![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psocopteraFirst off, The Invasion, Peadar O'Guilin, 2018, sequel to The Call. Enh. I wanted more meat to the mythology or more payoff from some of the new characters or something. I spent awhile with the first one thinking about whether it was secretly about Brexit or terrorism or the climate crisis or something, but I don't think anything that interesting was being said here; maybe there's something going on about Irish nationalism, but I don't know enough to pick up on it. Content note for suicidality (as well as more body horror etc).
My ballot ranking for all six Lodestar nominees behind the cut.
As implied in the subject, these sorted out into three categories for me. First, the good, Tess of the Road and Dread Nation (links to my posts). I would be happy to see either of these win, although my own first place vote is going to Tess, which I nominated.
Second, the fairy. I would have loved to give the Lodestar to Holly Black's Darkest Part of the Forest, but I'm less pleased by the idea of it going to The Cruel Prince. Peadar O'Guilin's fairies are even nastier but also less interesting? I do like the thing where local members of Worldcons maybe help get people onto the ballot who might not have been such a big name in the US - Finnish artist in Finland (and I was rooting for Sinisalo's Core of the Sun to make it on, too), Irish author in Dublin - so maybe I'll flip the order I might have otherwise put these two in. Or, enh, maybe not; I did enjoy Wicked King more than Cruel Prince and am going to read the third one, whereas I wouldn't read a third Call series book.
Finally, I didn't like either of Children of Blood and Bone or The Belles. Not going to no-award them though; if one of them turns out to have the numbers, which Children of Blood and Bone certainly might if the Nebulas are an indication, then hey, party on, YA fans with different taste in books. No strong ranking here but I think The Belles pissed me off in more specific ways.
So, my entire Lodestar ballot:
1 - Tess of the Road, by Rachel Hartman
2 - Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland
3 - The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black
4 - The Invasion, by Peadar O’Guilin
5 - Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi
6 - The Belles, by Dhonielle Clayton
And my prediction is for Children of Blood and Bone, unfortunately.
My ballot ranking for all six Lodestar nominees behind the cut.
As implied in the subject, these sorted out into three categories for me. First, the good, Tess of the Road and Dread Nation (links to my posts). I would be happy to see either of these win, although my own first place vote is going to Tess, which I nominated.
Second, the fairy. I would have loved to give the Lodestar to Holly Black's Darkest Part of the Forest, but I'm less pleased by the idea of it going to The Cruel Prince. Peadar O'Guilin's fairies are even nastier but also less interesting? I do like the thing where local members of Worldcons maybe help get people onto the ballot who might not have been such a big name in the US - Finnish artist in Finland (and I was rooting for Sinisalo's Core of the Sun to make it on, too), Irish author in Dublin - so maybe I'll flip the order I might have otherwise put these two in. Or, enh, maybe not; I did enjoy Wicked King more than Cruel Prince and am going to read the third one, whereas I wouldn't read a third Call series book.
Finally, I didn't like either of Children of Blood and Bone or The Belles. Not going to no-award them though; if one of them turns out to have the numbers, which Children of Blood and Bone certainly might if the Nebulas are an indication, then hey, party on, YA fans with different taste in books. No strong ranking here but I think The Belles pissed me off in more specific ways.
So, my entire Lodestar ballot:
1 - Tess of the Road, by Rachel Hartman
2 - Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland
3 - The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black
4 - The Invasion, by Peadar O’Guilin
5 - Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi
6 - The Belles, by Dhonielle Clayton
And my prediction is for Children of Blood and Bone, unfortunately.
