Who is really your friend?

 

The School for Whatnots

By Margaret Peterson Haddix

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (March 1, 2022)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0062838490
ISBN-13: 978-0062838490
Reading age: 8 - 12 years
Grade level: 3 – 7
 
Publisher’s Blurb:
No matter what anyone tells you, I’m real.

 That’s what the note says that Max finds under his keyboard.

He knows that his best friend, Josie, wrote it. He’d know her handwriting anywhere. But why she wrote it—and what it means—remains a mystery.

 Ever since they met in kindergarten, Max and Josie have been inseparable. Until the summer after fifth grade, when Josie disappears, leaving only a note, and whispering something about “whatnot rules.”

 But why would Max ever think that Josie wasn’t real? And what are whatnots?

As Max sets to uncover what happened to Josie—and what she is or isn’t—little does he know that she’s fighting to find him again, too. But there are forces trying to keep Max and Josie from ever seeing each other again. Because Josie wasn’t supposed to be real.

 This middle grade thriller from Margaret Peterson Haddix delves into the power of privilege, the importance of true friendship, and the question of humanity and identity. Because when anyone could be a whatnot, what makes a person a real friend—or real at all?

 My Thoughts:

This book was a lot of fun to read. The narrative style and tone were engaging. The narrator asides kept things going well. The narrator is only semi-reliable—and we find out why about two-thirds of the way through.

 Although the blurb says the book is about Max, I find that Josie may be an even more important character.

 While Max doesn’t know that the children he goes to school with are androids, called “Whatnots”, and the revelation is a painful one, there are even more deceptions in play. Josie, his best friend since the first day of kindergarten, is not a Whatnot. Rather, she was born in poverty and her father arranged for her to pretend to be a Whatnot in order to receive an education that he couldn’t afford. For six years, they only get to spend three weeks a year together during the summer. Josie lives “alone”, although someone appears to be looking after her to a degree.

 But there are still more revelations, which I won’t go into here. Haddix provides us with one surprise after another, and they are interconnected.

 There has been some comparison to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a story which the children themselves mention. And yes, it’s definitely there. But the outcome differs.

 This is a story about wealth and privilege, poverty, kindness, bullying, and ultimately, what friendship truly means.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Some scenes near the end could be frightening. Max, a 5^th grader, sneaks out of his house alone. Josie lives all alone under the school. Parents and others lie to children. Bullies.

 Who Might Like This Book:

This is perfect for the intended age group. Anyone who likes whimsy, mystery, and books about friends. And yes, those who like Roald Dahl’s books.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing both an ARC and an audio ARC of the book. I far prefer reading to listening, so was grateful to add the book version after receiving the audio version!

Romantic thriller that doesn't thrill

 

Danger Unknown
By Kathi Oram Peterson
Publisher: Covenant Communications (March 1, 2022)
Paperback: 264 pages
ISBN-10: 1524419699
ISBN-13: 978-1524419691
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

The small desert town seemed like the perfect place to disappear―until Brooke Steward’s worst nightmare walks into the diner where she works. The man who killed her husband has found her―again. Desperate to protect her young daughter, Brooke has no choice but to run for their lives.

 

Awakened by a haunting nightmare that has plagued him for years, Michael Calder is startled by a knock at the door of his remote Montana ranch. He is even more shocked when he finds a disheveled child on his steps who silently leads him to her injured mother. In making the split-second decision to bring Brooke and her daughter into his home, Michael is unwittingly drawn with them into the path of danger. Someone is determined to silence Brooke, no matter the cost. In their quest for the truth, Brooke and Michael come to trust each other completely, their relationship deepening into something more. But even as the lines between friendship and love blur, the explosive secrets of the past are finally revealed. Now they must fight to survive or risk becoming the latest casualties in a deadly conspiracy.

 My Thoughts:

The blurb was more exciting than the actual book. This story was just not very original: brave widowed mother on the run for her life with her adorable daughter. Traumatized vet of war in the Middle East. Why am I so attracted to this person I barely know? She’s so brave/he’s so kind.

 I did love the idea that Michael trains therapy horses, although I’m not 100% sure the author knows a lot about it. My freshman daughter is currently competing in speech and debate with a speech about horse therapy, and receives horse therapy herself, so we’re big believers and fans. I know that the idea of therapy horses is not central to the story, but I think the author—who does relate that her sister had benefited from her relationship with horses—could have done more research/explanation. Horse therapy is as close as we can get on this earth to actual magic.

 There were some definite issues in this book as far as relationship to facts. “Whispering Pines” Montana (not a real town) is supposed to be somewhat near the Crow Reservation. That puts it in the south central part of the state. Yet the Flathead County sheriff’s department comes and retrieves a body. Flathead County, where I lived for six years, is an eight-hour drive and a mountain range away. There are a dozen counties that would be more logical. In addition, why would the county sheriff’s office be based in the tiny town rather than in the county seat? It doesn’t make sense. This is literally something that five minutes and Google would have fixed—but neither the author nor the editor appears to have gone to the trouble. Disappointing. Of course, I need to acknowledge that this is an advanced reader copy, and this error may have been fixed on final. I certainly hope so.

