Spit Take
May. 29th, 2025 01:00 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png)
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Sofía has been waiting for years for her twin brother Sol to return. He was taken away by their former owner, now employer, to serve as his valet during a stay at an expensive resort, and neither of them has been heard from since. Adalina, her owner's daughter and her best friend, insists on accompanying her--which means Sofía has access to the absolute most lavish and decadent aspects of the resort while she's searching for her father.
This is, however, a fantasy novel. So the resort is ominously not the paradise it seems. Instead of having her questions answered, Sofía gets lost in a jumbled spiral that even her scientist mind can't make sense of. No one around her seems to notice that anything is wrong, but the one thing she can hold onto--she hopes--is that she is there to find Sol, or at least find out what happened to him.
Most of the other specifics I could give here would be major spoilers, so I will just say some more elements of this book: intense grappling with the interpersonal ramifications of colonialism. Aro-ace heroine. Stubborn, imperfect, caring community members whose vision for their community doesn't always line up. Deeply weird magic happenings. And, of course, the titular Carnaval, in all its vivid glory.
Up early to put things in order in my chamber, and then to my Lord’s, with whom I spoke about several things, and so up and down in several places about business with Mr. Creed, among others to Mr. Wotton’s the shoemaker, and there drank our morning draft, and then home about noon, and by and by comes my father by appointment to dine with me, which we did very merrily, I desiring to make him as merry as I can, while the poor man is in town. After dinner comes my uncle Wight and sat awhile and talked with us, and thence we three to the Mum House at Leadenhall, and there sat awhile. Then I left them, and to the Wardrobe, where I found my Lord gone to Hampton Court. Here I staid all the afternoon till late with Creed and Captain Ferrers, thinking whether we should go to-morrow together to Hampton Court, but Ferrers his wife coming in by and by to the house with the young ladies (with whom she had been abroad), she was unwilling to go, whereupon I was willing to put off our going, and so home, but still my mind was hankering after our going to-morrow. So to bed.
I don't really keep up with you young whippersnappers' schedules, but going by the cakes coming in I'm guessing summer vacation is starting up. Soooo...
Hey, hoopy froods, school's is out for summer!!
You know what's awesome about summer, besides throwing all those pesky grammar rules to the wind?
Jumping into pools of cubed green Jell-O, that's what:
During the Winter Underlined book tour I actually had a whole Q-and-A session derailed by a discussion on the practice of combining Jell-O with cake. Apparently some of you weirdos do that.
[ducking and running for cover]
That's not all summer is known for, though. There's also the ice cream cones:
(Honestly not sure which parts of that are edible...but I'm hoping the answer is "none of it.")
And steaks on the grill:
YUM.
And hamburgers:
(I like how even the fake plastic ants won't touch those "french fries.")
And hot dog pancakes:
This looks like a job for... the Special Pancake Victims' Unit!
*DONK DONK*
And then, after all that food, you get to stuff yourself into a bathing suit:
I actually look exactly like this in a bikini, only paler*. And with more muffin tops. (HEYO.)
(*People tend to think Floridians are super tan, summer-loving sun-worshippers. Hee! SO CUTE. No, we're the ones huddled inside with the AC blasting, laughing at all you crazy tourists are out there getting heat strokes. We also own more sweaters than the average Alaskan, because there is no place colder in the continental U.S. than inside a Florida public building during the month of June.)
And then of course there are the fun-loving hordes of ants...
I swear these things are solar-powered.
Not to mention the blistering heat...
...and family vacations where everyone's miserable except the organizer of said vacation, who is homicidally determined to have a good time...
[One of my most cherished Disney memories is of the family collapsed on a park bench, moaning, while the Dad stands before them, screaming, "We're not here to RELAX, we're here to HAVE FUN."
"I'm having fun! I'm having fun!"
Plus there's nothing good on TV, and the neighborhood kids wake you up at oh-HAIL-no-thirty with their shrill little screams of glee and stomping feet, and all the parks and shops are crowded, and, and...
Huh. How long 'til Fall, again?
Thanks to Tracey D., Adriane M., Sam H,, Kerry L., Lauralee L., Aj M., Jill V., Julie G., Kristin M., and Becky C. for making us realize just how much we need a vacation.
*****
P.S. If you insist on being OUTSIDE in this heat, especially at, say, an Orlando theme park, at least do yourself a favor and get one of these:
Portable Personal Misting Fan
They come in a whole rainbow of fun colors and cost half what you'd pay at a theme park.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot: