July releases for summer downtime

The Ice Swan

By J’Nell Ciesielski
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (July 6, 2021)
Language:‎ English
Paperback:‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10:‎ 0785248420
ISBN-13:‎ 978-0785248422

Publisher’s Blurb:
1917, Petrograd. Fleeing the murderous flames of the Russian Revolution, Princess Svetlana Dalsky hopes to find safety in Paris with her mother and sister. But the city is buckling under the weight of the Great War, and the Bolsheviks will not rest until they have erased every Russian aristocrat from memory. Svetlana and her family are forced into hiding in Paris’s underbelly, with little to their name but the jewels they sewed into their corsets before their terrifying escape.

Born the second son of a Scottish duke, the only title Wynn MacCallan cares for is that of surgeon. Putting his talents with a scalpel to good use in the hospitals in Paris, Wynn pushes the boundaries of medical science to give his patients the best care possible. After treating Svetlana for a minor injury, he is pulled into a world of decaying imperial glitter. Intrigued by this mysterious, cold, and beautiful woman, Wynn follows Svetlana to an underground Russian club where drink, dance, and questionable dealings collide on bubbles of vodka.

Out of money and options, Svetlana agrees to a marriage of convenience with the handsome and brilliant Wynn, who will protect her and pay off her family’s debts. It’s the right thing for a good man to do, but Wynn cannot help hoping the marriage will turn into one of true affection. When Wynn’s life takes an unexpected turn, so does Svetlana’s—and soon Paris becomes as dangerous as Petrograd. And as the Bolsheviks chase them to Scotland, Wynn and Svetlana begin to wonder if they will ever be able to outrun the love they are beginning to feel for one another.

My Thoughts:

All things considered, this is a fairly conventional “marriage of convenience” romance plot. I liked both our main characters, particularly Wynn. Svetlana’s imperious mother really bothered me, but she finally improved nearer to the end of the book. I loved secondary characters Leonid and Mrs. Varjensky.

But what I really want to talk about here is the writing. There were so many examples of words being used…not quite correctly. It’s almost as if this had been written in a language other than English and run through Google Translate—a similar level of almost correct English. Syntax is also quite stilted and overly formal, even for a Russian Princess whose first language is not English.

As an English teacher, writer, and editor myself, this was really dismaying. As a writer, it is your job to make sure the words mean what you want them to mean. You need to take nuances into account. And in the instances where the writer fails, then the editor, by very definition, needs to pick up the slack. Both failed in this book. Thomas Nelson is a large enough publisher that this is really inexcusable. Mind you, this was an ARC, so hopefully, things have been improved in the final version.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Mob activity. Violence. Lying. One character is a prostitute.

Who Might Like This Book:
People who like clean romance and don’t get distracted by editing issues.

 Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Heart of Snow
By Katherine Buel
Publisher:‎ Independently published (July 3, 2021)
Paperback: 301 pages
ISBN-13:‎ 979-8513597360

 Publisher’s Blurb:
The Selection is a lie. The five girls chosen each year do not vanish into a life of royal luxury, as most believe. Snow knows this because she knows her aunt Lyric—the Witch-Queen of Cresilea—murderess and usurper.

When the Selection comes to the remote village where Snow has hidden since her father’s murder, she puts herself forward, trusting in her scarred face to hide her identity, and enters the castle she fled seven years ago—a place now haunted by unnatural whispers and eerie shadows.

But more is at stake than Snow’s revenge, or even the fates of five girls, and she must learn all she can about Lyric’s magic—and her own—before it’s too late.

Rich and darkly enchanting, Heart of Snow takes you into a perilous world of fairy tale perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik, and Madeline Miller

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this new retelling of the Snow White fairy tale. It’s somewhat darker than the versions most of us are familiar with, though probably not darker than the original version!

Snow has been raised by a former member of her father’s guard, who rescued her and disfigured her face to make her unrecognizable by anyone the Queen might send to search for her. It is not a thing either of them discusses. There is a moment near the end when Snow realizes just how much care he took to protect her—and not just out of duty to his former king. It’s a bittersweet realization when it comes.

Snow also discovers a very unexpected ally, and their relationship is quite uneasy at first, for good reasons. But they work together for their common goal, and make peace with each other as they do.

There are dwarves. There is a huntsman. But they are done in a way that adds new interest to the old expected tale.

If you’ve been following my reviews at all, you know I love retold fairytales—when they’re done well. This one is done well!

Possible Objectionable Material:

Violence. People are killed in various ways. Snow describes how her face was disfigured, and it’s not nice. Very mild cursing. Magic.

Who Might Like This Book:
I think it’s appropriate for age 12 on up. It leans a little more to female characters, but isn’t “girly”. If you like retold tales, give this a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Little Barn of Dreams
By Lucy Knott
Publisher: Aria (July 8, 2021)
Paperback: 420 pages
ISBN-10: 1800246234
ISBN-13: 978-1800246232

Publisher’s Blurb:
When quirky bookworm Florence Danver loses her job, she knows it's time to make some serious changes. Nanna Margot encourages Flo to spend a week at Camp Calla Lily, where she hasn't been since she lost her parents. Her return is filled with bittersweet memories... until she meets Jo Hadlee.
Soon enough, Flo and fellow dreamer Jo are inseparable as they connect over books and build castles in the air. But when Jo leaves suddenly for his job in London, the fantasy bubble bursts and real-life comes roaring back in.