 Likewise with the author saying someone was sliding like a “bobsledder on a luge”. As I write this, I’ve been watching the Winter Olympics. Bobsleds and luges are two separate apparatus.

 I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly engaging—go back to my opening paragraph about how they were unoriginal. The ultimate villain in the story was a cardboard cutout. The sudden revelation by Brooke’s mother was totally out of left field.

 I did like when Michael was teaching Brooke about shooting—he points out some very important principles of gun safety. This book is squarely in the “guns can be useful but they are dangerous tools and must be treated with respect” camp—which is a thing that I respect.

 Sorry, but there just wasn’t much to this book that would make it stand out in a positive way.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

People get shot and killed. Some other minor violence. Perilous situations. Deception. Kissing.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Fans of romantic suspense who don’t have high expectations for anything new or groundbreaking and who can overlook factual problems.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

 

Which universe is which?

 

Wakers
(Sidestep #1)
By Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (February 22, 2022)
Hardcover: 400 pages
ISBN-10: 1481496190

ISBN-13: 978-1481496193
Reading age: 14 years and up
Grade level: 9 - 12
Publisher’s Blurb:

Laz is a side-stepper: a teen with the incredible power to jump his consciousness to alternate versions of himself in parallel worlds. All his life, there was no mistake that a little side-stepping couldn’t fix.

Until Laz wakes up one day in a cloning facility on a seemingly abandoned Earth.

Laz finds himself surrounded by hundreds of other clones, all dead, and quickly realizes that he too must be a clone of his original self. Laz has no idea what happened to the world he remembers as vibrant and bustling only yesterday, and he struggles to survive in the barren wasteland he’s now trapped in. But the question that haunts him isn’t why was he created, but instead, who woke him up…and why?

There’s only a single bright spot in Laz’s new life: one other clone appears to still be alive, although she remains asleep. Deep down, Laz believes that this girl holds the key to the mysteries plaguing him, but if he wakes her up, she’ll be trapped in this hellscape with him.

This is one problem that Laz can’t just side-step his way out of.

 My Thoughts:

I’m always ready to read something by Orson Scott Card. This book, however, was not one of his more gripping ones. Aimed at ages 14 and up, it features a teenaged protagonist trying to solve problems that impact all of humanity. A teenaged protagonist, though, does not guarantee a good teenaged read. This book hangs with Card works such as Xenocide and Children of the Mind. It is much more philosophy focused than action focused. Pondering the workings of alternate universe theory can be headache-inducing at the best of times. Had this had the pacing of Ender’s Game or the Bean books, it might have been a different story.

 I find it curious that Card has no mention of this book anywhere on his Hatrack River website. It’s almost as if…he doesn’t want us to know about it?

 The first third of the book has Laz alone, attempting to survive as possibly the last man on earth, so there’s not much dialogue. Once Ivy is awakened, there’s much more to see and do, of course, and the pace does pick up a bit. Their quest to solve the problems presented to them, despite withheld information and questionable motivations, is interesting, although not gripping. And of course, there’s no resolution, since this is the first of a planned trilogy.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Dicussion of bodily functions. References to sex, nonspecific and definitely not graphic. Some kissing. Some animals are hurt. Hunger, loneliness. Taking items from stores in an abandoned city.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Fans of the conundrums of alternate universes, those who like apocalyptic fictions. Those who like stories with difficult friendships.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

An art tour of Italy

 The Art of Traveling Strangers
By Zoe Disigny
Publisher: Subplot (February 21, 2022)
Hardcover: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 1645439011
ISBN-13: 978-1645439011
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

It’s the 1980s, and art historian Claire Markham reels from a series of heartbreaking losses. Desperate to escape her shattered reality, she becomes an art guide in Europe for quirky stranger Viv Chancey and embarks on a life-changing journey through the art-filled cities of Milan, Venice, Ravenna, Florence, Siena, Rome, and Paris.

Once abroad, Claire tries to hide her woes by focusing on Viv’s art education, but Viv—who is not who she seems—has a different learning experience in mind. Frustrated and wanting to reimagine her life, Claire embraces the idea of reality as illusion and finds herself slipping into the tales of art and history.

When threatened with one more crushing loss, Claire must learn from the spirit of her eccentric companion and the lessons from the art they encounter to take charge of her life or lose the most precious thing in it.

My Thoughts:

It’s very clear that the author is an actual art historian. Claire/Disigny’s explanations of the various artworks in the story are fascinating. You can request a pamphlet with pictures of the art from the publisher, or do as I did and do a web search and zoom in in details as you go. I was thrilled that Claire and Viv visited some of my very favorite artworks.

The story is set in the ‘80s, so I also think Claire is an absolute champion for driving around Europe without benefit of GPS! Seriously though, I think the main purpose of setting the story in that decade is because of the attitudes toward mental health and homosexuality that existed in that decade—notable for the AIDS crisis. This becomes important later in the book.

Claire is, at first, rather unlikeable. A wet dishrag. A doormat. Her husband has dominated her life, and she has allowed it, mostly out of a desire to be the kind of wife she thinks she should. Her one act of rebellion was teaching college art history after their daughter is born.

