirring portrait of the ache of loss and the healing embrace of love.

Review

This was a really good book about grief and found family. I really enjoyed reading it. The world building and the characters were all interesting. There admittedly were a couple places where I got annoyed with the main character for taking so long to tell the full story but it made sense why she didn’t. I thought the ending was great and I liked the way things were resolved. All of the characters are carrying their one grief and needed to work through it. Without spoiling too much it felt like things had to play out the way it did in order for everyone, not just Saika, to move on and grow as individuals and together as a family.

Warnings and additional reviews can be found on the StoryGraph page for “House of Frank”.

Book Details

The cover of the house of Frank depicts a skinny multi-story house with a red front door in the middle of a field with a glass arboretum in the back of it under a night sky with a shooting star over it. The title of the book looks like it is on the ground in front of the house with the author's name in front of it.

Author’s Website
Kay Synclaire (Instagram)
Publisher / Date
Ezeekat Press, Bindery Books, October 2024
Genre
Fantasy
Page Count
352
Completion Date
July 18, 2025

“The Deep” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Deep” by Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes

Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.

Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface, escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities—and discovers a world her people left behind long ago. Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past—and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity—and own who they really are.

Inspired by a song produced by the rap group Clipping for the This American Life episode “We Are In The Future,” The Deep is vividly original and uniquely affecting.

Review

I really enjoyed this story. Despite being short there is a lot going on and takes some careful reading. I really liked the way everything was described and the way Yetu figures out what she needs to do. I enjoyed reading the different parts of the story that were in the past and how they related to the present time. Especially how it involved the person Yetu meets during the course of the story. The resolution of all the various problems Yetu had handling the memories worked out well and I’m glad she was able to be happy with everything. The history is terrible and tragic but the future is hopeful.

Warnings and additional reviews can be found on the StoryGraph page for “The Deep”.

Book Details

The Deep book cover depicts a dark skinned mermaid faced away floating in the water vertically with her long hair flowing around her head. There are several whales in the water around her as well. The title is at the top of the cover and the authors names at the bottom.

Author’s Website
Rivers Solomon
Publisher / Date
Gallery/Saga Press, November 2019
Genre
Science Fiction, Alternate History
Page Count
176
Completion Date
July 15, 2025

“The Martian Contingency” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Martian Contingency” (Lady Astronaut No. 4) by Mary Robinette Kowal

Years after a meteorite strike obliterated Washington, D.C.—triggering an extinction-level global warming event—Earth’s survivors have started an international effort to establish homes on space stations and the Moon. The next step – Mars.

Elma York, the Lady Astronaut, lands on the Red Planet, optimistic about preparing for the first true wave of inhabitants. The mission objective is more than just building the infrastructure of a habitat – they are trying to preserve the many cultures and nuances of life on Earth without importing the hate. But from the moment she arrives, something is off.

Disturbing signs hint at a hidden disaster during the First Mars Expedition that never made it into the official transcript. As Elma and her crew try to investigate, they face a wall of silence and obfuscation. Their attempts to build a thriving Martian community grind to a halt. What you don’t know CAN harm you. And if the truth doesn’t come to light, the ripple effects could leave humanity stranded on a dying Earth…

Review

I have mixed feelings about this one. While this book switches back to Elma’s story I felt like some of the issues I had with her personality were toned down a bit in a way that made sense being several years later. That said majority of the book felt off because of the way people had been keeping secrets. And then those secrets caused harm to the current crew on Mars. While actually happened during the first expedition actually makes sense all things considered there are some parts of it that still feel off. I don’t want to spoil it but there were things that happened that were essentially allowed to happen because of racism and then additional choices were made as a result of that. The parts I’m not sure about have more to do it the initial aftermath than the event itself. Some choices make sense some do not.

Besides the central mystery I feel like the author did a lot with this book and tried to address many different issues at once for good and bad. There’s still a huge gap about what actually will happen to people who are still on earth – especially disabled people. But the point of the book is that the people who have journeyed to Mars are trying to do the work to learn how to work and live together on a new planet without requiring the support of Earth. I liked the details the author included about the various holidays and traditions of everyone in the crew. I did feel like some things got shoehorned in as an effort to be inclusive and trying to be more understanding.

The disability aspect is still a sticking point for me in this serious. Due to various events there are two characters who become disabled during the course of the book. There’s some of talk about keeping them on Mars because it’s home and they’ve earned staying there. Which is all well and good but it does nothing to indicate what will happen to people with disabilities on Earth who can’t make it into space even if they were going to be allowed to in the first place. What it does do is serve as a reminder that debilitating accidents will happen and people become disabled and need support.

