Tag: book review

Wild Reverence

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

by Rebecca Ross

Wild Reverence is a slow-burning Romantacy story. For most of the book, we are schooled in a world of Gods, Goddesses, and Mortals. We have the Immortals of the Under Realm and the Immortals of the Skyward Realm, and poor Matilda’s parentage includes both… which leaves a young girl struggling with a sense of identity and belonging. When tragedy occurs in her Under Realm home, she is forced to leave and find solace in Skyward, but will she be accepted? 

In the meantime, Matilda has met the boy of her dreams, Vincent, the only problem is she can only meet him in his dreams, oh, and he’s a mortal. For a chunk of this novel, Matilda’s and Vincent’s story is secondary; they “grow up,” each finding their place in the world (or, in Matilda’s case, her worlds), and each coming face to face with their newfound powers and the discovery of their weaknesses. Each faces betrayals and moments of weakness, but in these moments, each learns who they truly are and what potential they have to save the ones they love, unless, of course, it is contrary to what the fates allow.

So I’m not a huge fan of Romantacy, and I’ve never read anything by Rebecca Ross. I picked up Divine Rivals once and carried it around the bookstore, but didn’t end up buying it, and I am beginning to rue that day. Not that you need to read the Divine Rival books to fully enjoy Wild Reverence. I really admire Ross’s writing. It is really quite beautiful. Her prose is vivid, and the plot unravels like a movie in my imagination. 

A perfect Christmas read AND a perfect gift for those in your life who are fans of Romantacy. 

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the copy.

Fox

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by Joyce Carol Oats

It took me a while to read this novel. Because of its VERY heavy subject matter, I had to take a good, long break between reading sessions. Not because it wasn’t incredibly engaging, but because I couldn’t sit with the incredibly “icky” feeling that would sit and grow in the pit of my stomach, but then again, most of Joyce Carol Oats’ writing makes me feel unsettled. She does not tiptoe around issues and immerses her readers in this psychological web of disturbed characters.

Everyone loves Mr Fox. He is a romantic, dashing English teacher who recites poetry. All the adolescent girls in his class adore him, and each feels especially special if chosen for his “Looking Glass Bookclub.” However, as his name implies, Mr Fox is a sexual predator who preys on his students. He is selective with the students for his club: they must be pretty and come from wealthy, powerful families.

One morning, a damaged car is found stuck in a bog. Inside is the mutilated body of Mr Fox. 

Who could have killed him? Was it the Headmistress who had a crush and discovered his secret? Or a parent, seeking revenge for their daughter’s trauma? The detective faces many suspects.

As the story progresses, more secrets are revealed, revealing a dark side of human nature. 

Oats mostly writes in the first person, placing us in the minds of various characters, including Mr Fox. Spending time inside the mind of a serial paedophile is incredibly taxing, so reader beware.

This novel explores class, exploitation, secrets, lies, and half-truths. Every character is deeply flawed. It’s hard to find any redeeming qualities among them.

Even though Joyce Carol Oates often writes on difficult topics, she is one of my favourite authors. Her talent with prose (she shows rather than tells) snares the reader until the end, when she releases you, unsettled.

Obvious trigger warnings for child sexual abuse. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the copy.

Gone Tonight

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by Sarah Pekkanen

Is psychopathy hereditary? This is one of the questions readers will have whilst reading this novel. Ruth is keeping secrets. Secrets about her past. No one knows what she has done, not even her own daughter, Catherine. A catastrophic event happened when Ruth was still in high school, and she’s been on the run ever since. And you know what? She’s done a pretty good job at evading the people of her past, her father, mother, and even the brother she is so close to, who has had to live with her disappearance. Throughout life, she has perpetuated the lie that  when she became pregnant in high school, her overly religious parents abandoned her. She’s also done a pretty good job at raising her daughter, Catherine. As a single mother, Ruth has raised her daughter to be a successful nurse on her way to a new city and a new job. 

But life begins to go awry when Ruth starts showing signs of early-onset Alzheimer’s. Ruth begins to write the truth of her life, or at least what she remembers, in notebooks because she believes her daughter should know the truth of her parentage and the truth behind her mother’s story. 

Devastated by her mother’s diagnosis, Catherine cannot understand her refusal to get formally assessed or make care plans. Suspecting something is amiss—her mother’s responses feel more like lies than simple memory loss—Catherine starts investigating. What she uncovers proves to be confusing and contradictory than expected. Yet, bits of truth slowly emerge, forcing Catherine to realize she may not know the woman she’s called mother at all.