And then things fall apart, on multiple levels. Claire, desperate for money, agrees to accompany Viv around Europe and teach her about art. Much of the time Viv is far more interested in shopping at Italy’s best designers than in the art, but she comes to appreciate learning about many of the pieces and places they visit.

I wouldn’t say Claire and Viv bond, exactly, over their adventures and past trials, but they do come to understand an appreciate each other. More importantly, Viv helps Claire to grow a backbone and stand up to her husband in a crisis. And Claire helps Viv to reunite with her estranged brother.

The story ends on an optimistic note. I am curious, though, why Claire is certain she’ll never see or speak to Viv again. I do think some of the resolution of both Claire’s and Viv’s problems comes a bit too easily.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Cursing, including multiple instances of the F word, used in a non-sexual way. Infidelity. Divorce. Prostitution. Discussions of nudity and various bits of anatomy—you can’t talk about some very important artworks without noticing the nudity! Drinking. Mental illness. Homosexuality and AIDS.

Who Might Like This Book:

Art lovers. People who like to see women become stronger and recover from deep trials. People who like eccentric characters.

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

Power, Wealth, and Magic

 Bright Ruined Things
By Samantha Cohoe
Publisher: Wednesday Books (February 15, 2022)
Hardcover: 352 pages
ISBN-10: 1250768845
ISBN-13: 978-1250768841
Reading age: 13 - 18 years
Grade level: 7 - 9
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

The only life Mae has ever known is on the island, living on the charity of the wealthy Prosper family who control the island’s magic and its spirits. Mae longs for magic of her own and to have a place among the Prosper family, where her best friend, Coco, will see her as an equal, and her crush, Miles, will finally see her.

But tonight is First Night, when the Prospers and their high-society friends celebrate the night Lord Prosper first harnessed the island’s magic and started producing aether – a magical fuel source that has revolutionized the world. With everyone returning to the island, Mae finally has the chance to go after what she’s always wanted.

When the spirits start inexplicably dying, Mae realizes that things aren’t what they seem. And Ivo, the reclusive, mysterious heir to the Prosper magic, may hold all the answers – including a secret about Mae’s past. As Mae and her friends unravel the mysteries of the island, and the Prospers’ magic, Mae starts to question the truth of what her world was built on.

In this YA fantasy, Samantha Cohoe wonderfully mixes magic and an atmospheric setting into a fantastically immersive world, with characters you won’t be able to forget.

 My Thoughts:

This story, loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, is not a happy book. It is filled with not-happy people. Powerful. Wealthy. Beautiful. But not happy. In fact, for all but Mae, that wealth and power are directly related to their unhappiness. Some of them stay unhappy throughout; others are able to see the destructive spiral they are in and escape it.

 The story takes place in the “Roaring ‘20s”, though it’s not explicitly stated. We are left to infer it through comments on fashion, personalities of the day, etc.

 Mae is naïve, and rightly so. She has never left the island. She has been on the periphery of the Prosper children’s lives, an addendum, but never truly part of it. Everything she knows, she’s learned from the books she borrows. She has friendships of sorts with some of them, but not a true place. She yearns to be allowed to learn the magic that is the source of their wealth and power so she will always have a place on the island that is the only home she has known. She is also deeply in love with Miles, the son with an unhinged mother and no father.

 But the family has other plans. They decide Mae should marry Ivo, the heir to the family’s magic, on whom they all depend for the future of their wealth and power. He’s a bit wild and scary, but it is made clear to Mae that this is the only way she will be able to stay on the island.

 Mae does a lot of jumping to conclusions. She’s certain from the first dead spirit she finds that Ivo is responsible, and she sets out to prove it. When we have already decided what’s true, of course, we will look for things to prove that conclusion. (Inductive vs. deductive reasoning.) I understand that she has a good reason to want him to be guilty, but that desire colors her actions.

 Of course, things are not what they seem. A series of discoveries, and sometimes bad decisions, brings Mae to the point where she is about to have everything she thought she wanted—and she has to decide if those are really what she wants.

 I won’t say more about the plot, because there are some definite surprises there.

 The entire story, apart from the epilogue, takes place in a single day. It is a lot to pack into a day. Descriptions are vivid, allowing us to visualize the setting and characters. Dialogue is natural.

 And that ending! I’d maybe like to have two more sentences, just so I would know for sure, but I’m going to assume the best possible ending for Mae. (And, on a side note, it’s very similar to the ending of that book I’ve been working on for 20ish years. Maybe someday…)

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Magic. One intense kissing scene where some clothes come off, but nothing else happens. References to sex, drinking, and drug use. A gun. A murder. Blackmail of various types. One character is lesbian.

 Who Would Like This Book:

Those who like retellings (however loose) of Shakespeare. I think if you like The Great Gatsby and its commentary on wealth, you’d like this. I don’t know if the moral about the destructive nature of wealth and power is intended, but it is certainly there. There’s a little bit of romance.

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

Romantic Release for Valentine's Day

  

Summerhaven
By Tiffany Odekirk
Publisher: Covenant Communications (February 14, 2022)
Paperback: 274 pages
ISBN-10: 1524421464
ISBN-13: 978-1524421465

Publisher’s Blurb:

Hannah Kent and Oliver Jennings pledged their hearts to each other as children. Now, years later, Hannah is thrilled to receive an invitation to spend the summer at Oliver’s family’s country estate. The path to wedded bliss is clear―so long as Oliver’s highbrow older brother, Damon, has ceased his juvenile antics, Hannah’s future looks bright indeed.

