The King of Infinite Space, By Lyndsay Faye ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Addiction, Adult Fiction, Fantasy, LGBTQ, Mystery, Romance, Shakespeare Retelling, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: August 10th, 2021

432 Pages

Synopsis: In this lush, magical, queer, and feminist take on Hamlet in modern-day New York City, a neuro-atypical physicist, along with his best friend Horatio and artist ex-fiancé Lia, are caught up in the otherworldly events surrounding the death of his father.

Meet Ben Dane: brilliant, devastating, devoted, honest to a fault (truly, a fault). His Broadway theatre baron father is dead—but by purpose or accident? The question rips him apart.

Unable to face alone his mother’s ghastly remarriage to his uncle, Ben turns to his dearest friend, Horatio Patel, whom he hasn’t seen since their relationship changed forever from platonic to something…other. Loyal to a fault (truly, a fault), Horatio is on the first flight to NYC when he finds himself next to a sly tailor who portends inevitable disaster. And who seems ominously like an architect of mayhem himself.

Meanwhile, Ben’s ex-fiancé Lia, sundered her from her loved ones thanks to her addiction recovery and torn from her art, has been drawn into the fold of three florists from New Orleans—seemingly ageless sisters who teach her the language of flowers, and whose magical bouquets hold both curses and cures. For a price.

On one explosive night these kinetic forces will collide, and the only possible outcome is death. But in the masterful hands of Lyndsay Faye, the story we all know has abundant surprises in store. Impish, captivating, and achingly romantic, this is Hamlet as you’ve never seen it before. (Goodreads) 

I loved Lyndsay Faye’s Jane Steele which is an imaginative reworking of Jane Eyre, so when I saw The King of Infinite Space, which tackles one of my favorite Shakespearean tragedies, Hamlet, I unhesitatingly requested it on NetGalley. I have to admit in the beginning I started to get a little nervous. There were multiple characters, a lot of information and background being relayed, and so much going on overall, I briefly floundered trying to grasp the myriad of threads and wondered what had I gotten myself into. Thankfully, by the time I was at the 10% mark, I had been completely pulled into this magical, queer and feminist spin on the classic tale.

This is definitely a strongly character driven novel. Everyone in it is flawed, complex, and compelling. The way they love and care about each other tugged at my heartstrings and had me hoping for a happy ending despite knowing the tragic outcome of the classic it’s based on. I wasn’t as fond of Lia’s chapters as she’s off working with three mystical florists and struggling to overcome her addiction. For me I was much more invested in Ben’s and Horiatio’s as they attempt to deal with their relationship as well as solve the central mystery. Lyndsay Faye’s writing style is breathtakingly beautiful and the contemporary setting of New York City adds a further surprisingly rich layer to a concoction that’s already full to the brim of varying elements. The ending, well, if you’re familiar with Hamlet, you won’t be shocked when I warn you to have a box of tissues nearby.

In the end, The King of Infinite Space isn’t perfect, but it’s a uniquely imaginative revision that succeeds on almost every level, and will undoubtedly please a great many fans of Hamlet as well as those who haven’t read it. Best of all it’s proof that in the right hands, a retelling of even a well known classic, can bring it to life in a fresh new way.

Bright Ruined Things, By Samantha Cohoe ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Shakespeare Retelling, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 26th, 2021

352 Pages

Synopsis: ‘A deftly-plotted tale about ambition and belonging, Bright Ruined Things takes Shakespeare’s The Tempest and brilliantly reimagines its themes of family and love. Cohoe writes with a magic that dazzles and cuts right to the core.’ – Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights

Forbidden magic, a family secret, and a night to reveal it all…

The only life Mae has ever known is on the island, living on the charity of the wealthy Prosper family who control the magic on the island and the spirits who inhabit it. Mae longs for magic of her own and to have a place among the Prosper family, where her best friend, Coco, will see her as an equal, and her crush, Miles, will finally see her. Now that she’s eighteen, Mae knows her time with the Prospers may soon come to an end.

But tonight is First Night, when the Prospers and their high-society friends return to the island to celebrate the night Lord Prosper first harnessed the island’s magic and started producing aether – a magical fuel source that has revolutionized the world. With everyone returning to the island, Mae finally has the chance to go after what she’s always wanted.

When the spirits start inexplicably dying, Mae starts to realize that things aren’t what they seem. And Ivo, the reclusive, mysterious heir to the Prosper magic, may hold all the answers – including a secret about Mae’s past that she doesn’t remember. As Mae and her friends begin to unravel the mysteries of the island, and the Prospers’ magic, Mae starts to question the truth of what her world was built on.

In this YA fantasy, Samantha Cohoe wonderfully mixes magic and an atmospheric historical setting into a fantastically immersive world, with characters you won’t be able to forget.

Bright Ruined Things is an imaginative retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, cleverly combined with a page-turning mystery/thriller, that had me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time I was reading. Although it’s set in the 1920s, you don’t really see much of the time period except for one party that could have been taken from The Great Gatsby, so I was slightly disappointed about that. I also didn’t exactly like Mae, but I did find her extremely interesting. She’s flawed and very complicated as are most of the characters, and it was entertaining to find out their backstories and watch how they interact with each other. If you think you’ll know what happens because you’ve read The Tempest, think again, because Cohoe includes plenty of twists in here to keep readers guessing. Bright Ruined Things is a unique, action-packed retelling full of Shakespeare-esque drama, double-dealing, and mysterious intrigue that I believe will hold a wide audience of readers spellbound.