Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

 I recently started paying attention to the issues of Publishers Weekly that we get at the Barnes & Noble where I am so thrilled to be a bookseller. And that is how I became aware of this book. It sounded fascinating and scary and so here I am telling you about it. 

Ring Shout is on the surface a science fiction story, really it is a novella. In its 181 pages is packed so much more. Maryse hunts monsters with a mystical/magical sword. She visits three "women" she calls Aunties in a realm apart from the "real world" she lives in, 1922 Macon, Georgia. This is where we cross from straight forward monster sci-fi into something so much more. Her partners in hunting these monsters, called Ku Kluxes, who look like regular people. But unlike regular humans who are Klan members those with "the sight" can see that some of the Klans aren't, they are "Ku Kluxes" and really are monsters. Like classic monsters, with scary teeth and odd shapes and lots of parts that they shouldn't have....

They are using the people in the Klan for something, and the Butcher is part of it somehow...

There is a message in here about what hate does to us. What happens when we begin to let go of hate. Like I said, there is more than a monster story here. The figurative and literal monsters being part of the KKK seems more timely than ever, though they surely have always been a vile and even force. 

All told this was a well spun and scary tale. There is some gore, but it's a monster hunting story so that is expected. There is a blurb on the back cover that calls this a "cross between Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and Buffy the Vampire Slayer." and this feels accurate. And doesn't it sound awesome?!?!

(Finished October 20, 2020)

His Dark Materials: Serpentine (His Dark Materials #3.4) by Philip Pullman

This is a very short story with lovely drawings. The story was originally written by Pullman for a charity auction and has now been released in book form with the addition of the illustrations by Tom Duxbury. 

I loved the story. It takes place after Amber Spy Glass but before The Secret Commonwealth. Lyra and Pan go back to Trollesund and resist some of the places they were before the trip north and the incident. It was really nice to get a little update on how Lyra and Pan were doing and it left me wanting more. 

A great quick read. 

(Finished October 16, 2020) 

Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass

 I love Adam Sass on Twitter and Instagram. So when his book came out I knew I was going to read it. As you know I read a lot of LGBTQ+ books and have become a person who can be a resource to kids and families in my job as a bookseller. 

Adam starts the book with a content warning. I will tell you there is talk about suicide and there is pain for these characters, I mean most of the book takes place at a terrible place that is an island conversion camp run by a preacher. To say more about that might spoilers but as he says in the warning, there is pain but the book isn't about pain, it is about the way these teens come together and do what they do even with the pain. They are resilient and amazing and brave. 

Ok, my review. I had a hard time with this one, but not because of Adam or the story. I had a hard time because my mama-bear heart was so angry and wanted to take all these amazing teens home and care for them and tell them how amazing they are. And I was so angry with Connor's parents for so much of this story. 

These teens are all thrown together when they end up at a conversion camp together. Connor, Marcos, Molly, Darcy, Lacrishia, Vance, Alan, Jack, Christina, Anke, and Drew make up the campers. Miss Manners, Briggs, Karaoke Bill, and some other adults work on the island run by the Reverend from Connor's town. 

What these kids go through, what the manage to do, it is impressive. And scary. There is some mystery running through the story, what happened to Ricky (the man who Connor brought meals to), what is the reverend hiding, and who the heck is really in charge.

Something I was left with is that sometimes people become the monsters others make them into. There is some choice involved too, to continue to be that monster or to be better and do better, to break the cycle of hurt. What is the line though between being hurt and acting out and really transforming into the monster under the bed or in the closet? 

I am not sure but it kind of feels like Adam intends to write more about Connor. 

I think this was a really important story and is well done. 

(Finished October 15, 2020)