 

But from the moment Hannah arrives at Summerhaven, nothing is as she expected. Oliver seems disinterested in renewing their acquaintance, and Damon is not the brutish boy she remembers but a man intent on avoiding marriage. Although she has loathed Damon her whole life, when he contrives a ruse designed to win them both what they desire, Hannah warily agrees. All she has to do to reclaim Oliver’s attention is pretend to be madly in love with Damon. But when Damon is surprisingly convincing in his role as a suitor, it proves difficult to discern the line between pretense and true love.

 My Thoughts:

I’ve seen so many advance raves for this book, and my expectations were high. Sadly, the book did not live up to them.

 Oh, it’s romantic. There are lots of pretty words, and lots of feelings. It hit the mark in those goals.

 Interestingly, it’s set in the same “year without a summer” that we saw in Jane and the Year Without a Summer. My reading lately has been full of interesting parallels like that.

 But the protagonist, Hannah, was so disappointing. The whole book is about her wanting to be in love/have someone be in love with her. If she’s not thinking about that, she’s missing her deceased mother. She mentions, a few times, doing charity work for her father’s church, and how much she enjoys it. And we actually see her doing something charitable once. It’s a great scene, but it’s isolated, with no real effect on Hannah. As Damon tells her in the book, she is “In love with the idea of love”. She’s spunky, and wants to ride a stallion. (She insists on it being a stallion…more on this later.) She calls herself a bluestocking because she likes to read books and the newspaper, but she shows none of the real literary or intellectual life of a true bluestocking, just some opinions on how the world should work.

 There is no real antagonist in the story. There are a couple of women who might keep Hannah from the man she wants. She even mentions how cruel one of them was to her—and I went back to that interaction and saw nothing cruel at all. I suppose you could call society an antagonist, because of the demands it places on people’s lives. But that’s a stretch, too. Maybe Damon and Oliver’s father, a little?

 There are some editing issues that I hope are cleared up between the ARC I read and the publication version. First, Miss Diggs is mentioned as having honey-colored curls. Then, when Hannah sees her outside the dressmaker’s shop, she is raven-haired. At the picnic, she is blonde again.

 And then there’s the bit that really brings out the Picky Vicky in me. You have to understand—horses are a big thing in my family. My mother was an equestrian and a riding mistress in the UK before she emigrated to the US, and continued to teach riding into my childhood. I had a pony growing up. My children love to ride, and the youngest takes riding lessons currently. So you could say I know some things. I’m not sure the writer or editor of this book do. Hannah is so insistent on riding a stallion. A stallion, for the non-horsey out there, is a male horse that has not been castrated. They can be a handful. Clearly, Hannah wants to ride a horse that has some spirit. But the insistence that it be a stallion is just silly. Mares can be a handful too. Second, the stirrups are constantly referred to as “footholds”. Every time. I did some googling and could not find any evidence that stirrups are referred to anywhere as “footholds”. I know these things might not be as bothersome to others, but for me, they were highly annoying and I really hope they were fixed.

And can we talk about the use of "okay"? In a fantasy book, I can let it slide, since the characters probably speak some other language that we've put into English equivalents. But this book is set in England in the early 1800s. Okay didn't enter the language until 1839.

 It’s not a horrible book. It’s not as great as I was led to believe. Of all the characters, I think Damon was the best—his big “revelation” to Hannah was no surprise, but I liked that aspect of his character.

The character who grew the most was definitely Oliver. I really disliked him at first, as I believe we are meant to, but he shapes up beautifully by the end.

I didn't hate this book. I'd give it three stars. But I don't love it either.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

As with any book published by Covenant, this is squeaky clean. We witness some poverty. Some anger. Loss of a parent. A woman breastfeeds her baby.

 Who  Might Like this Book:

Romance fans, especially those who like romance that doesn’t have anything past kissing onscreen. Those who like family dynamics, and books set in the regency period.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

 

February 8 Releases

 

A Baker’s Guide to Robber Pie
By Caitlin Sangster
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (February 8, 2022)
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1250793319
ISBN-13: 978-1250793317
Reading age: 9 - 12 years
Grade level: 4 - 6
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Evie Baker is a great story-teller, an avid prankster, and a fantastic baker. And while she loves her parent’s bakery, she has no plans to stay in their small town and become stuffy or static. Evie wants to go on adventures and she knows just what she needs to do it!

With her best friend, Cecily, by her side, Evie sets off into the Old Forest to find one of the Fel, a group of crow-like magical creatures who can’t lie. She is sure her family’s irresistible raspberry tart and a carefully crafted deal will get them to take her on a magical adventure―without getting her eaten or worse. But the forest hides many dangers and when they finally find their Fel, they also discover a nest of robbers!

