Intro
Trigger Warning – ALL THE SPOILERS. I try not to be one of those people who give away spoilers, but to be honest I fail sometimes. It is SO much fun talking about a book and it is hard to find one single person who’s read all the same books as me who’s also willing to talk about them passionately. I slip up sometimes in excitement or lack of filter. This is one of those times I’m going to shamelessly walk past the line between enough and way too much. I’m sorry! To find the balance I’ll put a brief synopsis with my most general thoughts first, and then include a follow-up with a warning before I throw out the spoilers. In fact, I’ll do a Spoiler Alert!
This month’s blog is late because my mental health is kicking my ass. But luckily I persevered, and good things came of it, and I’m back with better energy and more motivation than ever. Despite the challenges I’ve been facing, I have already learned so much in school and through teaching poetry. Writing so much has really gotten my creative thoughts going again. And while I don’t really expect my actual writing to improve in a way I’ll be able to tell, I’m already noticing how much I know and analyze that I didn’t have a name in my memory for. I know school is going to get so hard next term and the term after that, so I’m showing gratitude where I can for the easy transition.
I will be covering Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse, Children of Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi, Blackbird Oracle by Deborah Harkness briefly, and Somewhere Beyond the Sea by Tj Klune. All of these books are special because I’m deep in each of the series, so I’m sharing them together in the hopes you’ll read this and go seek out the first book in each of the series’. The beginning of Mirrored Heavens, Black Sun was an instant hook for me because of the intricacies of the universe and the unique points of view. Tomi Adeyemi’s series was also an instant hook because of the complicated social struggle between the two warring societies and fast-paced writing. The All Souls Series is deep and thought-provoking and I have been following along for a long time now. Finally, Tj Klune released a surprise sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea and I not only had to have it, but I drove three California counties away to see him and the narrator Daniel Henning speak and receive a signed copy. These books are compelling because they shine a light on some really important social messages that I both believe in and love to see championed.
We just studied Marx, (I know there are theories and criticisms I haven’t heard or thought of that might be better for my commentary) but I’m realizing now that so many of my books take the same stance in our current society’s ongoing social struggle. I read, and champion, authors who believe in social justice, cultural inclusivity and fairness, and, perhaps most importantly, the magic living in the marginalized people of our society.
Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse
I saw Black Sun, the first book, online and put it on my tbr list, but like all great book dragons, but TBR list is too long for my income to sustain so I put it off AND THEN my mother-in-law gifted it to me for Christmas! She’s the best. Anyway, I was quick to buy and read the second one, Fevered Star. When Mirrored Heavens was announced I ordered a signed copy, obviously AND THEN I won a second SIGNED ARC. Honestly, by the time I have enough shelves to organized by signed copies, etc., I might need a shelf just for her books because I am OBSESSED with the covers and every word inside them. Luckily, it seems like this series seems like the finished product, but don’t worry I won’t tell you ANYTHING about the product in the following paragraph.
Mirrored after and set in the times of ancient South American tribal civilizations, seven (or so) cities live in barely contained harmony. The POVs are all from different cities, some who are “god-blessed,” some who are rich enough to try dangerous magic, and some who were just in the right place at the right time. This book is centered around social struggle and religion in such a clear cut way I was able to make this a book for my Formalist week in my Literary Theory class. There’s so much about this series that stands out to me, but I won’t make you read my whole essay (like I did for Somewhere Beyond the Sea lol). But if I have to narrow it down, I would say the characters are what make this such an impactful story. The different POVs give the reader a sense that everyone is a protagonist AND everyone is an antagonist. As the reader, you get a truly omniscient perspective that is thought-provoking and inciteful.
SPOILER ALERT!
Serapio is the most important, and I believe he is the Main Character of the story. He was born and had his life “given to the Crow God” by his mother, one of the Crow tribe in Tova who was part of the tragic Night of the Spear (this might be wrong. I couldn’t find it when I went back to look for it. All the more reason to read it, to see what the massacre was really dubbed). Xiala is my favorite and the Main Character of my heart. She’s a Teek island woman who starts the series as a pirate basically, so you know, I fell in love immediately. What’s really cute is she falls for Serapio! It’s like the most I’ve ever shipped a couple who don’t have sex or even spend that much time on the page together. It was nuts and I still don’t understand how Roanhorse managed to do that. Naranpa is like a hidden secret weapon I’m still not entirely sure I understand. She’s the POV frequently enough, that I know Roanhorse meant for her to mean something important. I hope to use this series often in my studies so I can uncover all there is to know, especially this particular character. Lord Balam is the true villain, and it’s clear from the beginning, but that almost seems to be the point of this POV character. As the series progresses and his magic grows, so too does his backstory. By the beginning of Mirrored Heavens, I really found him more to be a redeemable character than I expected him to be.
