When Among Crows is a short novel, more of a novela really, that is steeped in Polish Folklore. The juxtaposition of European folklore against a contemporary American setting makes for an interesting story, to say the least.
Dymtr comes from a family whose calling is to slay monsters. Think “Grim” from the TV series; unfortunately, he has to sacrifice half his soul to be a monster slayer. At the very beginning of the novel, Dymtr is tasked with finding the infamous Baba Yaga and, well, slaying her. We get a bit of Dymtr’s backstory: how his Grandmother (Bubcia) trained him, and his first kill being a striga, even though she seemed so “normal.” Dymtr travels to Chicago to find Baba Yaga and, along the way, meets Ala, a monster herself, but not by choice; her family was cursed, and with the death of her aunt and cousin, the curse bounced to the next living relative, her. Ala is a Zmora, a night “demon” who feeds off fear. They also meet up with Nikko, a male Strzga, another Slavic creature in human form who feeds off anger and can turn himself into an owl, who it seems may fall in love with Dymtr, which, of course, will complicate things.
In the novel, our main character, Dymtr, has to reconcile with the “sins” of his past and decide how to move forward: should he retain his identity and fulfill the obligations of the family legacy, or will he move forward with a renewed sense of righteousness?
This novel was a great palate cleanser. It was a quick, easy read between heavier books—a wonderful escapist novel using Slavic folklore, always a favourite.
Thank you to Tor Publishing and Netgalley for the copy.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised to be so engulfed by this novel; I read it in one day. It was the perfect book for sitting on my balcony, sipping a beverage and reading until the sun set, and where I live that isn’t until 10:30 in the evening.
The first two sentences of the prologue are one of the BEST I’ve read in a while: “It’s interesting to note that there are two groups of people who are rarely, if ever, suspected of murder. These groups are elderly women and little girls. We meet Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick who is 81 years old. Elsie and her bosom friend Daphne are chit-chatting about the neighbours, an eclectic group of people who all will take part in the story in varying degrees. It seems no one in the neighbourhood has seen or heard from their ninety-three-year-old neighbour Ishann, and to add to their concern, his packages of shipped vitamins are beginning to pile up on the doorstep, and his chihuahua Nugget has been yapping nonstop for a couple of days. Elsie takes it upon herself to check on him and crawls over the fence to see Ishan lying dead on the floor through the glass. The police are called, and they soon find out that Elsie is also “Mad Mabel,” a notorious murderer sent to prison when she was only 15 for killing…someone (no spoilers), so of course, being the person to discover the dead body and because of her history, she is not ruled out as a suspect.
The novel then skips back in time to give Mabel’s back story, where we learn who her parents are, what type of childhood she had and, of course, her possible motivations for murder. Chapters are labelled “Then” and “Now,” and Hepworth does an excellent job of only giving us the time frame in Mabel’s life that fits with the events happening in the “now”. As readers, we move from not knowing the true character of this murderer to actually befriending her. The Mabel of “Now” is strong and spunky, but the Mabel of “then” is a young, emotionally damaged girl who is abused by almost every aspect of society. As readers, we eventually learn that there could be several potential murder “victims,” but Hepworth is successful at not making it entirely predictable.
If you’re looking for an engaging story with an intriguing and somewhat funny protagonist, then you will love this novel. It does pull on your heartstrings with its treatment of Mabel.
Trigger warnings for child sexual, physical, and mental abuse, as well as violent scenes and domestic abuse. The story is not graphic, but the subject matter is sensitive—five stars, one of my favourites of the summer.
Fallen angels are preparing for battle. Lucifer and his minions have chosen medieval France as their battlefield, and what better way to recruit humans to their cause than by challenging their faith with the plague. It’s 1348, and our main character, Thomas, a disgraced knight, has already had a crisis of faith. After suffering betrayal by his brothers in battle and by his wife, he has taken to the life of a brigand. Thomas has committed crimes both legal and moral that he would rather forget, but hey, it’s the time of the plague, and survival is being used as an excuse for sinful behaviour by everyone. Everyone, that is, but a young girl named Delphine.
