Phoebe WagnerBesprekingen

A Shot of Gin by Phoebe Wagner

Well-written, fast-paced, intriguing paranormal urban fantasy that had me wondering what would happen next.

What I liked:
* Juniper “Gin”: twenty-two, works in a casino run by a vampire, half-human and half-other, magical, strong, has powers that keep her somewhat safe from most paranormals, seems to have a chip on her shoulder, has potential if there is a series
* Franklin: human, Colton’s right-hand-man, wise, knowledgeable, keeps the casino running smoothly
* Colton: vampire, black cowboy two hundred years, ago, manages the casino, has an unusual relationship with Gin
* The supporting characters: Winston, Leia, Kia, Bobbi, Nash – all played a part that was important
* That the vampires were the way I would imagine them to be…rather untrustworthy, bloodthirsty, and difficult – wondering about Clarisse
* That there was one main bad guy that was at least temporarily dealt with but there definitely feels like there is more to the story
* Being on the fence regarding how to feel about some of the characters but then…they are vampires so can one ever trust and have them as friends?
* The plot, pacing, setting and writing
* Learning that I don’t really like zombies in a story

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* The manipulation of and lies of omission that Gin became aware of
* Maybe wanting more backstory and a bigger indication of what might come next

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? I think so, maybe?

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

Some really interesting stories but an uneven collection. Not as hopeful as I expect solarpunk to be. A lot that feels more dystopian.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

It was very fitting to name this anthology Sunvault, because it was truly a vault of little treasures. A collection of short stories, poems, and even drawings about the sun, plants, water, and different methods to live in peace with our planet. In them, you can find dozens of creative inventions, from solar-powered giraffes to green children. You can find activists who risk their lives and freedom for others, and people who are just trying to live in this world. You can also find the characteristics and people of many different cultures.

There were almost 40 pieces of stories, poems or drawings in this anthology. Some of them were more difficult to read, with science or cultural references that I didn’t quite understand. But there were also stories that made me cry, and stories that made me scared, or hopeful for our future – or all of the above.

First, the anthology opens with a Foreword: On the Origins of Solarpunk, as well as an editor’s note, which was pretty useful, given that (other than a few very short pieces of writing) this anthology was my first “longer” introduction to solarpunk.

It would take forever to review every single story, so I’m going to talk about some of my favourites.

Full review on my blog.