The societies Roanhorse created for this series are insanely diverse and yet cohesive in a really important way. They fight and have different morals, yet they can’t survive without each other because they each hold a different piece of humankind. Characters switch loyalties and change the story in believable ways because everyone has something the rest of the world wants. And they’re all somehow connected, even though the POVs are hardly ever in each other’s scenes. It’s just fantastic and impactful to a social student.
Children of Anguish and Anarchy
Story time, friends. It’s related, I promise, just a little off topic. I taught preschool for several years before having kids myself, and I used to work for a director who was going through the process of revamping rented space from a church. While our classrooms were being cleaned and remodeled, we took over the main gathering space with a locked cabinet in which we kept our supplies and things. The ONE weekend I accidentally left my book (coincidentally, the first book of the series I’m about to speak about) Children of Blood and Bone and my BRAND NEW sunglasses (because I am very forgetful, this is a common story for me), somebody took a bunch of things from the closet. I was mad and ended up abandoning sunglasses for a while (not great when you have light eyes) and burning with curiosity until I bought another book.
Now I work as an after-school poetry teacher for middle school kids, and some days I have whole afternoons without kids so I’ve had time to read in a guilt-free environment (because taking out my notebook and iPad is so much more work than just a book, right?). AND THEN this last book I’ve been so excited about that I knew I would read it fast, so I saved it for after I got through Mirrored Heavens. Anyway, true to form I left this book almost immediately at a school and had to wait a week to find out if I’d lost it for good. But I didn’t! The teacher had left it exactly where it was, and I will be thanking the universe during the next full moon, for sure.
Children of Blood and Bone was one of my favorite universes after ACOTAR brought me into the fantasy world. I loved it from the very beginning – both sides of the social order loved their land, and it’s obvious outright that the narrator and all the characters had the kind of destiny that could span multiple books. Orisha is beautiful and vast. It’s an intricate kingdom with rich palaces and poor towns, but it’s the kind of place where poverty and riches are metaphors and don’t take from the beauty of the land or the people.
SPOILER ALERT!
The characters in this series are what make it so great because they each bring a different commentary on both our world and the way things should be. Zelie is the hero of this story. She had the power to raise the dead to do her bidding, which the king stole from her and her people when she was a child. He also stole her mother, and numerous other magi in his quest to rid the world of such natural powers. It is clear to the reader at first, but it takes time for everyone else. The story follows her desperate attempt to keep her people safe even as she has to put them in danger to bring back their former power. She faces new villains in each book, and each time she grows into a better, more powerful version of herself. Tzain is Zelie’s brother. He may not have any power himself, but he’s been trained to keep Zelie safe, and that’s what he does throughout the whole series. He’s truly a great example of family loyalty and honest faithfulness. Amalie is the princess and daughter of the kind who stole everything from Zelie and Tzain. So, of course, she can see what’s going on but is too powerless at first to do anything, positive or negative. But she never stops persevering, offering commentary on how women have to work twice as hard to receive recognition for the same things men are pretty much handed. Inan is the block-headed heir to the throne who should give the throne to his sister and sit on his ass with heart-eyes for Zelie all day and nothing else. I have more to say, but that’s my favorite take.
Orisha and the story that is Children of Blood and Bone is so dramatically different from our world, that the commentary on our own social order is pretty clear. The divide between the people who have had everything taken from them, and the royalty and rules with a heavy hand above them, are just too black and white to not see the grey lines between them. The Children of Blood and Bone series makes a powerful statement about racism the difference between “fairness” and “equality.” It also gives hope that people can change, as Adeyemi does a fantastic job of showing the turmoil each character, including Zelie herself, goes through as they accept Zelie’s true destiny. I actually still haven’t finished this book, because I’ve kinda been going through one of those fun depression times, but I peeked to the end and it looks pretty cliffhangery to me. Count me in for more books from Adeyemi, absolutely.
Blackbird Oracle
The next sequel is a surprise final book that I have been waiting on for a long time. I was about halfway through the first book when it was announced that Prime was making it a show. As books, the All’s Soul series is intellectual, intense, and deep. Which means there really isn’t a way to make it fast-paced. I love these kinds of books because they take time and thought, feeling much more like a drawn-out experiences than my usual books. Babel is just like that, taking much longer than any book I’ve read in a while. Some parts just take so much processing that you have to come back to them. It’s my understanding that this is the final book, but she said that about the last one too, so I think I’ll leave this one at, we shall see. These stories are written in a London (and New England) where vampires, witches and demons have always existed but are not allowed to pair off with anyone but their own kind. Humans don’t typically know they exist in modern times, but they used to be. Our characters are tasked with finding out why all the creatures are dying out in their own way. Oh, and falling in love despite the rules, of course.
Spoiler Alert!
There’s a big tidbit YOU SHOULDN’T READ IF YOU LIKE FULL SURPRISE. But it’s important in the context of my writing, so it’s going to be included in this spoiler-filled post: it’s a time-traveling series, but it doesn’t happen right away. It’s the first book I read that gave me the idea to review a full evolution of a species and human colonization as a whole.