When Thomas meets Delphine, he feels inexplicably protective of her because she seems to epitomize innocence and good. And Delphine is indeed different. She is visited by angels and set on a quest to journey to Paris to “find” something and take it to Avignon, and she persuades Thomas to accompany her. Along the way, they encounter a plethora of evil in the form of monsters, demons, and the walking dead. They also encounter some good, one person in particular being important to their journey: Fr. Matthieu, a kind yet imperfect monk who brings some jovility and warmth to the trio.
We, the readers, know that these three are going to face an evil in Avignon that will build into a holy war, one where everyone feels as though God has abandoned them.
I really REALLY liked this novel. I listened to the audio, narrated by Steve West, and his narration was powerful. It almost reads as a morality play. Naturally, themes of forgiveness, redemption, crisis of faith, the duality of mankind, good and evil, and the corruption of religious and political institutions are developed, among others. The development of Thomas’s character is powerful to see, as he responds to the challenges he encounters, albeit mostly supernatural, in a very human and realistic manner.
It is a horror novel that is VERY atmospheric and features graphic violence, but I think that no matter who you are, you will like the ending.
Johanna Van Veen has quickly become one of my favourite authors, so when the opportunity to review her newest novel, Bone of My Bone, landed in my lap, I absolutely jumped out of my skin. An image that is more appropriate than you might think.
Bone of My Bone follows two women thrown together by the chaos of war. Sister Ursula is a young nun who has fled her convent to escape an invading horde of soldiers, carrying with her a tremendous weight of guilt for having abandoned her fellow sisters. Elsebeth is a brave, scrappy peasant girl who is running from the very same army. Their paths cross at a pivotal moment: just as Sister Ursula is about to be violated, Elsebeth steps in and saves her. From there, the two decide to travel together, and it isn’t long before their journey takes a fateful turn.
Along the way, they encounter a dying man in possession of something extraordinary: a holy relic, the skull of a saint. Legend holds that if the skull is reunited with the rest of the saint’s remains, the one who does so will be granted a wish. Naturally, Ursula and Elsebeth take the skull and set off to do exactly that, though each woman is driven by her own deeply personal reasons. Standing in their way is a necromancer who is stalking them across the countryside, desperate to claim the relic for himself.
This novel is such an entertaining read. It weaves together elements of German folklore, atmospheric dread, body horror, and a genuinely lovely love story. Van Veen’s writing is both gruesome and vivid, in description and in theme. She doesn’t shy away from the inhumanity of war, the selfishness of those who wage it, and the particular brutality that women are subjected to in the midst of it. And yet, through all of that darkness, something tender takes root. The romance between Ursula and Elsebeth is soft and authentic, and it earns every moment.
Set in Bavaria during the Thirty Years’ War, this one is an absolute must read if you love sapphic romances, folk horror, and stories that don’t flinch from the ugliness of history while still finding beauty within it.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the copy.
I both read and listened to this novel, and I quite liked both experiences.
Remember the black and white movie, Psycho? Noman Bates being the quintessential creepy mass murderer with huge mommy issues? Remember the shower scene? The visuals, along with the music sound effects, have become infamous in movie culture. Now, imagine if, as soon as that shower curtain is open, Marion incapacitates Norman by strategically kneeing him in a sensitive place, taking control of the situation and stabbing him in self-defence. In this twist, it’s Norman who dies! Marion, on the other hand, now faces a myriad of problems: what to do with the body, what to do with the $100,000 she just conveniently has in her possession, and how to help her sister, who is sporting a black eye from her husband’s abuse and has gone silent.
With all this chaos, can Marion (not her real name) clean up the catastrophic mess she’s in without getting caught—or killing anyone else?
Meanwhile, there’s Hannah, a young private investigator striving to succeed despite her parents’ lack of support. They insist she attend law school and refuse to fund her PI career. Before quitting, Hannah takes on one last case: a missing woman last seen near the Billings Hotel, run by Norman.
I really liked the dual viewpoints. We experience Marion and the aftermath of her choices, while also following Hannah, who serves as a character foil for Marion.
Thematically, it’s about women’s fury and the consequences of fighting back in a manipulative society. The writing is easy to read. Some plot twists are predictable, but overall, it’s entertaining.
The audiobook was wonderfully narrated. Noudas and Platis possess the perfect voices for Marion and Hannah, respectively. The intonation, emotion and phrasing added a wonderfully suspenseful atmosphere to the novel.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the copies.
I love any novel set in Ireland. I often thought of myself as part Irish, but according to Ancestry, I’m only 2% Irish…give or take 10%. Nevertheless, I have a love for the people, the country and the culture. That said, I naturally gravitated to Sunburn when a copy became available.
The novel starts “ Now is the time between birth and slaughter. Another Summer has arrived. I spend my days waiting for something to happen. Something glorious, even something tragic. Nothing ever happens.” (pg 1). Now, if it doesn’t exactly capture every teenager’s mindset at the beginning of summer, I don’t know what does.
Sunburn takes place approximately 30 years ago in the small Irish town of Crossmore. Lucy is our main protagonist, a young girl struggling with her identity, and she comments, “Recently I have really wanted to figure out who I am” (Howarth). This novel is about Lucy figuring out who she is. what her heart wants, what her family and friends expect from her, and what society expects from her. She has a best friend, Martin, a neighbour with whom she grew up, and the unspoken expectation that their friendship will turn into something romantic. In fact, Lucy is beginning to notice that Martin’s interest in her is shifting from mere camaraderie to something more romantic. In the meantime, Lucy finds herself drawn to her classmate Susanna, an attraction that confuses her and complicates her life, as she is at a time when she must make life-altering decisions. Will she stay and live a life with what is familiar, her town, her friends and family, making a life for herself similar to her mother? Or will she follow her heart, which means leaving the life she has lived thus far?
Howarth is masterful at capturing the mindset of a teenager experiencing not merely teenage angst, but the struggle to acknowledge the truth behind her identity.
Howarth’s prose is absolutely beautiful and thought-provoking. Some examples: “ I can’t stand being on the outside of what everyone else is feeling.”Sometimes knowing someone for a long time is the only reason you’d be friends with them. It isn’t much of a bond, and still it is unbreakable” “ Even at my small age, I understood that there were limits to love, and I felt sure that one day people would run out of love for me,” Lucy loves Martin in her own way he “makes her feel grounded” and this line absolutely broke me “ when he leaves, I watch from the back door as he disappears down the garden, out into the dark road, taking the last of today’s goodness with him.”
A beautiful novel with a discussion-generating plot and themes, all wrapped in beautiful prose.
A perfect novel to use in High School classrooms, either as a mentor text showing the effectiveness of character voice and the impact of first-person narrative, or as an independent novel study.
Thank you to Melville House and Netgalley for the copy.
If you’ve never heard of Mona Awad, I need you to stop what you’re doing and pay attention, because I’m about to send you down a rabbit hole you will not regret.
I’ve only read three of Mona Awad’s works, and all three can be classified as dark academia my favourite genre. Canadian author Mona Awad has quite theimagination. She writes novels that read like fevered dreams, especially for those of us who have a history of viewing ourselves as insecure, anxious, and at times with self-doubt.
My first experience with Awad was her novel All’s Well. Honestly, I bought,this novel, because I thought the cover was beautiful, and because it was a reference to Shakespeare’s play. Miranda Fitch is a college drama teacher who is bound and determined to produce Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, mostly because she wants to relive a time in her life when she was at the height of her acting career, playing the lead role of Helen. Her students, however, are equally bound and determined to perform Macbeth — a play that Miranda holds directly responsible for her debilitating chronic pain. When she meets three strange men at a bar (men who symbolize the three witches of Macbeth) Miranda engages in the most bizarre conversations. Soon after, the physical and emotional pain she carries begins to transfer onto the people she dislikes, and Miranda starts to feel a dark, intoxicating sense of power at the expense of others.
Now, Bunny. Bunny is the most wild of novels. Samantha McKey is part of a creative writing cohort at an Ivy League university. The entire story is told from her point of view, but we glean through her narrative (and she is an extremely unreliable narrator) that she is a loner. She views herself as superior to the others in her cohort, referring to them as “the Bunnies.” Soon, however, she is invited to join the Bunnies’ “Smut Salon” — a gathering where they meet to discuss their work. But the Smut Salon goes far beyond discussion. Soon the Bunnies are kidnapping, killing, and conducting all sorts of experiments to create. There are hints woven throughout that Samantha may be mentally ill, and that the world of the Bunnies and the Smut Salon is entirely a creation of her own mind.