Pekkanen has organized her novel in chapters written from the viewpoints of both Ruth and Catherine, allowing us to see their individual perspectives. However, neither Ruth nor Catherine can be considered a reliable narrator, which adds ambiguity to the truths we encounter as readers and aligns our discovery process with Catherine’s.

Overall, this book offers an engaging and accessible read—an ideal respite between heavier novels. Its fast-paced plot makes it easy to finish in one sitting. 

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the copy.

The Forest of Missing Girls

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by Nichelle Giraldes

This book is a creepy hybrid where young women go missing and the community comes together to track down their kidnapper, or worse yet a serial killer and a supernatural science fiction novel (I’d reference a novel in particular but then I would be hugely spoiling the plot). 

The novel starts with Lia Gregg returning home to her mother, Elizabeth, and her sister, Evie, to their little house in the woods. Her father is there too, but he seems disengaged from his family and, well, is basically disengaged from the entire plot, to be honest. Lia has experienced a breakup with her boyfriend, and she’s feeling a little lost. Soon after her arrival, Evie and her friend Maddie are hanging out in the backyard when Maddie disappears. Maddie’s disappearance immediately causes concern because, for years now, young girls have been mysteriously disappearing from the area. 

Soon, we, the readers, come across a chapter written from a different point of view. We are suddenly experiencing an alternative plot from the viewpoint of a very confused girl. Could she be Maddie? Could she be another one of the numerous girls who have gone missing? All we know is that she is absolutely clueless about who and where she is. All she knows is that there is this woman named “Mother” who is caring for her.

I was really entertained by this novel. It is a puzzle, and as soon as I started putting together the pieces, when all of a sudden a picture started forming, I couldn’t wait to see what the picture looked like in its entirety. 

I would have a problem with the science-fiction/supernatural element of this novel, but Giraldes skillfully weaves it into her storyline.

A great book to add to your Christmas reading list!!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the copy.

The Devil in Oxford

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Jess Armstrong

The Devil in Oxford is the third novel in the Ruby Vaughn Mystery series. Full disclosure, I have not read the first two. The novel can be read as a stand alone, however as I read, I couldn’t help but feel as though I would have enjoyed it more if I knew some of the backstory that was referenced such as how did she and her love interest Ruen meet, her history with the solicitor, how did she come about living with Mr. Owen (my favourite character by the way.
Ruby Vaughn is a “disgraced heiress” who has a penchant for attracting both the supernatural and mystery. Armstrong, through her characterization of Ruby, both indirectly and directly, successfully portrays her as a strong-willed, intelligent, and precocious woman who wonderfully does not “know her place”. Ruby lives with an eccentric, charming old man, their housekeeper, Mrs Penrose, and, of course, a cat. Mr Owen owns a rare book shop where he and Ruby work… a rare book shop, my dream location (and my dream job, if I’m being honest), so this fact may have contributed to my affection for the book.
The novel starts with Ruby playing tennis with her good friend Leona, during which she notices Leona acting peculiar. When called out, Leona skirts the issue. Ruby then returns home to find that Mr Owen has procured tickets to an intriguing exhibition of “curious” oddities and artefacts. Where, of course, a bloody crime ensues, Ruby’s love interest arrives, and Lenore may or may not be a suspect. Poor Ruby has a lot to navigate in this novel: her personal life, solving a crime, and discovering the true character of the people most important to her… thank goodness she has her cat, Fialla, as support.

I really liked this novel. I liked Ruby; she was spunky, stubborn, and confident when it came to solving mysteries, but not so confident in her personal life… like most of us. I loved Mr Owen and his grandfatherly nature. I especially loved the setting; as soon as you mention a rare book store in an academic setting, I’m hooked. I did, however, miss not being “present” to witness the spark that set fire to the slow burn that is the central romance.  So I’m definitely going to seek out and read the first two. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the Copy

The Porcelain Menagerie

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by Jillian Forsberg

Full transparency, it took me a while to actually get “in” to his novel, but the sense of the extent of the research once I started reading, and the extensive research was impressive enough for me to stick with it. 

The novel unfolds across two timelines. It opens in 1718, introducing Johann Kandler, his brother, and their preacher father. The narrative catalyst occurs when Johann and his brother encounter a merchant—whom I interpreted as a Santa Claus figure—whose horse requires a new shoe. This merchant possesses a plethora of porcelain sculptures, objects unfamiliar to the boys. Both are captivated, and after the merchant departs, he leaves behind the horseshoe, a talisman that inspires Johann to pursue craftsmanship. Over time, following his brother’s death, Johann apprentices with Master Benjamin Thomae, a skilled metalsmith and stonemason. Johann’s exceptional talent soon attracts the attention of King Augustus of Poland, who commissions him to create a menagerie of precious creatures for the royal court.

