Welcome to Litsy!

After the ending of Black Tides, Mokoya has fled from her family and her responsibilities. While hunting new and terrifying creatures, Mokoya learns of a deeper conspiracy, all while trying to deal with her own PTSD.

A great follow up to Black Tides! No time skips, so easier to follow. And Mokoya is an engaging main character, harsh and cynical and grieving. The main problem got solved with prophecy, which was a little irritating. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Bath bombs are an excellent gauge of whether I still have a sense of smell. 😂

I read more than I thought I did last month!

This novella is quite different from The Black Tides of Heaven, reflecting the differences in personality between the twins Mokoya and Akeha. I found that I enjoyed this one more, perhaps because I was already familiar with the world building and the characters, whom we first meet as children in Black Tides. Just behold this magnificent cover. I can't wait to read the rest of the series

I enjoyed this one, although it took a while to get me invested. I do like a prickly, traumatized protagonist, though.

I think it's bizarre that this book is marketed as a standalone entry point to the series, though. It takes place after The Black Tides of Heaven and spoils major plot points, and I can't imagine BToH being very satisfying to read after this one. I recommend sticking to publication order.

I think I forgot more about the 1st novella in this series than I expected but I got my bearings together quickly. this sequel dives more into a lot of the quirks of Yang's setting, which was pretty fun and interesting. I wasn't expecting the change in character focus but it was nice to see things from Mokoya's POV, as she copes with her trauma from the 1st book's events and finds new hope.

#Readyoursign challenge book one! The Red Threads of Fortune, published on September 26th, fulfills one of the Libra prompts (Libra is the top love match for my sun sign, Leo, and also happens to be my rising sign as well).
I love the worldbuilding in the Tensorate series. And it was amazing to have a main character who used they/them pronouns throughout. This book also explored grief and PTSD in one of the most visceral ways I‘ve ever read.

Second in Yang's "Tensorate" series, set in an Asian-derived fantasy world where magic and technology coexist and compete. This one has a more conventional plot than the sprawling first entry, involving a giant dragon's attack on a city harboring a Machinist enclave. It explores themes of family, loyalty, loss and fate. Good stuff, and I'll read more in the series.

So I gave #audiocleaning a try while doing dishes but I had to back up three or four times because I couldn‘t hear over the running water or clinking dishes or I just flat out lost track. It might be better if I were a headphones/earbud-wearing sort of person but I‘m not...I‘m listening though my stereo speakers. I‘ll try again at some point but I suspect I‘m just terrible at multitasking!

I‘ve been struggling with a tangled mess of mental/emotional/physical issues lately & today I hit a wall so I‘m taking a sick day to rest, relax, and recharge. I finished The Black Tides of Heaven last night & it included a preview of the tagged book. My library only has the audiobook available so I‘m giving it a try. I haven‘t had much success with the audio format in the past but so far, so good! Minerva‘s keeping me company 🥰 #readingbuddy

Volume 2 in the Tensorate series of novellas. Ostensibly, they each stand alone, but having already experienced the world-building in Vol. 1 made this richer & I liked it even better. It‘s Asian-influenced fantasy with technology aspects that have led to the series being described as silkpunk (as compared to steampunk). Yang, a genderqueer author, has created a fascinating cast of #queer characters. #LGBTQ #Audiobook read by Nancy Wu.

Literary trepanation #2 in 2019, just under the wire:
“Mokoya saw the hole [the dragon-type creature] had trepanned into the domed roof. […] a yawning lobotomy of cracked roof…”
Note: It‘s the roof of the tower containing the library, so this comparison to a brain is apt. For more about my collection of literary references to trepanation, see: https://lindypratch.blogspot.com/2017/10/a-year-of-literary-trepanations.html?m=...

JY Yang‘s second Tensorate novella is about grief and emotional rebirth. In the moment, I found it a little more distanced than I prefer, with less of the juicy worldbuilding that hooked me into THE BLACK TIDES OF HEAVEN; however, I suspect the more I think about it, the more I‘ll like it. I can already feel it happening.

NB: I say second novella, but Yang designed the stories to work in any order. If this one calls to you, you can start here.

Happy Thanksgiving, fellow Canadians! I just partook of the traditional hummus & carrots to fortify myself before supper. Now I‘m hoping to make some progress through THE RED THREADS OF FORTUNE before it‘s time to go.

