Book Review

On Tyranny
by Timothy Snyder

I'm rather late to the game on this one, but it's still so necessary. I read it on the way to an from a protest against the Musk-Trump regime, so it was exceedingly timely. This short book consists of 20 brief chapters, each on one aspect to tyranny and resisting it. He illuminates each point with examples from the 20th century, mostly from the European history most commonly taught in US schools, since the book is clearly aimed at an American audience. It's eye-opening, alarming, and reassuring in turns, and a good reminder that there is still so much we can do. This is essential reading for our times.

Book Review

Blaze of Memory
by Nalini Singh

This seventh installment in the Psy-Changeling paranormal romance series was surprisingly meh. When Devraj Santos takes in a woman found injured and unconscious on his foundation's doorstep, he is not ready for the powerful connection that will spark between them. Katya was left with deep psychic wounds and some deeply buried instructions and compulsions. She and Dev must work to unravel them before time runs out, all while navigating their passion for each other.
The romance in this book just didn't work for me at all. Because Dev takes Katya into what is essentially a form of protective custody, there is a huge imbalance of power between them that is not resolved or equalized before their relationship begins. That pretty much turned me off from the relationship, even though things never got icky. I did find the intrigue aspects of the story and the advancement of the series meta-plot interesting, though.