The second storyline occurs 20 years prior to Johann’s investiture. This secondary story is that of Turkish Handmaiden Fatima, soon to be the King’s mistress, replacing his “favourite” Mistress Maria. Fatima is not happy with her opportunity in the court. She recognizes the king as someone selfish, cruel, and not at all loved by his people. To help her pass the days, she becomes involved in the menagerie of animals the king has collected over the years, a menagerie that is soon to be immortalized in porcelain.

Throughout the years, Johann becomes close to the King’s rejected mistress, Maria, and her daughter, Katharina, who seem to be walking on porcelain themselves to avoid displeasing the king’s high demands.

I somewhat enjoyed this novel. Jillian Forsberg conducts extensive research and then successfully creates living, complex, dynamic characters around it. She does an effective job of showing us how obsession can corrupt and how those with limited power must manipulate their reality to survive.

Although certain sections felt slow-paced, I was able to follow the plot throughout. This novel is well-suited for readers interested in meticulously researched historical fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley and History Through Fiction for the Copy

The Mad Wife

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by Megan Church

This novel drew me in and had my attention until I finished reading the final page. Written in first person, we are immersed in the life of Lulu, a housewife living in the 1950s. Lulu was once an aspiring photojournalist, filled with dreams and ambitions of her own. But upon meeting the love of her life,  she puts aside these ambitions for dreams of a new kind. To become a wife to Henry and a mother to
Lulu’s attempt to be the perfect housewife is manifested in her obsession with making the perfect moulded jelly salad. In fact, she becomes known as the neighbourhood queen of moulded food. 
When I first began reading this novel, I inferred that Lulu may be suffering from postpartum depression compounded by the fact that she is again pregnant. Her emotional fragility, compounded by the resurfacing memory and guilt associated with the death of her father and the needs of her disabled brother, Lulu does not seem to be managing.
When a new family moves into the neighbourhood, Lulu becomes obsessed with knowing who they are, especially the wife, Bitsy. Lulu believes Bitsy’s emotionless behaviour is a result of being lobotomised, a practice often conducted in the 50’s to treat “housewife fatigue” and “female hysteria”. 
Lulu’s behaviour soon becomes so erratic that her husband feels like there is no other alternative but to place her in an asylum where she is continuously medicated and prescribed electroshock therapy. Is Lulu truly mad? She is definitely an unreliable narrator, but if you look closely at her words, you can see that they often hold an element of truth. We also learn of a particularly truamatizing event in Lulu’s life that most likely contributed to her break. 
Meagan Church artfully crafts this novel to follow Lulu’s descent into melancholy and paranoia. We experience her fatigue, the weight of unrealistic expectations, her guilt, heartbreak and ultimately her ‘madness’. The novel also serves as a powerful critique of society’s dismissiveness towards female health even today. ‘All you need to do is lose weight. ‘It’s hormonal. Here are some tranquillisers. Let’s shock the sadness and melancholy out of you. ‘Or maybe we should sever the neural tracts in your brain, that should make you docile and happy.’ It’s a stark reminder of the struggles women have faced and continue to face in the realm of mental health.
I was quite captivated by this novel. It is rich with symbolism, character development and theme. And it definitely is a wonderful example of an unreliable narrator.
Thank you to Source books and Netgalley for the copy.

The Red Letter

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By Daniel G. Miller

Yay! We are back with Hazel Cho! The brilliant, chaotic private investigator we met in Miller’s “The Orphanage by the Lake”. I love Hazel. I love reading the story from her point of view, where we see her deductive reasoning, logic, and at times paranoid thinking work their way through the intricacies of a case. In the Red Letter, Hazel is asked by her old acquaintance and “friend” attorney Shavali (who, to make things weird, just happens to be the ex of Hazel’s boyfriend Jack to help defend a young man whom she believes is wrongfully accused in the horrific death of a priest.
Hazel refuses the case at first, but the security footage of the violent, gruesome death of Fr. Kenneally triggers her, and she can’t help but conjure images of the trauma she experienced in her first case. However, under pressure from Shavali and Kenny, she agrees, and soon regrets the decision.
Soon, there is another murder, with the victim dying the same way. Another… so obviously, the suspect cannot be the young man sitting in prison. But who could it be?
As the story progresses, the murders become closer and more personal, with Hazel herself fearing for her life and the lives of those she loves.
I liked this book! It is a quick read; however, the plot seemed rushed, allowing for no substantial character development. For example, the death of a key character didn’t really affect me all that much because we didn’t get a chance to get to know them. And I didn’t feel sorrow for the heartache experienced by those suffering the loss. Additionally, at times, it seemed there were numerous opportunities for the author to build suspense, but the action was rushed through too quickly.
I like Miller’s writing. I like Hazel. I will be reading more of Hazel Cho’s adventures.

