Smith Reads

February 19, 2021

This is a not-history History book.

Stamped is an historical look at racism from its inception within the court of Prince Henry of Portugal in the 1400s, and looks at how it impacted economic and social policy in America. While there is a LOT of historical context, situations, and figures discussed in this book, the approach to explaining is less like a history textbook and more like a novel. Kendi and Reynolds tell the story of these historical folks and how they participated in policies throughout the founding and governing of America. Notable figures include Jefferson, Lincoln, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, and so many more. The timeline of this book stops just as President Obama was elected, so it is a comprehensive look at the story of America.

Growing up, History was not my favorite subject. As an adult, I have found I appreciate certain storytelling aspects of history, and I love when historians approach their topics in a more narrative form. A static list of dates and people involved in a situation is not my ideal way to study history. This book appealed to my need to have history told as a story. I learned some really fascinating factoids from this book that I never absorbed or was never told to me in history classes. Most of my study of history usually ended with the Vietnam war because we ran out of time in the school year, so I was particularly interested in the last 1/3rd of this book that gave more insight into what was happening between 1970 and the 1990s. This was a really interesting book that I would hand to anyone wanting to delve into this aspect of America's History.

September 20, 2020

Bryan Stevenson's memoir starts with him finishing up law school at Harvard Law and establishing a law office in Alabama where he receives a grant to represent poor inmates who may have not had adequate representation during their initial trials, and many of whom have been sentenced to death. Stevenson's purpose is to ensure these prisoners received the full course of justice during their trials, many of whom did not. The main focus is on the case of Johnny D, an inmate sentenced to lethal injection for the murder of an 18-year-old woman in a small town outside Montgomery, Alabama. Stevenson finds many issues with the initial trial for Johnny D, including the coercion of the prosecution's main witness, whose testimony sent Johnny D to prison.

I picked up this book after having seen the movie with Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. I needed to know more information about Johnny D and what his case entailed. The movie goes into some of this detail, but, of course, the book has way more. The book also presents Stevenson's cases with less emotion than the movie, which I appreciated as I tried to piece together what Stevenson was discovering. This was a gripping novel even without the Hollywood glam, and would be a great read for anyone interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice.

January 2, 2020

A fantasy tale inspired by African folklore

In the kingdom of Orisha, magic is forbidden. Twelve years ago, the King carried out a purge of all adult magic users, and that included Zélie's mother. Now, there might be another as the children of these magic wielders reach casting age. A chance meeting in the market brings Zélie together with Princess Amari, and provides Zélie with a chance to restore magic to the kingdom.

This was a beautiful, fast-paced story, and I really appreciated a fantasy setting that didn't resemble Europe in the Middle Ages. Amari was a little irritating during her narrated chapters, but I can't get enough of Zélie and her quest to save her people.

This second novel focuses on building up the Maji into a formidable force. Zélie is invited to join the Council of Elders because of her power as a Reaper. This causes a rift between her an Amari until Amari harnesses her Titan powers to land herself a seat. To further complicate matters, many of the Monarchy's strongest soldiers also turn out to have Titan powers, meaning the Maji aren't the only ones who can cast magic.

This story has a lot of back-and-forth between Amari and Zélie. The two differ completely on their opinions to save the kingdom and whether to save Inan or not. The lack of overall strategy leaves this narration to to wander, and the twist ending was a little too far outside of the characters' established motivations for me to really grasp it. Let's hope the third book gives us much-needed resolution.

December 2, 2019

Ismae was rescued from an awful arranged marriage, but now she must serve the God of Death. She is sent on missions around the kingdom, all in the name of the Queen of Brittany, to assassinate those who prove to be disloyal to the court. Ismae can see shadows on the skin of her targets that prove their guilt, but she quickly gets entangled in Court politics that make things not so black-and-white anymore.

This story was intriguing, and the use of an historical setting was an interesting choice. I felt the love interest portion of the story was a bit forced and underdeveloped, but the main storyline itself is full of things that are sure to frustrate and captivate readers.

Feyre is the provider for her family - she hunts, she gathers food from the forest - but all that changes when she shoots a wolf, who is actually a Fae in animal form. Because of the laws of Fae land, Feyre's life now belongs to the High Lord of the Spring Court. And there's a terrible curse on the Spring Court - all of its Fae are unable to take off their masks from a masquerade that was nearly fifty years ago. If the High Lord can find love, there may be hope for his people. Even grimmer than that is the threat of an unknown evil lurking far to the north that is draining all the magic from the lands.

This story is a play on the classic Beauty and the Beast story, but don't expect a fully faithful rendition. Feyre is not the helpless damsel in distress from the fairy tale. There aren't many servants and other characters around for Feyre to interact with, so the beginning of this story starts very slowly. Around halfway through, the pace picks up, and the mysteries abound as Feyre uncovers more about her captors and the Fae world.

If you haven't read the first book, PLEASE DON'T READ THIS REVIEW!!

The ending of the first book has Feyre doing horrible things to save Tamlin and his court from the evil Amarantha, and even striking a deal with Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court. Feyre's bargain comes due, and Rhysand collects her during her wedding to start the first of her three months with his court. Feyre finds the Night Court full of intrigue and great power. It is here that Feyre begins to control her new Fae powers, and where she learns has much about herself. She a lot of healing to do from the terrible acts she was forced into during the first book.

In this novel, we get a little farther away from the Beauty and the Beast tropes, but Maas does weave in other classic tales from around the world. This book doesn't have the slow ramp-up of the first novel, but the overall pace of the novel is a little slower because of how much time Feyre spends working on herself. There's plenty of mystery, as the dark forces don't stop with Amarantha, and Rhysand believes Feyre might be instrumental in helping the Fae world, if he can just get her to believe in herself.

The Fae world is on the brink of war as the King of Hybern prepares to invade Prythia. Feyre decides to play double agent and spy on her former savior. Rhysand and Feyre agree that the only way for them to survive is to unite as many High Lords as possible, but that will mean Rhysand has to prove to all of them he isn't the despicable Fae he's pretended to be for hundreds of years.

This monster of a book has tons of intrigue, and it is full of action. Now that Feyre understands who she is, what she wants, and how to use her powers, nothing will stop her from protecting her new Fae family, and her former human family as well. There are a few plot points that are created and forgotten, most likely because of the sheer weight of the storyline and world building that is culminating in this hefty book. Maas has promised a few mmore books in this world, but the resolution at the end of this novel leads me to believe it won't focus on Feyre and Rhysand.

Sep 24, 2019

The City of Brass follows Nahri, a thief and con artist who mysteriously has the ability to understand other languages without ever having learned them. One night, in one of her many cons, Nahri plays a spiritual advisor and chants in a language that only exists in her head. Her words summon a deadly djinn, who abducts her and is honor-bound to deliver her to the City of Brass, Daevabad. There, we meet the alternating viewpoint of Prince Alizayd, whom everyone calls Ali (yep! Prince Ali!). Nahri discovers much more about herself and her heritage, all while navigating the bizarre and dangerous world of Daevabad.

This thrilling novel is fast-paced and masterfully written. At times towards the end, Nahri gets a little formulaic, but the ending makes up for her toe-the-line attitude and stereotypical damsel-in-distress "act" that she puts on. Of course there is a romantic element, as this is young-adult-fiction, but this one seemed more realistic, even if the beings involved were magical. As this is the first installment of a trilogy, I can't wait to get my hands on the second book, Kingdom of Copper.