The sequel to “Bunny:” “We Love You, Bunny,” made me rethink every interpretation of “Bunny” I ever had. It’s written from the various points of view of the Bunnies themselves …they finally get to tell their side of the story. It seems Samantha, our protagonist and narrator from “Bunny” has written a bestselling novel about, of all things, the Bunnies themselves. And they are not happy. Why? because they are not exactly written in the most flattering light. They kidnap Samantha and tie her up in the same attic where they once held their Smut Salon and conducted their gruesome creative experiments. In fact, the axe is still there — and it’s often picked up like a talking stick by the various narrators.
Where Bunny felt to me like a story about identity, creativity, and what one will sacrifice in order to create both an identity and a piece of art, We Love You, Bunny is more about on the creative process itself. It presents such questions as who owns a piece of art, what constitutes plagiarism, and what makes a creative work credible. Both novels, I believe, require a second reading and a long conversation in order to peel back all the layers
:Mona Awad is not for everyone but if you are someone who loves stories that blur the line between reality and imagination, that make you question everything you think you know about a character, and that stay with you long after you’ve closed the book she just might be exactly for you. I would love to know if any of you have read her work, and what you thought. As always, happy reading.
Full disclosure, Catriona Ward’s writing is a favourite of mine; she could rewrite the ingredients of a cereal box, and I’d love it. So I was fully expecting to love this new novel of hers, and I did. Although it isn’t my favourite novel of hers, it was still a good, creepy, suspenseful, mystery, thriller, and horror novel.
The novel unfolds through multiple perspectives and timelines, with the estate of Nowhere serving as the central, unifying “character” of sorts.
Leif Winham, a renowned actor, retreats from a life of glamour to his secluded estate, Nowhere. He leads an isolated and enigmatic existence, prompting neighbors to view him as an eccentric recluse while remaining intrigued by both his lifestyle and the estate itself.
Tom, a documentarian, is driven to investigate Nowhere and the mythology that surrounds both the estate and its founder.
Riley, a young girl, experiences significant trauma after being orphaned and placed in the care of a cruel, abusive guardian referred to as ‘cousin.’ Both Riley and her younger brother suffer under this individual, ultimately compelling Riley to make the difficult decision to escape with her brother. The only refuge she can imagine is Nowhere, a place described to her by a girl named Noon, who visits her at night. Noon explains that Nowhere is a place ‘in the mountains under the stars where everyone gets love and respect,’ and provides Riley with written directions to this sanctuary for children like her can find a home.
I found each of these three perspectives equally enthralling, and when Ward expertly weaves the storyline together, the novel becomes an impressive, intricate piece of storytelling.
I really enjoyed this novel, as I knew I would. It is deeply suspenseful, and I found the characters well-developed and interesting. I wanted to know their motivations, their backstories, and eventually how their lives unfold.
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the book
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
It’s not really summer unless I have a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel in my hand. This summer, Reid graced us with Atmosphere, a space adventure no less. Well, a sort of space adventure. It’s the 1980s, and ever since she was a little girl, Joan Goodwin has been enamoured with space, and now she finally has the chance to join NASA’s space shuttle program. Everything seems to be going smoothly until Joan is faced with complicated family responsibilities and the threat (or promise?) of ‘forbidden’ love. Atmosphere isn’t my favourite Taylor Jenkins Reid novel, but I still really liked it. I always find it easy to slip into the plot and become interested in her characters. Jenkins Reid impressively and convincingly includes science, physics and astronomy without bogging down the plot (including diagrams and tables as an appendix). My favourite part was the evolution of Joan’s relationship with her niece; I found it heartwarming and at times heartbreaking. The love story isn’t the centre of the story; instead, it seems to exist to further develop Joan’s character, making her a fascinating, dynamic protagonist. Atmosphere is definitely a title to add to your summer TBR list!
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.
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.
Ink And Spine 