Spectacular Things

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by Beck Dorey-Stein

I always love a story about the resiliency of sisters, probably because I have sisters myself.
Spectacular Things is a novel about two sisters, Mia and Cricket, who have to choose (or not) to give up something they love, something that defines them, something they need to survive to save the one they love. 
The novel begins with Liz, the perfect daughter of a perfect wealthy couple. Liz is mostly overlooked as a child, that is, until she starts to shine as a soccer player, so much so that her parents have Olympic hopes for their daughter. That is, until she unexpectedly becomes pregnant. Having no support from her parents, Liz decides to keep her baby, and the only way to do so is to leave home. So she does, and actually manages to make a living for herself and her daughter, Mia. Liz has high hopes for Mia, hoping that Mia will become the soccer superstar Liz had the potential to be. Soon, Liz and Mia’s family grows with the addition of a sister, Cricket, who proves to be born and built for soccer stardom. So Liz and Mia organise their life to support Cricket’s success. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes, and Mia is forced to give up her dream of earning a university degree to care for her sister. As their lives progress, each sister is faced with life-altering decisions that force them to choose between their own dreams and the happiness of the other. The author effectively portrays how an individual can become conflicted when faced with such a heart-wrenching dilemma.
Dorey-Stein has such a wonderful writing style, it is so easy to slip immediately into the story and have the reader emotionally connect with the characters almost as if we are part of the family ourselves, we become emotionally invested to the point where at times we become frustrated with character choice much like we become frustrated with the choices of our won family members.
If you are a soccer player, love soccer, and know the intricacies of the game, its politics, training, and history. You will adore this novel. A perfect read to get you revved up for the FIFA Cup!
Spectacular Things is a heart-warming (and at times heart-wrenching) novel about family, choice, and identity. We contemplate what makes up our own personal identity, to what extent our family contribute, the choices we make, the opportunities we miss, and the dreams we pursue. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the Copy.

Party of Liars

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by Kelsey Cox

If you want a REALLY good “whodunit”, Party of Liars is a perfect fit. Almost like a game of Clue, we have a collection of characters all gathered under the same roof to celebrate Sophie’s 16th birthday. Sophie is the daughter of Ethan, a handsome and charismatic psychiatrist, and stepdaughter to Dani, a former social influencer who is now Ethan’s wife and mother to their baby daughter, Charlotte. All live in the notorious mansion on the hill, a place that stood empty for years because of its dark past but now fully renovated (including the removal of an entire facade to be replaced by glass to replicate a real-life dollhouse.

Poor Dani is having a difficult time, with postpartum depression mixed with a bit of loneliness, she is being to see things, things like the form of a woman in white who hides behind curtains and skulks in the bushes, and most disturbing she is beginning to hear things….like the cry of a baby, a baby that isn’t hers.

Dani isn’t the only one with “issues”. We also meet an assortment of other characters who all seem to be dealing with unresolved anger and bitterness, or a delusional sense of justice. 

The evening of the birthday party, a death occurs. Someone plummets from a balcony to the stone steps below. Who is this person? Was it an accidental death? Was it a murder?

Cox writes her novel in a series of chapters, each written from the point of view of a different character. Dani, Ethan, the superstitious nanny Orlaith, Ethan’s ex-wife Kim, Mikayla, a friend of Sophie’s, could all be the victim or the suspect. 

I enjoyed this novel immensely. I especially enjoyed the distinct voice each character brings to their specific chapter. Cox also writes in such a way that it took me a while to determine my suspect (and I’m pretty good at predicting within the first third of a novel…but not this one!!!). Most of the novel takes place over the day, from the pre-party to the party and ultimately the post-party, with flashbacks embedded to build character and motive.

Kelsey Cox is a skilful mystery writer. Her character building, plot construction, and proficiency in creating atmosphere and suspense make this a perfect summer read and one I would recommend to my High School students.

The Dark Library

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by Mary Anne Evans

Don’t you absolutely love the cover of this novel?