Tiny library haul this week; just my next poetry collection and THE RED THREADS OF FORTUNE, which got here FAST. I requested it on Saturday. Meanwhile, none of the materials that‘ve been in transit since last Wednesday have arrived yet. Sadness.

The Red Threads of Fortune continues where The Black Tides left off. I feel like this one was weaker than the first, but these books are such easy reads it doesn't really matter much

It was nice to get Mokoya's perspective in this second installment. I liked it a lot. Differently paced from its predecessor. Yang continues to be really great at efficient world-building. Interestingly, a number of folks in my book club read the first 2 books in reverse order, which apparently didn't ruin things? I hadn't thought of these as being standalones, but apparently, they work well that way, too. 🐲

Definitely the first time I've prepared for #bookclub by candlelight

It doesn't have to be one or the other."

Oh wow. That was really quite something.
#24in48

The world-building in this series really stands out as does the way the author works with concepts of gender.

This didn't blow me away quite as much as the first book, but that's a high bar. It was great. We learn more about the world, tensions evolve, and a new way of seeing and doing slackcraft is opened to us.

Festivus holiday lie-in with a book that has been on my TBR way too long.

Not quite as good as the first, though still pretty good!

I loved this duology and I can‘t wait for the next one to come out! #fantasy #novella

This felt in a lot of ways very different from THE BLACK TIDES OF HEAVEN, much faster-paced and more focused. I‘m not sure which I‘d say I liked better, but fortunately I don‘t have to pick just one. I really enjoy the silkpunk milieu, and despite the relative compactness and speed of the story, there‘s still room for real tenderness for and between the characters. I‘m very much looking forward to book three.

“A springtime of questions flowered in Mokoya‘s head, and she imagined picking them off one after another...”

What a beautiful metaphor.

Starting in on this today.

Love! So ready for the next one to drop.

Onto the next one!

I feel like there's a little too much insta love in these novellas, but I'm so fascinated by the world I don't mind too much.

Enjoyed it, but not as much as the first. These covers though!

Absolutely loving this series so far. This is the other novella that came out the same time as the first. I already went ahead and pre-ordered the third book. I can't recommend this enough. And just look at the cover art!

#fantasy

1. "Killing the voice transmitter was an overreaction."
2. 211
3. Temptingly
4. Mokoya
5. Red
6. Fantasy
7. The, nervous
8. Black
9. JYY
10. "Rising sun"
11. 2017
12. Ken Liu
13. Nope
14. Yep

Thanks, @Kaye!

Lunch time reading with part two of JY Yang's Tensorate series.

#litsymen
@Kaye

My post-workout* reward: iced tea, scone, and a stack of books that's way too big for one afternoon. 💕

*the Canadian version: shoveling a good few inches of heavy, wet snow off your driveway. Oof.

Hey @ghosthost look what I got today 😀

They didn't have Black Tides but I couldn't resist this, so pretty!

I'm not sure these books can be reviewed separately, because they really make up one excellent narrative. Red Threads Of Fortune picks up a few years after Black Tides Of Heaven, continuing the story of the Protectorate and the Machinist rebellion but with Mokoya taking centre stage. This is a story about grief and loss that builds on the world and characters JY Yang introduced in The Black Tides Of Heaven. Both are highly recommended. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

The second book in this novella series was actually more emotionally charged than the first. It‘s a story of grief, self discovery, and magic. I loved the characters and the world to these stories just wish we got more on how it all worked. Its a super fast read and fun despite its sometimes heavier story but definitely worth picking up both books!

Shattered by the loss of her daughter, Mokoya flees to the edges of the kingdom where she hunts naga. There she meets Rider who has their own mysterious reasons for being in Bataanar. Magic & fantastic creatures abound. So too do complicated relationships. The scenery is lush, the characters complex, & the world fascinating. This beautifully written novella, a companion to The Black Tides of Heaven, is wholly original and a really great read.

Saturday morning reading.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ of 5 ⭐️s

Wow. WOW. Things were rough with the characters at the end of the previous novella, and this one shows just HOW rough it's gotten. Won't get into it much because spoilers, but I CAN say that this is a story about grief and rage - and how to break through those to the things that really matter. Cannot wait for the rest of this series to come out XD.

What a great new book Tuesday here in the SFF world 👍🏼😍📚