Having seen the Robber Lord’s face, Evie is whisked away into hiding for her own protection. But even in the queen’s own city, trouble has a way of finding her…

 My Thoughts:

Like The Ghoul of Windydown Vale, which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago, this is another winning middle-grade mystery. Evie is a spunky character, and her mystery-solving sometimes misses the mark, but in the end, she is able to sort it all out, make friends, and pretty much save the kingdom.

 There are a couple of big reveals here, and they are carefully telegraphed—visible if you’re looking, but Evie’s discovery of these truths is nonetheless satisfying.

 There are some important lessons here, particularly about how important home really is to her, and how you can’t always believe what the stories say about people. She is able to make new friends while keeping her best friend—always a nice thing when one’s circle expands.

 I’ve read Sangster’s YA trilogy, and this middle-grade venture shows that she is able to write at multiple levels quite successfully. Her characters are strong, with their own strengths, weaknesses, and clear voices. I would definitely read more of Evie and company’s adventures!

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Sneaking around, peril, stealing, blackmail, lying.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like mysteries, spunky heroines and faithful friends. And raspberry tarts.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

With Love From London
By Sarah Jio
Publisher: Ballantine Books (February 8, 2022)
Paperback: 400 pages
ISBN-10: 1101885084
ISBN-13: 978-1101885086
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

When Valentina Baker was only eleven years old, her mother, Eloise, unexpectedly fled to her native London, leaving Val and her father on their own in California. Now a librarian in her thirties, fresh out of a failed marriage and still at odds with her mother’s abandonment, Val feels disenchanted with her life.

In a bittersweet twist of fate, she receives word that Eloise has died, leaving Val the deed to her mother’s Primrose Hill apartment and the Book Garden, the storied bookshop she opened almost two decades prior. Though the news is devastating, Val jumps at the chance for a new beginning and jets across the Atlantic, hoping to learn who her mother truly was while mourning the relationship they never had.

As Val begins to piece together Eloise’s life in the U.K., she finds herself falling in love with the pastel-colored third-floor flat and the cozy, treasure-filled bookshop, soon realizing that her mother’s life was much more complicated than she ever imagined. When Val stumbles across a series of intriguing notes left in a beloved old novel, she sets out to locate the book’s mysterious former owner, though her efforts are challenged from the start, as is the Book Garden’s future. In order to save the store from financial ruin and preserve her mother’s legacy, she must rally its eccentric staff and journey deep into her mother’s secrets. With Love from London is a story about healing and loss, revealing the emotional, relatable truths about love, family, and forgiveness.

 My Thoughts:

Very much like my previously reviewed The Fashion Orphans, this book is the story of a daughter discovering the mother she barely knew. As with the other book. Valentina’s recently deceased mother has left her a mission of sorts, and, in the process, Valentina discovers how much her mother truly cared for her.

 Told in both Valentina’s point of view and that of her mother, Eloise, the story follows both of them as they work through their troubles to find contentment in life and love. The course of love definitely does not run smooth for either of them, but Eloise’s path is particularly rocky.

 There are a lot of references to books—children’s books, literature, etc. It’s a book-lover’s delight.

 I have not read any other of Jio’s work, but definitely plan to. She creates characters with real struggles, who sometimes make mistakes, but work hard to be good people and make the best of things. Dialogue is natural. There’s a lot of wit and warmth here. The secondary characters are vibrant, real people, not just set dressing. The physical setting is also strong.

Possible Objectionable Material:

Unmarried sex. Drinking. Miscarriage. Divorce. Death.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Those who enjoy reading about difficult family dynamics. Book lovers. Those who like books where yes, there is romance, but it’s not the focus of the story.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

 

Jane and the Year Without a Summer
Jane Austen Mystery #14
By Stephanie Barron
Publisher: Soho Crime (February 8, 2022)
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1641292474
ISBN-13: 978-1641292474
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

May 1816: Jane Austen is feeling unwell, with an uneasy stomach, constant fatigue, rashes, fevers and aches. She attributes her poor condition to the stress of family burdens, which even the drafting of her latest manuscript—about a baronet's daughter nursing a broken heart for a daring naval captain—cannot alleviate. Her apothecary recommends a trial of the curative waters at Cheltenham Spa, in Gloucestershire. Jane decides to use some of the profits earned from her last novel, Emma, and treat herself to a period of rest and reflection at the spa, in the company of her sister, Cassandra.
 
Cheltenham Spa hardly turns out to be the relaxing sojourn Jane and Cassandra envisaged, however. It is immediately obvious that other boarders at the guest house where the Misses Austen are staying have come to Cheltenham with stresses of their own—some of them deadly. But perhaps with Jane’s interference a terrible crime might be prevented. Set during the Year without a Summer, when the eruption of Mount Tambora in the South Pacific caused a volcanic winter that shrouded the entire planet for sixteen months, this fourteenth installment in Stephanie Barron’s critically acclaimed series brings a forgotten moment of Regency history to life.

 My Thoughts:

Why haven’t I read anything from this series before?!? I have been missing out!

 Seriously, Barron’s meticulous research into both Austen’s history and the history of the time and place is incredible. Especially considering that Austen’s sister destroyed most of Austen’s letters after her death.

