The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses
by Malka Older
I’m a huge fan of Malka Older’s Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti novella series. Set in a post apocalyptic colony on Jupiter after Earth is no longer inhabitable the series is a cozy space opera mystery sapphic romance series which despite their short length still pose interesting ideas about love, the resilience of humanity, and the push pull between honoring the past and looking towards our future endeavors. Pleiti, a professor, and Mossa, a detective, in the two previous books had renewed their romantic relationship from back in their college days, but now in The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses, Mossa has been growing distant and seems uninterested in helping the sister of another of their old school friends who has been accused of plagiarism so Pleiti must solve the mystery on her own. But when the case turns out to have a more dangerous aspect than at first it seemed Pleiti wonders if she might be in over her head. Though part of me didn’t want to see Mossa and Pleiti’s romance in question, I think for the characters this felt like a realistic hurdle that they would need to face. I like how this novel shakes up both characters out of their comfort zones and allows them to grow individually.
A Most Puzzling Murder
Bianca Marais
The latest from Canadian author, Bianca Marais, is an intriguing novel which provides puzzles not only for its protagonist, but also for the readers to solve, which can reward them with a bonus scene (hints and even solutions are provided for those that need them). Destiny Whip, a reclusive former child prodigy, is intrigued when she gets a letter to interview for a position of the Scruffmore’s family historian which she never applied for. Set in a castle there are elements of the gothic as Destiny tries to stop the murder of one of the family and determine who the perpetrator might be. For those reading the audiobook, ebook or library version Marais provides printable versions of the puzzles for readers on her website. I had fun trying to solve the puzzles as well as reading this supernatural mystery novel that has plenty of juicy family drama. I liked how the chose your own aspect plays with the idea of some events being fated while others can take dramatically different turns depending on a small change. If like me, you enjoyed the “choose your own adventure books” as a tween, than you’ll find a lot of fun nostalgia in the participatory elements of reading this story.
Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager
Hoboken Public Library Blog 