Binti: The Complete Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor

Title: Binti:The Complete Trilogy
Author: Nnedi Okorafor 
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Complete

Hardcover, 368 Pages
Publication: February 5, 2019 by DAW

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Collected for the first time in an omnibus edition, the Hugo- and Nebula-award-winning Binti trilogy, the story of one extraordinary girl's journey from her home to distant Oomza University.

In her Hugo- and Nebula-winning novella, Nnedi Okorafor introduced us to Binti, a young Himba girl with the chance of a lifetime: to attend the prestigious Oomza University. Despite her family's concerns, Binti's talent for mathematics and her aptitude with astrolabes make her a prime candidate to undertake this interstellar journey.

But everything changes when the jellyfish-like Medusae attack Binti's spaceship, leaving her the only survivor. Now, Binti must fend for herself, alone on a ship full of the beings who murdered her crew, with five days until she reaches her destination.

There is more to the history of the Medusae--and their war with the Khoush--than first meets the eye. If Binti is to survive this voyage and save the inhabitants of the unsuspecting planet that houses Oomza Uni, it will take all of her knowledge and talents to broker the peace.

Binti has been on my to-read list for as long as I can remember. Therefore, when I saw the bind-up up for review, I immediately jumped at the chance. The omnibus edition contained the complete trilogy and a brand-new novella in one stunning hardcover book. The series follows sixteen-year-old, prodigy Binti as she runs away from home to attend the prestigious Ommza University. The novellas focuses on Binti’s life and personal growth at the university, as she deals with PTSD (attack on the way to the university), home, society and cultural issues.

The problem with novellas are their length. It can be difficult to lay the foundation of the world and characters with a restrained word count. With that said it can be done, it’s certainly possible but in Binti’s case, it fell a bit short. I found the world building perplexing and unconvincing. Besides the scientific terminology and various species, I didn’t get the science fiction, futuristic, space vibes. And I’ve read my fair share of SF novels. I also had a difficult time connect with our main protagonist, Binti and other side characters. The characters weren’t relatable at all and the more I read, the more I started to lose interest and not care what happened to them….which is never a good sign. The plot never really captured my attention either. I found myself putting down Binti quite often, not picking it back up for days and when I did, I had trouble remembering what occurred.

I had such high expectations going into Binti, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to it. The book never truly capture my attention, and on many occasions I felt like I had to trudge through just to finish. Nonetheless, Binti was well-written and although I may not have enjoyed it, many other reviewers absolutely loved it. I suggest checking out other reviews and excerpt before reading.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Title: Caraval
Author: Stephanie Garber
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Caraval # 1

Hardcover, 407 Pages
Publication: January 31, 2017 by Flatiron

Source: Personal Library.

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Remember, it’s only a game…


Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.

I bought Caraval when it first released based off a preview of the first four chapter sample. I liked what I read and it didn’t hurt that it was carnival-themed and compared to The Night Circus, one of my favorite book. But then it ended up unread, on my shelf for two years. With the final novel of the trilogy releasing this year, I finally decided to pick it up. I was pumped to start the book again after reading all the amazing reviews the first two books received over the years. My sister and I like the same type of books and she attested to enjoying the novel so I thought for sure this was going to be a winner. Sadly, I was wrong. Caraval had no substance.

Caraval went downhill pretty quickly after the characters arrived gosh knows where to attend Caraval. The goal of Caraval was to play a game and win a wish. In Scarlett’s case, the game involved finding her missing sister, Tella in five days. Caraval suffered from lack of world building, character development, imagination and mediocre writing. The entire novel revolved around getting clues that pointed to the next clue and/or location in which Scarlett would find her sister Tella. That’s literally it. It was so simple and dull. I never felt the urgency of the game or that the stakes were high enough. Why? Because half the time Scarlett was swooning and daydreaming over Julian and Dante. She all but forgot that she was there to find her sister! The author tried to make it sounds like Scarlett always put her sister above herself but Scarlett’s action was a far cry from that.

The world building was nonexistent and forgettable. I already forgot the Island the sisters came from and where they headed. And I read the book less than 48 hours ago, nuff’ said. As far as fantasy goes, Caraval had little to no magic. The ONLY thing that had a speck of magic was a dress Scarlett received from Legend that changed colors, shapes and styles. I remember listening to a podcast where Garber said she wanted to write a novel that blurred the lines between reality and fantasy…whelps, she succeeded in that respect because I couldn’t tell that this was a fantasy novel. I felt like I was reading a book version of that boring board game, Clue. Another issue I had was the writing. The writing in my opinion was mediocre and absurd. For example, early on in the first couple of chapters, Scarlett said the night smelled like the moon and candle wax. Dear readers, do you know what the moon smells like? I would like to know what the moon smells like. Has the author smelled the moon? Doubtful. Garber was going for beautiful lyrical proses, but combining random nouns and adjectives that didn't equate was just pure sloppy writing and instead, made for a jarring narrative.  

