Tag: Review

Book Review: The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

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Overall Rating: 5 Stars

This book is so delightfully weird. The idea of a secret government organization and people with special powers sounds overdone, but O’Malley manages to make the entire concept seem fresh and new.

At the forefront of this is our introduction to the main character, Myfawny Thomas. Myfawny wakes up in a park with no memory of who she is or how she got there. She finds a letter in her pocket from the old Myfawny explaining a choice: to go off and live a new life or pursue the mystery of what happened to her. Unsurprisingly, the new Myfawny picks the second choice.

I’m normally not a fan of amnesia plot lines, but O’Malley managed to give away enough information to keep me invested in the mystery without getting frustrated. As the new, more assertive, Myfawny bluffs her way into the organization we learn about how the Checquy has protected the British Isles from supernatural threats for centuries and about Myfawny’s own unique powers. Their titles come from the names of chess pieces, which is where the book gets its name: she’s Rook Thomas. There are also Pawns, Chevaliers, Bishops, and the Lord and Lady. The Lady of the Checquy can enter people’s dreams, one of the Bishops is a vampire and Myfawny’s fellow Rook is a creature called Gestalt whose consciousness inhabits several bodies at once.

But now a new threat has emerged and it looks as though it may be an ancient enemy the Checquy thought it destroyed long ago. The Grafters are the opposite of the people who work for the Checquy. They gain their powers through extremely advanced surgical modifications that grant them advantages like extreme strength and speed. They consider the Checquy to be supernatural abominations. We learn about the world O’Malley has built as Myfawny attempts to lead her organization through a crisis 

This book kept me guessing right up until the last minute. I honestly never knew what would happen next. There was also an element of humor and absurdity to the plot that kept the book from getting too heavy. The result was a very engaging read and I didn’t even notice how long it was. I would definitely recommend it and look forward to continuing the series.

As an aside, I’ve just learned The Rook has been made into a TV show and is set to debut on Starz very soon. From the clip that I saw, I’m not overly impressed. They changed the letters Myfawny left behind into videos which, okay, I don’t love but understand is more TV-appropriate. But it seems like they missed the mark on some of the characters. I’m definitely going to watch it, though, so stay tuned for a review.

Currently Reading: A Natural History of Dragons

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I’m currently reading A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. I came across it in an email from BookBub and scooped it up in the Kindle store for less than $2. If you aren’t familiar with BookBub, I reviewed the site here.

It’s a neat concept. The author approaches the writing of the story as though it’s a real memoir by the main character Isabella Trent, recounting her adventures as a naturalist studying dragons. I’m enjoying the pseudo-scientific writing when Isabella describes her discoveries and the honest way Isabella describes her personal life. She’s a tough character, chafing against the confines of her expected behavior and unafraid to stand up for herself.

The story is set in an approximation of the Victorian Era. I say approximation because I realized partway in that the book isn’t set in England. Instead, Isabella’s home country is called “Scirland.” Isabella frequently makes references to other made-up countries, some that sound like they may approximate Egypt and others that sound vaguely European. One thing I wish is that the author would devote slightly more time to laying out the details of her world. I kind of get the feeling the author made up names in order to avoid cultural insensitivity rather than out of a genuine desire to create a new environment.

The story has just enough action so far to keep it interesting without being stressful, and I’m enjoying it enough to order the next two books in the series.