pick#2023Book45
I really liked the two main characters and was excited that the stakes in this book seemed so high. But then the resolutions were always kind of a let-down because their successes felt too easily won.
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Black Tides of Heaven | 
pick#2023Book45
I really liked the two main characters and was excited that the stakes in this book seemed so high. But then the resolutions were always kind of a let-down because their successes felt too easily won.
so-soThe beginning got really bogged down in the whole gender identity theme, but once the story started moving, it got more interesting.
Twins are born to a brutal tyrant. One of them is a prophet, whose vision can‘t be changed and when their dictator mother starts a brutal campaign against some rebels, the siblings must decide where they stand.
2.5/5 read for a fantasy light on world building and character building and heavy on gender issues
pickI really liked this bit of Asian-centric fantasy. The characters were fun, and I really enjoyed the world-building . I'll probably continue on with the series later on.
pickThis was fun but I may not continue with the series. I do like these kinds of gender bending alternative world type books. And the #audiobook was well done.
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
pickI‘m still not sure how I feel about this. I enjoyed the second half more than the first. The characters are engaging and I love the dynamic, but I wish there was a little more explanation for the world because it sounds so cool! This is very much a larger story shoved into a novella (complete with time jumps). I wish this was a full length book! There‘s a lot of really wonderful things in this, just not enough to make it a favorite. Low pick.
I work part of this weekend, so most of my reading will be confined to one day. But I‘m hoping to finish the tagged novella for #bookspin and either finish The Martian or start and finish The Man Who Died Twice. Not sure which I‘m going to go for. Funny how even though I work surrounded by books, I have so little time to actually read them now 😅
@Andrew65
My first #bookspin and #doublespin of 2022 are The Black Tides of Heaven and Assassin‘s Orbit! I also pulled the first 2 cards from my TBR Deck of Cards and wound up with Mood Read and 1st in a series. Overall, not a bad start. I‘ll probably focus on the card prompts the second half of the month since nothing is immediately jumping out to me for either prompt. @TheAromaofBooks @Clwojick
pickThanks for recommending this @Leniverse - I read enjoyed spending time in this world with twins Mokoya and Akeha, & may well continue the series.
I‘m struggling to review it though! If you‘re looking for a short, different story for #ReadingAsia2021 #Singapore, with fantasy, action, a world where children live as gender-free, & the characters, world & slackcraft (magic, I guess) are interesting without overwhelming the text, maybe give it a go.
pickNB twins are traded to a monastery by their mother. Each twin rebels against their mother and Fate as they can, from within the system and without.
Some fascinating world building with magic & technology coexisting in this world. We get hints of the larger world & a larger history without getting info dumped.
Even with time jumps, the plot moves swiftly & cohesively. Although I would have liked more time spent with the characters. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
so-soWhen I was a teen, I fell in love with Octavia Butler's Imago. I loved that some children in that world were born genderless and later chose their genders. I enjoyed finding that again in this world, as well as a combination of magic and science. Overall, I was not captured by this book. I felt like I missed important parts of the story that connected earlier events to later ones, and earlier emotions to later ones. #LGBTQAuthors #LGBTQBooks
Thanks, @Ast_Arslan and @Eggs for the #WorldBookDay tag! It's been fun seeing what everyone is reading right now.
I'm always reading several things at once, with some far on the back burner. My most active reads right now are The Black Tides of Heaven, Love Letters to Jane's World, and the Jan2021 issue of National Geographic!
pickThis book is the first in the Tensorate duology. Focusing on the twin non-binary siblings, Akeha and Mokoya, the novel also deals with the contrast between elemental magic and technology. The twins‘ mother is the Procetorate who rules her empire. However, the twins decide on their genders and their life choices create repercussions. Mokoya confirms as female and Akeha as male. I am looking forward to reading the second book.
pickStarted this one knowing it was part of a series(?) - for once, so now I'm kind of interested how the next ones follow on from this narrative. It packed a lot into a short book, really beautifully. And the characters were complex enough to be engaging, given how brief it was.
Trying to squeeze this in today
pickI enjoyed this book, although it didn't blow me away the way I was hoping it would. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, because I think it might be able to go into more depth with story now that the worldbuilding is established.
I've seen people complaining that the main character, Akeha, is unlikeably bratty, so I don't know what it says about me that I found him entirely too relateable. But there you are.
#20Days20Series Day 19
I can‘t believe we‘re almost to the end! It‘s been fun diving into my shelves, thinking about series I‘ve really enjoyed. Today‘s addition to my #Top20Series list is Yang‘s Tensorate series. Described as silkpunk (science fiction/fantasy inspired by classical East Asian antiquity) what makes this series of novellas stand out is the world building, characters, and, of course, great stories. Plus, the covers!😍
@Andrew65
pickWOW. I love this. Yang does expert worldbuilding and gets you deeply invested in the characters from the start. I‘m definitely grabbing the rest of this series!
Laying in bed and starting 2 books tonight. Both will be for #booked2020 prompts. Faith is #SetInHollywood, while the tagged book is #PanAsianAuthorOrSilkPunk. Only one more #Winter prompt left to complete after this!
@BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft
pickI was feeling a little too much reality in my end of year Asian focused reading and came across a review of this novella in Litsy from @Lindy . An interesting kingdom in the clouds where gender is decided by each person upon reaching adulthood, if ever, and these twins have to come to terms with the ramifications of their gifts. I think this is one of two novellas by this Singaporean author to introduce this universe.
pickA standalone novella in the Tensorate series, I picked this up because I read that its Singaporean author is genderqueer. The fantasy world in which children have until adulthood to declare their gender immediately drew me in. “The saying goes: the black tides of heaven direct the courses of human lives. To which a wise teacher said: but, as with all waters, one can swim against the tide.” #Audiobook narrated by Nancy Wu. #LGBTQ
People make mistakes. They can‘t *be* mistakes. #lgbtq 🏳️🌈
(Photo of non-binary author JY Yang is from internet.)
pickthis was a pretty darned neat novella 😁 I really liked Yang's fantasy setting, especially the aspect wherein people are allowed to choose their gender rather than it being assigned at birth, though it's not as prevalent in the plot as I hoped. will definitely continue with the rest of these books in the future and I'm eager to see what other works this author puts out 👍
#fantasy #kindle #libby
trying to force myself out of my holiday weekend potato mode to get some work done 💻 was originally going to read the 2nd Murderbot novella but it was checked out on all of my digital library systems so Tensorate series it is, then 😊
pickJY Yang‘s clear prose and succinct, evocative worldbuilding pulled me in but good. The plot‘s effective too, with its conflict between magic-as-tech and mechanical tech, but I read the last half of the novella in a single sitting because I wanted to watch Yang peel back new layers of their world. If you like how Kai Ashante Wilson rethinks standard SFF tropes but you struggle with his syntax, I recommend you try JY Yang as a counterpoint.
Friday afternoon book & beer. The romance with the transphobic leads did NOT work out, so I‘ve switched to a trans-positive fantasy. It‘s my last unread book from Tor.com‘s free Pride bundle, and it‘s very good so far.
The beer is a Tabula Rosa from Devil May Care Brewing Co. It‘s got the character of a fruit beer but is a little too floral for my palate. Still, I seem to be drinking it rather quickly...
I had never heard of silkpunk before, but I‘m excited to start this! Also, I love reading under my t shirt quilts! I have such a hard time getting rid of favorite shirts, I always end up turning them into a blanket when I get enough that I don‘t wear much anymore.
so-soI‘m mixed about this novella by JY Yang. The world building is fantastic. They do a fantastic job introducing the way people in this world are born genderless until they choose whether they wish to be male or female. The story itself just got too melodramatic for my tastes about halfway through it, and the ending fizzles out for me.
My full GR review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2851200049?book_show_action=false&from_rev...
Since I‘ve been taking forever to finish my current reads this year, I‘ve decided to tackle a novella I got in Tor.com‘s giveaway earlier this week. I know next to nothing about The Black Tides of Heaven (haven‘t even looked at the jacket copy), and I haven‘t read JY Yang before, so I‘m looking forward to being surprised.
Free ebook bundle to celebrate Pride on Tor right now!
https://ebookclub.tor.com/
This just popped up in my email and is super cool! I‘ve read the tagged book, which is excellent, and I‘m excited to read the other three. If I remember correctly, it‘s really easy to sign up (maybe just sign up and give Tor your email?!?) and the best part is there‘s a free book to download every month. Definitely take a look if you are a fan of science fiction and/or fantasy!
Hey all, look what Tor Books has as free downloads this month
https://ebookclub.tor.com/?utm_source=exacttarget&utm_medium=eblast&utm_term=tor...
pickThis novella series is a great way to celebrate pride month if your looking for a #ownvoices sci-fi series, this is it!
Oh thank you, thank you, thank you @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego - you‘re the best. Some gorgeous books, love discovering new things, and then amazing bookmarks, stationary, socks and even Dr P/ Cream Soda sweets- my fav beverages! Thank you 😘😘😘😘😘. Big thanks for organising @Avanders #sffs
pickExcellent world building that pulled me right into the story.
I broke down.
I bought it.
Cheers to 2018, #RehobothBeach.
pickBlew through this one today once I finally had time to sit down and read it! Amazing world-building and I love how the characters in this world go through a confirmation to choose their gender whenever they are ready. Beautiful fantasy done succinctly in novella form. Can‘t wait to check out the rest of the series!
pickVery interesting book. I love the world building and the characters.
I really would rather you didn't advertise the day after the promotion in your promotion materials.
#irked
More good stuff from Tor.com. Get it while you can. #freebie
PSA! Tor.com has a free ebook of The Black Tides of Heaven until Nov 16, 2018
Yang's Tensorate novellas are some of the best books I've read this year. Really excellent fantasy. Get it if you're at all into sff and haven't read it yet! Also excellent for diversity #ownvoices
3 library holds came at the same time, including this one. 😟 Well of Ascension and Less are the other ones. Which to drop???
Took a tip from @Liberty and started this series, here‘s hoping! 🤞🏼 Also I‘m in bed comfy and warm by 8:30 having worked a 13 hour day and been up since 3am. So I think 2 pages and I‘ll be passed out (no offense book)
pick