 The book is written in a style that is very close to Austen’s own. If you are not a fan of the writing of that period, it might be a bit of rough going. It also is based very closely into Austen’s actual history, while creating fictional events and conversations. And adding a mystery as well—in this case, about a viscount’s runaway wife. As with any good mystery, just as you think you’re onto something, another surprise appears.

 As an Austen fan, I really can’t praise Barron’s work enough. Of course, the fact that this particular book takes place during the visit to Cheltenham Spa for her health, which Austen took about a year before her death, is very meaningful to me. My grandparents retired to Cheltenham, and I have been to several of the places mentioned—and even drunk the (very alkaline and nasty) waters.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

A wife runs away from her husband, who calls her his “property” in his attempts to get her back.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Austen fans. Mystery lovers. Those who love the literature and history of the era.

 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

February 1 releases, part 2

 Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
By Kristen R. Lee

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (February 1, 2022)
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 0593309154
ISBN-13: 978-0593309155
Reading age: 14 - 17 years
Grade level: 9 - 12

 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Savannah Howard sacrificed her high school social life to make sure she got into a top college. Her sights were set on an HBCU, but when she is accepted to the ivy-covered walls of Wooddale University on a full ride, how can she say no?

Wooddale is far from the perfectly manicured community it sells on its brochures, though. Savannah has barely unpacked before she comes face to face with microagressions stemming from racism and elitism. Then Clive Wilmington's statue is vandalized with blackface. The prime suspect? Lucas Cunningham, Wooddale's most popular student and son of a local prominent family. Soon Savannah is unearthing secrets of Wooddale's racist history. But what's the price for standing up for what is right? And will telling the truth about Wooddale's past cost Savannah her own future?

A stunning, challenging, and timely debut about racism and privilege on college campuses.

My Thoughts:

This book is going to be challenged in a lot of school libraries, because it presents the ugly truth of the ongoing presence of racism and microagressions. Protagonist Savannah’s mom has her heart set on Savannah attending the fictional Ivy League Wooddale as her ticket out of poverty, even though Savannah would rather attend an HBCU.

 Long story short, although she makes friends among the few Black students at Wooddale, Savannah finds racism everywhere, and decides that she is going to speak out. She does so, despite coming up against the university’s golden-child son of a major donor.

Savannah’s struggles are contrasted with her best friend back in Memphis, B’Onka. B’Onka, too, is smart, but chooses a vastly different path.

What I loved about this book is that, in this first-person narrative, Savannah uses AAVE. Not only that, but it is more pronounced in scenes where Savannah is in Memphis than when she’s at Wooddale.

The point of this story is very similar to the smash-hit Ace of Spades, although without as much of a mystery to solve. I must say, I liked this one much more and hope it has similar to success to Ace of Spades.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Swearing, including the F-word. Drug use and drinking. Racial stereotyping and racism.

 Who Might Like This Book.

Those who are interested in current events and social justice. Those who want to understand more about what victims of racism go through.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs
By Pam Munoz Ryan
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion (February 1, 2022)
Hardcover: 272 pages
ISBN-10: 1484728351
ISBN-13: 978-1484728352
Reading age: 8 - 12 years
Grade level: 3 – 7
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

On the brink of her Quinceañera, and her official coronation, Solimar visits the oyamel forest to sit among the monarch butterflies. There, the sun pierces through a sword-shaped crevice in a boulder, which shines on her and sends the butterflies humming and swirling around her.

After the magical frenzy, she realizes she's been given a gift―and a burden: she can predict the near future! She has also become a protector of the young and weak butterflies. This alone would be a huge responsibility, but tragedy strikes when a neighboring king invades while her father and brother and many others are away. The remaining villagers are taken hostage―all except Solimar.

Can this princess-to-be save her family, the kingdom, and the future of the monarch butterflies from a greedy and dangerous king?

 My Thoughts:

This was a classic middle-grade coming-of-age, finding yourself story with an environmental twist. Solimar accidentally becomes a protector of the monarch butterflies. Unfortunately, that gives her the magical ability to foretell the future when asked—if she’s directly in the sun. This somewhat complicates her quest.

 Solimar loves her home, but wishes she were allowed to travel with her father and the other men to sell their crafts at far away. If only she could figure out a faster way to get there—but the river is dangerous.

 When a king who wants to take the forest to use for development invades during her father’s absence, Solimar must face the river to get help for her family and country before it’s too late. She meets an ingenious new friend who knows the river, and discovers her own strength as they overcome obstacles and find help.

I liked the characters in this book and the dialogue felt natural. It hits at the sweet spot for the age group—the right maturity level, the right relationships. And Solimar (why did I just want to call her Mirabel…can’t be that I just watched Encanto…) discovers that being a princess isn’t such a bad thing after all—because it gives her an opportunity to help others.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Perilous situations. A little bit of lying. Some violence, not graphic.

 Who Might Like this Book:

Those who are concerned about the environment. Those who like coming-of-age stories.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

 Beyond the Lavender Fields
By Arlem Hawks
Publisher: Shadow Mountain (January 31, 2022)
Language: English
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 1629729353
ISBN-13: 978-1629729350
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

1792, France Rumors of revolution in Paris swirl in Marseille, a bustling port city in southern France. Gilles Etienne, a clerk at the local soap factory, thrives on the news. Committed to the cause of equality, liberty, and brotherhood, he and his friends plan to march to Paris to dethrone the monarchy. His plans are halted when he meets Marie-Caroline Daubin, the beautiful daughter of the owner of the factory.