Our setting is in the University town of Bentham on Hudson, right in the middle of the Second World War. Our initiating incident is the apparent suicide of  Dean Jamison, who jumps from a tower at the university. Coincidentally, it is immediately after he meets with Estella (or E as she prefers to be called). Obviously, his death appears suspicious,  I mean, to those who worked closely with him, he didn’t seem depressed or desperate, condescending and patriarchal, sure, but if anything, overly controlling. Our protagonist, E, is naturally stunned by the dean’s sudden death. Still, it’s not like she’ll miss him, even though he was a colleague and ‘friend’ of her late father (himself a professor) he was never supportive of E’s position as professor of literature, for example, not giving her the title of professor,(because she was only holding the position until the ‘rightful’ instructors returned from war), and relegating her to the smallest, most obscure office on campus. Luckily, E’s closest friends also work at the university, Margorie and Leontine.

So Dean Jamison’s death immediately creates suspense, because if it, secrets are revealed and we soon learn that E’s father is entwined in treacherous political dealings. Which is somewhat surprising to E It’s not like she adored her father. E lives a rather solitary life with only the family’s housekeeper Annie as “family”. Before her post as professor, Estella had led a somewhat everyday life as a High School teacher until she was summoned home by Annie because her mother had disappeared and her father had taken ill.

The Dark Library is quite a little mystery. It is deftly written in that one of the central mysteries is solved about halfway through the novel (a rather central mystery in that it serves in developing E’s character and furthering the secondary plot). The second mystery that serves to answer all of our unanswered questions. 

A mystery, a romance, with tinges of historical content, this novel is a wonderful addition to your summer TBR list. It also makes for an engaging addition to any High School library. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the copy.

We Do Not Part

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by Han Kang

The only other novel I’ve read by Han Kang was The Vegetarian, and I knew then that Kang was an author like no other. Using lyrical, poetic language rife with symbolism and metaphor, Kang takes deep political and historical issues and persuades us to think deeply about the human condition. The plot of  We Do Not Part is quite simple; our main character, Kyungha, receives an urgent text from her friend Inseon. Insean has suffered an injury and is being treated in a hospital in Seoul. Inseon tasks Kyungha to go to her home on Jeju Island to care for her bird, which has lost its mate and cannot live longer than a few days in isolation. 
Getting to Jeju Island is quite a task in and of itself; not only does Kyungha suffer debilitating migraines, but she now has to deal with incredibly unreliable remote transportation, blizzards, and hunger. Also, Jeju Island isn’t an island; it has a traumatic history where a massacre of tens of thousands of islanders had been slaughtered by anti-communist troops. This novel weaves from reality to surrealism, a ghost story, a psychological study, and a discovery of self.
This novel would make an amazing novel study for high school students. Not only would it serve as a mentor text, but it would also serve as a master class in writing. The themes it possesses would make for deep and meaningful class discussions.
Look at this beautifully descriptive quote: 
“Snow falls. On my forehead and cheeks. On my upper lip, the groove above it. It is not cold. It is only as heavy as feathers, as the finest tip of a paintbrush. Has my skin frozen over? Is my face covered in snow as it would be if I were dead? But my eyelids must not have grown cold. Only the snowflakes clinging to them are.”

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the copy.

Oye

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by Melissa Mogollon

Rarely is a novel so effectively written that you feel like you are a part of the family. Such it was for me with Melissa Mogollon’s Oye. Luciana is our protagonist; in fact, through her phone calls to her sister Mari, we are given access to her story, albeit her side of the story. Luciana’s voice is so convincing that I felt as though I was speaking to my sister, and boy, did I often find her annoying, moody, and melodramatic; mind you, Luciana is only 17 years old, so that’s that. 
The story starts with Luciana informing her sister Mari (who is away at university and therefore not directly a part of the family drama)of the family’s plans to evacuate due to Hurricane Erma. This life-threatening situation forces them to confront their relationships and responsibilities. Luciana is naturally stressed because she is left with her mother to convince her Abue to go with them. However, they notice that Abue is in desperate need of medical attention. Sure enough, Abue is diagnosed with a life-altering condition. Therefore, it is up to Luciana to manage the family trauma. Luciana’s Abue is one of the most charismatic characters I have met…a 70-year-old who views herself as a femme fatale, and you know what…she kinda is. 
Accompanying her Abue on her medical journey, Luciana learns about her family history, a history filled with heartache, trauma and unforgivable decisions.
Oye is a novel that beautifully captures the process of character development. Luciana’s ‘coming of age’ is a gradual and gentle journey, which adds to her authenticity. The novel’s prose is a testament to how diction, tone, and word choice can effectively shape a character, making it a perfect mentor text for teaching character development. 
The author also utilises some incredibly beautiful ( as well as humorous) metaphors. For example, “Starfish are reminders to heal yourself… to pause and regrow your own body parts first.”
There is no huge quest, no dragons to slay, or princes to save, but this novel portrays an incredibly realistic way of how family relationships, responsibility, identity, and forgiveness are essential for peace and understanding of self and others.