The Best Book(s) I Read this Summer!

   Because I've been on a book kick lately (when am I not?) I've decided to share a post on the best book I read this summer. I read quite a few books this summer, 27 to be exact. Hands down, the absolute best of them was In the Night Garden and it's sequel In the Cities of Coin and Spice. These two books make up The Orphan's Tale duology by Catherynne M. Valente, and they are OUTSTANDING.
   Valente begins with a story, which leads to a story, which leads to a story, then circles back in labyrinthine twists and turns to take readers back to the first story. The books are made up of multiple stories-within-stories that all eventually link together. The ending was not what I expected; it wasn't a complete shock, but I had expected a different reconciliation. (Trying really hard not to give any spoilers here!)
   I loved the multiple story method that Valente uses, and all of them are fantastic in the truest sense: utterly unfathomable, magical, mysterious, sometimes disturbing, always enchanting. And Valente's descriptions are vivid, colorful, textured with scent, sound, and emotion. In the Night Garden was on my Summer Reading List; I finished it, and then went on Amazon to purchase it and In the Cities of Coin and Spice without even reading the latter. They may be YA books, but they are absolutely worth reading if you are a fantasy fan. I will be rereading them soon.


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