For Florence to turn her fairy-tale summer into a happily-ever-after, she'll have to dive head-first into real life and all its chaos.

My Thoughts:
While this was a cute little romance, it was also rather annoying. Florence is just over-the-top whimsical and eccentric with her constant escapist fantasy moments.

I want to give her a little bit of a pass in that she had a very traumatic experience in her childhood, but she’s cloistered her mind and life so much as a result that it’s amazing that she was able to hold down a job at all.

I also question how, on her very first morning at the camp, Jo is outside her door and already flirting before they’ve even said hello. It’s a little too sudden.

The camp itself sounds fabulous—I would totally spend a week there!

Florence’s nan, Margot, is sweet, but a bit of an enabler. I love how she comes into her own at the end of the book.

Florence makes some interesting friends and definitely grows as the book progresses. It’s good to see her re-enter reality and become a stronger—and less obnoxious to the reader!—person.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Florence herself is such an innocent, there’s not much here. Recounting the trauma in her past could upset sensitive readers. There might have been some mild cursing. Some characters aren’t entirely truthful.

Who Might Like This Book:
Anyone who likes a clean romance and doesn’t mind a sometimes annoying protagonist. Easily appropriate for teens.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Faking Reality
By Sara Fujimura
Publisher: Tor Teen (July 13, 2021)
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 1250204100
ISBN-13:‎ 978-1250204103
Reading age: 12 - 17 years

Grade level: ‎7 – 9

Publisher’s Blurb:
Dakota McDonald swore after “The Great Homecoming Disaster” that she’d never allow her romantic life to be a plot line in her parents’ HGTV show again. But when the restaurant run by the family of her best friend (and secret crush), Leo, is on the line, Dakota might end up eating her own words.
 
Leo Matsuda dreams of escaping the suffocating demands of working in his family’s restaurant, but the closer he gets to his goal—thanks to the help of his best friend (and secret crush) Dakota—the more reasons there are for him to stay.

Sara Fujimura's Faking Reality is another charming multicultural romance by the award-winning author of Every Reason We Shouldn’t, a National Public Radio Best YA Book of the Year.

My Thoughts:
This book was a lot of fun! Dakota has literally grown up on her parents’ TV show, which, as her 16^th birthday approaches, is coming to its end. She tries to keep her school life as separate from her TV life as she can, but it’s not always easy. Neither is having a serious crush on her best friend.
 
Leo, the best friend, struggles with family expectations, especially as the only son. His grandfather, in particular, puts pressure on him to work in the family restaurant, while he has some other goals.
 
When the TV producers want to throw an over-the-top 16^th birthday party for Dakota, things take an interesting turn, as they try to find her the perfect date. Grudgingly, Leo takes the job.
 
This was sweet, with real messages about the struggles of growing up famous, living up to family expectations, and more. The conclusion was satisfying.
 
Possible Objectionable Material:
One of Dakota’s friends is genderqueer. People are sometimes mean to her. Some mild cursing. Mild teenage rebellion and sneakiness.
 
Who Might Like This Book:
People who like coming-of-age stories. Fans of Japanese cuisine—Dakota’s descriptions of food are pretty enticing! Appropriate for tweens on up.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
 
 

A House Full of Windsor
By Kristin Contino
Publisher:‎ Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing (July 13, 2021)
Paperback:‎ 291 pages
ISBN-10: ‏ 1948018993
ISBN-13:‎ 978-1948018999

Publisher’s Blurb:
Spanning from 1980s London to a present-day reality TV show, A House Full of Windsor explores how one woman’s messy past shapes her family’s future and how long-buried secrets and resentment must come to the surface for them to move on.

Debbie Windsor was always fascinated by royalty, but when her marriage fell apart, she turned to collecting to fill the void. Now the house is a royal mess, and Debbie’s health and safety is on the line. 

Even her etiquette expert daughter can’t fix this disaster, and when the entire family ends up on a hoarding show, everyone has something at stake.

My Thoughts:
Told in dual timelines, we see how Debbie became a hoarder, as well as how her adult children deal with it.

Debbie hoards very specific things: memorabilia of the British royal family. And she’ll buy anything and everything that falls into that category, to the point where she can’t sleep in her bed and her home is unsafe.

In the current-day narration, we focus on daughter Sarah, who is an etiquette expert on morning television. Sister Anne is a neat freak. Brother Will, also works in TV and has just been hired as an assistant producer on a hoarding cleanup show. You can see where this is going, right?

I like that this book is sympathetic to Debbie’s situation, while not being shy about the damaging effects it has on her and her children. All of her kids have issues, and they can be tied more to Debbie’s problem than to her split from their British father during their childhood.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Hoarding isn’t pretty. Unmarried sex. Drinking. Drug use. Swearing. One of the characters is gay.

Who Might Like This Story:
Might be of interest to older teens. Anyone who likes stories about difficult family dynamics.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.