A bourgeoise and royalist, Marie-Caroline has been called home to Marseille to escape the unrest in Paris. She rebuffs Gilles's efforts to charm her and boldly expresses her view that violently imposed freedom is not really freedom for all. As Marie-Caroline takes risks to follow her beliefs, Gilles catches her in a dangerous secret that could cost her and her family their lives. As Gilles and Marie-Caroline spend more time together, she questions her initial assumptions about Gilles and realizes that perhaps they have more in common than she thought.

As the spirit of revolution descends on Marseille, people are killed and buildings are ransacked and burned to the ground. Gilles must choose between supporting the political change he believes in and protecting those he loves. And Marie-Caroline must battle between standing up for what she feels is right and risking her family's safety. With their lives and their nation in turmoil, both Gilles and Marie-Caroline wonder if a revolutionnaire and a royaliste can really be together or if they must live in a world that forces people to choose sides.

 My Thoughts:

This is a historical novel, but I found it so very relevant to today’s issues. Two people on polar opposite sides of an issue, but they’re attracted to each other. They are forced to find common beliefs in order for their relationship to progress.

 We see zealotry of varying degrees from characters on both sides of the issue, and it’s destructive in one form or another—every time. A good lesson for today. I know I keep saying that, and I have no idea if Hawkes meant to be making current political commentary, but it is there nonetheless.

 Apart from that, I found the book well-written, the characters interesting and believable. There are some of the usual romance tropes, but nothing overdone. The meeting of our two main characters is cute, and comes up as a running sore-point (or joke, depending on the day) between them.

 The conclusion is a little unexpected, in a good way.  I also like that there is some reconciliation between Gilles and his not-always-law-abiding father.

 I am only sad that Shadow Mountain Press books don’t generally hit the mainstream market, and I think as many people as possible should read this book.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Some violence and vandalism. People’s homes are burned, people are injured and killed.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Those who are interested in the historic time period. Those who like romance. Those who like complicated relationships.

 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

 

Lockdown on London Lane
By Beth Reekles
Language: English
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN-10: 198936585X
ISBN-13: 978-1989365854

 Publisher’s Blurb:

Publisher: W by Wattpad Books (February 1, 2022)

For the inhabitants of London Lane, a simple slip of paper underneath each of their doors is about to change their lives in a hundred different ways.

URGENT!!! Due to the current situation, building management has decided to impose a seven-day quarantine on all apartment buildings on London Lane.

With nowhere else to go . . .

Ethan and Charlotte wonder whether absence really does make the heart grow fonder when they end up on either side of a locked door.

A fierce debate over pineapple on pizza ignites a series of revelations about Zach and Serena’s four-year relationship.

Liv realizes rolling with the punches is sometimes much harder than it looks after her bridesmaids’ party goes off the rails, leaving the group at each other’s throats.

Isla and Danny’s new romance is put to the test as they jump ten steps ahead on the relationship timeline.

And Imogen and Nate’s one-night stand is about to get six do-overs they never really asked for―not awkward at all.

Through make ups, breakups, love-ins, and blowouts, friendships are tested as everyone scrambles to make it through the week unscathed. Amidst all the drama, one thing remains constant: life is full of surprises.

 My Thoughts:

This book was a bit of a departure from the large amount of romance and middle grade books I’ve been reading lately.

 Having lived through the last eleven thousand years of the pandemic, it was rather fun to read a book set at the beginning of the lockdown era. The various characters each have strong personalities, and they each deal with the unexpected lockdown of the apartment building in their own ways. As the story progresses, we also see some interconnections between the characters.

 Probably my favorite of the five story arcs is Ethan’s. He’s a classic nerd boy, who adores his girlfriend…who was away when the building was locked down. Their enforced separation makes him realize he never wants to live without her again, and comedy ensues.

 Imogen and Isla were both a bit annoying, but not in ways that made me want to stop reading. They both had some serious character flaws—Isla worried too much about her routine and what others thought of her, and Isla didn’t worry about those things at all. They are perfect foils for each other, and their growth throughout the week of quarantine is satisfying.

 The device of the Hawaiian pizza for Serena and Nate…it’s so trivial, and yet so earth-shaking for them, or more appropriately, for Serena. Theirs is the story that is left at least partially unresolved.

 And, as a contrast against all the couples, we have the bridal party, complete with Bridezilla. Poor Liv, who likes being alone, having to suddenly host three other women for a week. Again, though, she comes out of quarantine with a bright future.

 The narrative is fun. There are some cultural references that if you’re not up on British pop culture could be a bit confusing.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

References to sex. One of our main characters is lesbian. Unmarried couples living/sleeping together. Swearing, including the F word. Lots of drinking.

 Who Might Like This Book:

People who need a fun pandemic read, those who like watching people go through stress and coming out better.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

The Fashion Orphans
By Randy Susan Myers and MJ Rose
Publisher: Blue Box Press (February 1, 2022)
Language: English
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN-10: 195245770X
ISBN-13: 978-1952457708
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Estranged half-sisters Gabrielle Winslow and Lulu Quattro have only two things in common: mounds of debt and coils of unresolved enmity toward Bette Bradford, their controlling and imperious recently deceased mother.