Diana Bishop is a witch who studies alchemy, and yet refuses to do magic (we love a contradiction lol). Mathew de Claremont is one of the oldest living vampires (because unfortunately we also love an age gap). She is a guest speaker at Oxford University, where he works in the upper sciences departments. In one of the best storylines ever, she finds a long lost book to become obsessed with, and he becomes obsessed with her. I’ve grown away from the centuries-long age gaps after Twilight just felt a little icky, but I feel like this story captures how people can cross age lines in a great way. Diana brings his traditional ways into a new era, and her intelligence and fierceness are distinctly feminine in only ways modern women can. On any given page in this series, Diana is charging ahead into a new era while all the other characters, Mathew included, chases or follows behind her.
These books have given me such inspiration and curiosity about the world around me. I hope my own books come even close to the intricate web Deb Harkness weaves in this series. I’m in awe of her word choice, story line, and world building skills that I study these books as if they’re text books. And honestly, if the opportunity arise to use my own books in class again, this series will be at the top of my list.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea
Finally, and maybe most importantly, Tj Klune delivered the best surprise sequel of all to a book that truly didn’t need another word. Somewhere Beyond the Sea is its own perfectly distinct novel, so it reads like going back to visit a close friend, except they have so much to tell you that you end up feeling like you never left. I was so excited about this book that I drove several counties away to see Klune speak alongside the novel’s audio narrator, Daniel Henning, and it was amazing. I also downloaded the audible because the voices Henning does are just incredible, and it was absolutely worth it to hear some of my favorite characters come back to life.
I’m not going to give any spoilers to this one, because I think it’s important enough that no one should be worried about what they might find out. Tj Klune writes about social injustice in the foster system, but he uses a fantasy world with mythical creatures as the victims to paint the picture more clearly. Not only does he practice what he preaches in his novels, but he does it proudly. He fights for LGBTQ+ youth, and he does it loudly. And so do the characters in his books, along with victims of abuse and other important marginalized youth that go unnoticed in our wretched system. Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door opened my eyes to a whole new kind of writing that led to wanting to start on my own. Klune is loudly passionate about these issues, and I realized that I want to be, as well.
Conclusion
I’m still learning every single day, and authors like Tj Klune, Tomi Adeyemi, Deb Harkness, and Rebecca Roanhorse who speak out about social justice in their novels give me direction. I want to be capable of stories like theirs, but it’s also important to acknowledge that these in particular are the peak of literature, so, you know, no pressure. These books are well developed, share the “found family” aspect that I all but require from my books of substance now, and the characters fight for the underdog. Reading books like these inspire me to fight for change and I hope to inspire that with my own books one day.
Extra Thoughts
I know it’s the middle of October now, but I will only need a week to write the next post, and I have two (plus I’m giving myself some wiggle room). Even though I’m not a huge horror person (or a horror person at all. I’ve had enough death happen in my life and enough happens every single day, unless it serves a purpose, I really prefer to not read about death as well), I love spooky witch season, and I feel just as much in my element in Fall that I do in Spring. So I’ll be doing a spooky blog with my absolute favorite author, Alix E. Harrow. She also released a new book this year, so I’ll be reviewing it and her other books, and you know I have way too much to say about all that. I won’t be giving spoilers in that one though, as this is a rare occurrence – people should read the books I recommend for themselves. But it’s fun every once in a while to go deeper than the surface.
As add on, as I said in my July post, if you’re wondering which way to go, and your womb family hasn’t made the covenant to protect you, go find a new family. We are waiting out here if you need to be found. Most importantly, if you’re hiding your identity from assholes close to you and need to hear from someone that it’s okay to be authentically you, know that this writer, this person, this mother, loves and accepts exactly who you are, sight unseen. But if it’s not safe for you to come out of the closet, I’m one of the people protecting that closet for you. You’re always safe here. I don’t say it enough, but there is love enough for everyone on my end of this website. If you need an ally, please don’t hesitate to email me at bernadettechristieauthor@gmail.com (sorry it’s so long this is the beginning of my career I’m figuring it out as I make silly mistakes lol)
- Author Pages to Highlight
- Rebecca Roanhorse – @rebeccaroanhorse
- Deborah Harkness – @debharkness
- Tomi Adeyemi – @tomiadeyemi
- Tj Klune – @tjklunebooks
- Websites Highlighted:
- The Trevor Project: thetrevorproject.org
- Call, chat, or text
- Stand in Pride: standinpride.org
- Daniel Blevins, founder: @the_zombie_dan
- The Rainbow Youth Project: https://www.rainbowyouthproject.org/
- Human Rights Campaign: https://www.hrc.org/
- LGBTQ+ Suicide & Crisis Hotlines: https://988lifeline.org/
- The Trevor Project: thetrevorproject.org
Bernie's thoughts 
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