Warnings and additional reviews can be found the StoryGraph Page for “Martian Contingency”.

Book Details

The Martian Contingency cover is mostly yellow/gold with shades of orange red on the left side. At the bottom right corner there is a black image two people in space suites standing on a cliff overlooking a base in the distance on the bottom right. The title of the book is in the center with the authors name above it.

Author’s Website
Mary Robinette Kowal
Publisher / Date
Tor Books, March 2025
Genre
Science Fiction, Alternate History
Page Count
388
Completion Date
July 12, 2025

“The Relentless Moon” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Relentless Moon” (Lady Astronaut No. 3) by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Earth is coming to the boiling point as the climate disaster of the Meteor strike becomes more and more clear, but the political situation is already overheated. Riots and sabotage plague the space program. The IAC’s goal of getting as many people as possible off Earth before it becomes uninhabitable is being threatened.

Elma York is on her way to Mars, but the Moon colony is still being established. Her friend and fellow Lady Astronaut Nicole Wargin is thrilled to be one of those pioneer settlers, using her considerable flight and political skills to keep the program on track. But she is less happy that her husband, the Governor of Kansas, is considering a run for President.

Review

I have to be honest and say that I really liked Nicole, the main character in this book, more than Elma in the others. Nicole doesn’t have the “well intended but clueless white person” problem that Elma has along with some other frustrating personality quarks. Nicole seems to be more aware of the issues which has a lot to do with her husband’s work in politics. I also think this book does a better job acknowledging that there are people who will never be able to leave Earth. While there are a couple relevant plot points in the story that impacts a few things, disabled people are still largely still ignored. There’s also the obvious issue that not enough as been done to help the people in the ares most impacted by the Meteor strike who weren’t killed outright. Many of the worst off are largely minorities or poor and uneducated individuals who don’t have the same opportunities as others. I don’t want to spoil the ending too much but there were at least some indications that there would be additional focus on those individuals on Earth as well as supporting the move to the Moon and Mars.

The overall plot of this book was a bit more contained with the issues on the Moon taking up much of the focus. Unfortunately some parts of this book are spoiled by the previous book as the author hadn’t initially planned to write this one. Because this book takes place in the same time as the second book there is a lot overlap in information about what is happening on Earth. However I still think it makes for a good read even though you go in knowing some of what was going to happen. In some ways I had more fun reading this one than the previous two books because of how much I liked Nicole and her friendships with the other characters. Elma is focused on numbers and the big picture knowledge that Earth is in trouble and if humanity is to survive getting off Earth is vital. Nicole ends up being more detail oriented and worried about everyone.

Warnings and additional reviews can be found on the StoryGraph page for “The Relentless Moon”

Book Details

The Relentless Moon book cover. The background of the cover is entirely taken up with an image of the moon with red lines showing the structure of the moonrise. At the bottom are black images of several people wearing spacesuits walking forwards. The author's name is at the top with the title in the center.

Author’s Website
Mary Robinette Kowal
Publisher / Date
Tor Books, July 2020
Genre
Science Fiction, Alternate History
Page Count
542
Completion Date
July 11, 2025

“The Fated Sky” Review

Posted on by Jen

“The Fated Sky” (Lady Astronaut No. 2) by Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal continues the grand sweep of alternate history begun in The Calculating Stars, The Fated Sky looks forward to 1961, when mankind is well-established on the moon and looking forward to its next step: journeying to, and eventually colonizing, Mars.

Of course the noted Lady Astronaut Elma York would like to go, but there’s a lot riding on whoever the International Aerospace Coalition decides to send on this historic—but potentially very dangerous—mission? Could Elma really leave behind her husband and the chance to start a family to spend several years traveling to Mars? And with the Civil Rights movement taking hold all over Earth, will the astronaut pool ever be allowed to catch up, and will these brave men and women of all races be treated equitably when they get there? This gripping look at the real conflicts behind a fantastical space race will put a new spin on our visions of what might have been.

Review

When the author was originally writing the first book she realized that it would be better as two books instead of one. And this book really does feel like the second half of a two parter (with a little bit of a time jump). There were a lot of things I enjoyed about it – especially the details about the space program the author provides. On the other hand it does have more of the same problems as the first book with regard to how various issues are handled. In this book I do believe it’s intentional that Elma is written as a well intended but clueless White woman trying to support her Black colleges. It does make sense given the setting and the characters in question but I would have preferred something different.