Gabrielle, the firstborn, was raised in relative luxury on Manhattan’s rarefied Upper East Side. Now, at fifty-five, her life as a Broadway costume designer married to a heralded Broadway producer has exploded in divorce.

Lulu, who spent half her childhood under the tutelage of her working-class Brooklyn grandparents, is a grieving widow at forty-eight. With her two sons grown, her life feels reduced to her work at the Ditmas Park bakery owned by her late husband’s family.

The two sisters arrive for the reading of their mother’s will, expecting to divide a sizable inheritance, pay off their debts, and then again turn their backs on each other.

But to their shock, what they have been left is their mother’s secret walk-in closet jammed with high-end current and vintage designer clothes and accessories— most from Chanel.

Contemplating the scale of their mother’s self-indulgence, the sisters can’t help but wonder if Lauren Weisberger had it wrong: because it seems, in fact, that the devil wore Chanel. But as they being to explore their mother’s collection, meet and fall in love with her group of warm, wonderful friends, and magically find inspiring messages tucked away in her treasures — it seems as though their mother is advising Lulu and Gabrielle from the beyond — helping them rediscover themselves and restore their relationship with each other.

 My Thoughts:

I am an only child. I have never experienced the sister dynamic. This book gives the good, the bad, and the ugly. Of course, Lulu and Gabi are actually only half-sisters, and the difference between their fathers is part of what sometimes separates them. Gabi has been the golden child; Lulu has always felt like she has disappointed their mother.

 Their mother was not the warm, nurturing sort. At all. She was more of the type to toughen them up to prepare them for the world.

 Both women experienced pretty intense trauma in their marriages—one was blindsided by divorce, the other by her husband’s death. Neither was able to support the other in crisis, and there has been a rift between them. And both are in definite need of funds.

 So when they meet for the reading of their mother’s will, both are hoping for the money they need. Instead, they find there is not a lot of money, and they are required to make a plan for their mother’s collection—a collection they have no clue about.

 It is their discovery of this collection and, through it, their mother’s friends, that sets them on the path to healing and self-discovery. There is a lot of love in this book, it just sometimes gets sidetracked.

 I really enjoyed the supporting characters just as much as the sisters. I particularly like the closeness that Lulu develops with her sons’ spouses as everyone comes together to work on the problems at hand.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Swearing, including a few instances of the F word. Drinking. Unmarried sex. One of Lulu’s sons is gay and has a husband.

 Who Might Like This Book:

People who like stories about family dynamics. There’s a lot of good food in the story, as well as a lot of fabulous clothing.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 Castles in Their Bones
By Laura Sebastian
Publisher: Delacorte Press (February 1, 2022)
Hardcover: 528 pages
ISBN-10: 0593118162
ISBN-13: 978-0593118160
Reading age: 14 - 17 years
Lexile measure: 940L
Grade level: 9 – 12
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Empress Margaraux has had plans for her daughters since the day they were born. Princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz will be queens. And now, age sixteen, they each must leave their homeland and marry their princes.
 
Beautiful, smart, and demure, the triplets appear to be the perfect brides—because Margaraux knows there is one common truth: everyone underestimates a girl. Which is a grave mistake. Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz are no innocents. They have been trained since birth in the arts of deception, seduction, and violence with a singular goal—to bring down monarchies— and their marriages are merely the first stage of their mother’s grand vision: to one day reign over the entire continent of Vesteria.
 
The princesses have spent their lives preparing, and now they are ready, each with her own secret skill, and each with a single wish, pulled from the stars. Only, the stars have their own plans—and their mother hasn’t told them all of hers.
 
Life abroad is a test. Will their loyalties stay true? Or will they learn that they can’t trust anyone—not even each other?

 My Thoughts:

There is so much good fantasy being written right now! I read Sebastian’s Ash Princess trilogy, and this exceeds it. This is slightly reminiscent of Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns as triplet sisters vie to win their mother’s favor and secure their future on her throne.

 And their mother…wow. What a witch. Sneaky, conniving and manipulative. Even toward her daughters. She has planned their lives from birth, betrothing them to princes from other realms on the continent, all with the plan to undermine their governments and rule the entire continent herself.

 Away from each other and their mother for the first time, all of the girls embark on some self-discovery. Plans don’t go exactly as anticipated, and the girls are forced to improvise—and they sometimes choose to depart from their mother’s plans completely. They don’t always make the best choices. They, too, manipulate, like, and even use poison in order to further their mother’s agenda. But on the way, the also find friendship and even love.

 This is the first book in a trilogy, so I think it’s not too spoilery if I say that things come crashing down around them. I’m really hoping that a particular event in the penultimate chapter is subterfuge, and the next book will show that Sebastian herself has been tricking us.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Some violence. Kissing. References to sex, none shown. In fact, the two daughters who marry do not consummate their marriages. Poisoning. Manipulation. Magic.

Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like complicated and manipulative family stories. Those who have the patience for a trilogy. Fantasy fans. Those who like strong female characters.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.