The characters, like the world building were one-dimensional and under-developed. I didn’t like our main leads Scarlett and Julian. Scarlett's priorities were all skewed. She was more worried about her pending nuptials and falling for a stranger than finding her sister. I would say a good 2/3rd of the book was dedicated to Scarlett contemplating Julian: how attractive he was, where he was or why they’re incompatible. Anything and everything Julian. It was overkill. As for Julian, he was a cookie-cutter male lead. I didn’t find him interesting nor did he do anything interesting. And oh how vexing it was every time Scarlett praised him for saving her he would tell her, “You give me too much credit, I’m not a good guy…” I couldn’t stop rolling my eyes when he made his depreciating speeches.

I managed to finish this book, how I’m not sure. I hoped, at the very least, the ending would redeem the novel in someway, somehow but like the entire book, it also was a let down. Caraval literally ended with Tella TELLING Scarlett how everything went down. A ridiculous, detailed, info-dumping play by play of her involvement in the game that took place prior to the sisters leaving home to the present moment. Talk about anticlimactic. I cannot recommend Caraval. If you’re looking for a fantasy novel, look elsewhere because this is not it. I always tell those reading my reviews to try a sampler before committing to a purchase, but lesson learned, it doesn’t always help. I feel duped. The book was falsely advertised. Caraval claimed to be a YA version of The Night Circus but I didn’t get anything remotely close to it. Not even close. Do yourself a favor is skip this book/series. The world building is a joke, the characters have as much personality as a card board box and the writing was poor and sloppy. One of the worst Young Adult novel I’ve ever read. 

A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery by Curtis Craddock

Title: A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery
Author: Curtis Craddock
Genre: High Fantasy, Steampunk
Series: The Risen Kingdom # 2

Hardcover, 416 Pages
Publication: January 22, 2019 by Tor Books

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery is the masterful sequel to Curtis Craddock's critically-acclaimed high fantasy An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors, which continues the engrossing tale of courtly intrigue and breathtaking magic, and starring our fiercely intelligent heroine Isabelle des Zephyrs with her loyal musketeer Jean-Claude.


Isabelle des Zephyrs has always been underestimated throughout her life, but after discovering the well of hidden magic within her, unveiling a centuries-long conspiracy, and stopping a war between rival nations, she has gained a newfound respect amongst the cutthroat court.

All that is quickly taken away when Isabelle is unfairly convicted of breaking the treaty she helped write and has her political rank and status taken away. Now bereft, she nevertheless finds herself drawn into mystery when her faithful musketeer Jean-Claude uncovers a series of gruesome murders by someone calling themselves the Harvest King.


As panic swells, the capital descends into chaos, when the emperor is usurped from the throne by a rival noble. Betrayed by their allies and hunted by assassins, Isabelle and Jean-Claude alone must thwart the coup, but not before it changes l'Empire forever.

I loved the first book in The Risen Kingdoms Series and wondered if the sequel, A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery would live up to its predecessor. Craddock not only delivered an excellent sequel but he exceeded all my expectations. In this latest installment, readers finds Princess Isabelle des Zephyrs stripped of her title for saving and defending a wrongly accused woman, investigating sorcerers’ that has gone missing and/or butchered for their Builder’s gift all while trying to stop a coup d'état against the Le Roi.

Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery is part murder mystery, political and religious climates and family, the ones we are born into and the one built by bond and love. With a serial killer on the loose and an usurper in the midst, at the core of the novel its all about family. Craddock delves deeper into Isabelle’s bloodline as we learn about her parents specifically her father Lorenzo, the mystery of her birth and an enigmatic sister recently discovered. Isabelle’s cruel father and vindictive brother aren’t far behind, traveling to the capital for Le Roi Leon’s 75th birthday festivities while seeking a death wish and red consumption cure. But it’s Isabelle’s true family that is the heart of this novel, her guardian and the one she sees as her ‘father’ Jean-Claude and childhood friend and bloodhollow Marie.

I love the trio’s dynamic relationship. They’re so in-sync with one another and loyal to a fault. I remember there was a scene towards the end when Marie thought Isabelle turned against the empire and Isabelle had to sacrifice one of her family, Marie undoubtedly pledges her loyalty to Isabelle till the very end even it meant her death. Marie has come a long way and despite being a bloodhollow, normally emotionless; we see a brand new side to Marie, one that is ambitious, inquisitive, intelligent, strong, and brave. We also learn about Jean-Claude’s past and some of things he’s done in his youth. While it wasn’t what we’ve come to expect of Jean-Claude, it was nice to see that he’s learned and grew from his past actions.

And lastly I can’t talk about family without mentioning The Trefoil, the three wives of Grand Leon: Sireen, Impervia and Conquetta. One would think women sharing a husband would be full of animosity but The Trefoil are like sisters who love and care for one another. I loved the women as a group and individually. They’re all so amazingly different and true warrior queens without forfeiting an ounce of femininity.

I highly, highly recommend The Risen Kingdoms series to everyone. The world building is complex as it is intriguing, the characters are realistic and multifaceted and the writing is absurdly witty, clever and well-written. The Risen Kingdom is a truly underrated series and for how ridiculously great it is, I’m surprised not many more people have read it. I hope that changes soon. Read it folks, this series is a hidden gem, you won't regret it!

Side note: The cover color choice finally makes perfect sense! Hint: Isabelle.