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There are many themes woven into this novel – themes about faith, for instance, and what it means to become divine – but the one that stands out the m

There are many themes woven into this novel – themes about faith, for instance, and what it means to become divine – but the one that stands out the most for me is...the difficulty of doing what is right, not least because figuring right from wrong is always harder than it seems. A person may desire to do “the right thing,” but that desire can be easily twisted and manipulated, until what one does might seem “right”, but turns out to be in the service of something terrible. This is what happens to Yasira: she is twisted and manipulated to do things that she later comes to realize are terrible. But she learns from those mistakes, and, as I have said earlier, chooses to reject two evils instead of choosing the lesser one, even if doing “the right thing” comes at great personal cost.

...it is easy to assume that I do not like Tidepool at all, but it is not so simple as “liking” or “disliking” it. I appreciate what the author is try

...it is easy to assume that I do not like Tidepool at all, but it is not so simple as “liking” or “disliking” it. I appreciate what the author is trying to do: take the tradition of gothic horror, mix it with the eldritch horror of Lovecraft, and tell a tale focused on women and the lengths they will go to to protect those they care about – even if it means destroying themselves, and the very thing they wish to protect. All these things are admirable. The problem is the overall execution: this novel does not hold up quite so well when compared to other stories I’ve read before. I can see what it wants to do, and I can see how it tries to get there, but it just doesn’t quite make it.

... While [the book] only offers one angle of explanation for why things are the way they are, nor does it offer any concrete solutions to resolve the

... While [the book] only offers one angle of explanation for why things are the way they are, nor does it offer any concrete solutions to resolve the issue, it does offer some insight into how things got to where they are now, and how American citizens, the scientific establishment, and the government all played a role in getting to where things are. As in Ghostland, Dickey does not judge the living individuals he interacts with for their beliefs, but in this book he shows he is entirely willing to point fingers at the systemic issues that have led these individuals to believe in the things they do – and, in certain cases, do harm. ...

...a charming read, despite certain issues with the character development. The mystery isn’t all that complicated, but it does manage to keep the read

...a charming read, despite certain issues with the character development. The mystery isn’t all that complicated, but it does manage to keep the reader in suspense until the latter fourth, which is a lot more than some more “serious” mystery novels can manage to do. But what really distinguishes this novel is how it portrays the Filipino diaspora.The food might be front-and-center in this novel, but I think it’s less important than how the novel tackles concepts like utang na loob, and how minorities must deal with crimes committed against them and their communities by white people. I’m quite pleased that I chose this as my first true introduction to cozy mysteries, and I am looking forward to reading more in the series.

... The Lucifer Chord is a novel that seems interesting, but turns out to be quite the letdown. Though the concept upon which the novel is founded wil

... The Lucifer Chord is a novel that seems interesting, but turns out to be quite the letdown. Though the concept upon which the novel is founded will likely draw readers in, the rest of it just doesn’t function as it ought. The protagonist reads like a cardboard cutout of a person; the romantic subplot reads like something written by that “white cishet man in your creative writing class” type of person one sees so many memes made about; and while there’s a plot arc, the rest of the story itself just goes all over the place and makes one wonder if an editor looked this manuscript over before sending it to print. I also wonder if there is any other author who’s written a story around a similar concept as this one, and I find myself wishing that is the case, as well as hoping they’ve done much better than this – though I suppose, given how this novel has turned out, doing better won’t be very difficult, given how low this novel set the bar.

... embedded in that interplay between the truth as Krona knows it and the truth behind Charbon’s motives as told by the man himself, is the question:

... embedded in that interplay between the truth as Krona knows it and the truth behind Charbon’s motives as told by the man himself, is the question: if the world works a certain way, but that way is unjust, then is this how the world is supposed to be? One can live by rules and guidelines the whole of one’s life, accepting them as not only true, but correct, because that is all one has ever known. But what does one do if those long-held beliefs are revealed to be unjust? What does one do when one finds evidence that “the way things are” is in fact oppressive and harmful? It also asks: if one wishes to change the world, what’s the right way to go about it?

...there’s truly something wonderful in this novel. The world, the characters, the plot, the themes – all have immense promise. But sadly, they are al

...there’s truly something wonderful in this novel. The world, the characters, the plot, the themes – all have immense promise. But sadly, they are all smothered by the writing style, which muffles and dims the parts that ought to be memorable and striking. There are stories, of course, that suit such dry and deadpan delivery, but that style does not serve this novel well at all. Where the reader ought to be drawn in close to the characters, ought to inhabit the setting, ought to be moved by the plot or ponder upon the themes, they are instead set back at a distance, observing everything with dispassion. This is not exactly something I want to feel from a fantasy novel, and I’m sure there are plenty of other readers who would agree.