Though to be fair I think a lot of my reactions from having been reading a lot of fiction from authors of color (and disabled authors) who do write things differently from the start. For one thing we’d be getting more of the perspective of people who will be stuck on Earth. While this book does address the idea that there are people who will never be able to make it into space for medical reasons, it never really goes into detail. Honestly with all that’s going on right now that’s actually the more interesting story. How would we actually help the people who won’t make it off Earth. This of course includes disabled people who will even more likely be left behind. It may not be the story the author wanted to focus on but I think it’s something that could have been addressed better.

All that said I do think the books tell an interesting story about a disaster requiring extreme measures to save humanity, and I like idea of a space program actually developing faster as a result. The crew’s trip to Mars and the troubles they faced were interesting. I’m not sure how I feel about one character that Elma had to deal with that she had a history with. His background paints to someone with darker intentions but the narrative doesn’t really address that. Though it probably works within the context of the setting being in the 60s. As with the first book the author included a section at the end that detailed the historical information that is relevant to the books which I liked as well.

Warnings and additional reviews can be found on the StoryGraph page for “The Fated Sky”.

Book Details

The cover of the fated sky is nearly sold orange with shades of yellow near the bottom, and depicts a black image of person in a spacesuit standing on the surface of a planet. The title is written one word on each line in the center of the cover and the authors name is at the top.

Author’s Website
Mary Robinette Kowal
Publisher / Date
Tor Books, August 2018
Genre
Science Fiction, Alternate History
Page Count
384
Completion Date
July 6, 2025

“Lost In a Desert World” Review

Posted on by Jen

“Lost in a Desert World: An Autobiography” by Roland Johnson, as told to Karl Williams

Roland Johnson’s autobiography is the triumphant story of a man who rose above an intellectual disability and devastating abuse to become a prominent leader in the self-advocacy movement.

As a child, Roland was sent away to live at the infamous Pennhurst State School in Pennsylvania, where he was sexually assaulted and forced to do unpaid manual labor. When he finally got out, he discovered the “real world” had no place for people like him — people who weren’t considered normal or valuable by societal standards.

Through a hospital counseling program, Roland ultimately began to find his voice. He discovered an ability to speak his truth and to fight for other people with disabilities. He would become president of Speaking for Ourselves and bring wide-scale awareness to the struggles faced by people with disabilities, as well as the unique gifts those same people have to offer.

Review

I think this is a really important book to read – it’s not often stories are told by people with intellectual disabilities themselves in their own words. This book was created from a series of audio interviews Karl Williams conducted with Roland Johnson about his life. Roland had wanted to tell his story and Karl helped him do it. The audio was then transcribed and the book written. Karl notes in the Forward of the book that he took care to not change any of Roland’s words other than to add notes clarify a couple things or indicate who someone was. It’s all Roland’s words as he tells his own story. I believe it worked out well – though I did end up confused in a couple places but I think that’s down to not having the same context as he was telling it. Also since it’s from Roland’s point of view it’s the truth as he knows it regardless of additional details that may not be included.

After the sections of the book that are Roland’s autobiography there are also a collection of speeches and interviews Roland gave during his lifetime. Also included were some memorial items that were published after his death. I think the book was well done in that regard and gives a good detailing about who Roland was. As with any posthumously published work it will never be known for sure how much Roland would have liked the way it was presented or ultimately told. However I do believe Karl Williams tried to be faithful to his friend’s life story.

It’s clear that Roland was someone who wanted better things for everyone – especially those currently stuck in institutions that needed to be released. He was often reminding people of that situation and also talked a lot about “who is in control?” if disabled people aren’t in control of their own lives something is wrong. He wanted disabled people to be able to take control of their one lives and live on their terms, no one else’s.

Note on the language: Roland does use the R-Word throughout the book but at the time he was telling his story that was the only word used for people with intellectual disabilities. He does start talking in the last section of the book about how he wished there was another word to describe his disability and not having to use that word anymore. There’s also some mentioning of low functioning/high functioning that don’t quite work in today’s language preferences. All that said it wouldn’t have made sense to change the language as it wouldn’t have been Roland’s words in the end. He was using the only language he had at the time.

Roland is also very blunt about the abuses he suffered at Pennhurst – it’s not describe graphically but still very clear what happened there.

Book Details

The cover of Lost in a Desert World is taken up by a black and white photograph of Roland wearing a suite standing on the grounds of Pennhurst. The picture is framed with pale brown on the top and bottom where the title and author information are written

Author’s Wikipedia Page
Roland Johnson (1945 – 1994)
Publisher / Date
Speaking for Ourselves, June 1999
Genre
Autobiography
Page Count
131
Completion Date
July 1, 2025