The Immortalists, by Chloe Benjamin ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Literature, Family Relationships, Historical Fiction, LGBT Relationships

Thanks to Edelweiss and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

352 Pages

Synopsis: If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life?

It’s 1969 in New York City’s Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children—-four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness—-sneak out to hear their fortunes. 

The prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast searching for love in ‘80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality. 

A sweeping novel of remarkable ambition and depth, The Immortalists probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, this world and the next. It is a deeply moving testament to the power of story, the nature of belief, and the unrelenting pull of familial bonds.

The Immortalists is a work of literary fiction not really fantasy or magical realism as the synopsis suggests. I personally didn’t have a problem with that as I like literary fiction, but I just wanted to warn anyone thinking this was going to be more magical than it is. 

The book focuses on how knowing the date of their death affects these four siblings and the life choices they make over the course of fifty years, While the debate over fate vs. self-fulfilling prophecy is brought up here and there, it’s not fully explored in depth which disappointed me. 

My main issue though was with the characters. It’s not that they’re unlikable. It’s just that I didn’t find any of them particularly memorable. Simon’s story I actually found predictable and manipulative. I thought Klara who winds up in Vegas as a magician would be interesting, but wasn’t. I did like Daniel who becomes an army doctor and in the course of his work discovers something about the psychic who made the original predictions. But Varya was my favorite. As a scientist researching longevity with monkeys, I thought her story and perspective quite thought-provoking.

There were also some things about the author’s writing style that put me off such as completely random sexual references. For example, here’s how the book begins: “Varya is thirteen. New to her are three more inches of height and the dark patch of fur between her legs. Her breasts are palm sized, her nipples pink dimes.”Wait, what? Why on earth would you begin a book like this? There wasn’t any rhyme or reason to it and right there I started thinking “Uh oh.”

Overall, I thought The Immortalists to have some intriguing ideas that just weren’t fleshed out completely. When you couple that with fairly mundane characters and a predictable plot, the story didn’t quite live up to its premise. I personally think there are other books out there about families that make much more of an impact, including: Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng; and Watching Glass Shatter, by our own James J. Cudney. The Immortalists isn’t a bad book. It’s just not one I’m going to remember in the long run. That said, this is getting a lot of 4-5 star reviews on Goodreads, so if you’re intrigued, I encourage you to check, it out for yourself.

 

 

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Maledicus (The Investigative Paranormal Society Book 1), by Charles F. French ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Family Relationships, Friendship, Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBT Relationships, Mystery, Paranormal, Suspense

Thanks to the author for sending me a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now 

333 Pages

Synopsis: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)

Roosevelt Theodore Franklin attempts to make it through life day by day. Roosevelt is a widower, who lost his beloved wife to cancer and a retired history professor, and he has not stopped grieving. Along with his two closest friends, also retired and who also have lost loved ones, the three men form a paranormal investigation group. They hope to find an answer to the question: is there life after death?

When asked by a local teacher to investigate a possible haunting of her house, the group discovers an evil beyond anything they could have imagined. This is no mere ghost. Maledicus, who was in life a pimp, torturer, and murderer during Caligula’s reign in Rome, in death has become a sociopathic demon that attacks the weak and innocent. Maledicus threatens a five year old child’s life and soul. Terrified by what they have discovered, Roosevelt and his friends must choose to either walk away from this threat, or do battle with this ancient creature at the potential loss of their sanities, their lives, and their souls.

When our fellow blogger, Charles French, asked if I’d be interested in reading and reviewing Maledicus, the first book in his Investigative Paranormal Society series, I immediately said yes after reading the premise and I’m so glad I did, because I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Maledicus is definitely a character driven book, and just about everyone involved is well-rounded and completely relatable. The Paranormal Society itself is made up older gentlemen: Roosevelt, Jeremy, and Sam. Each of them has suffered the loss of a loved one and as a result have formed this group to investigate strange occurrences and either confirm and dispel meddlesome spirits, or debunk them. The focus in this story is mainly on Roosevelt, but you still get a good sense of who the others are as the author alternates POVs and timelines. Even the demon, Maledicus’ backstory is thoroughly explored, and let me tell you he is one nasty piece of work.

My only criticism is that I felt the dialogue was a little awkward at times and there was some repetitive words and phrasing. But there wasn’t enough of this to spoil my overall enjoyment of the book. I also wish that the IPS’s latest client Helen, had been a little more developed. I don’t know if she’ll be appearing in future books, but I wouldn’t mind seeing her again.

The plot itself is classic horror. Instead of relying on blood and gore, there’s a continual building of chilling suspense and fear. I was mesmerized from the very first page. Everything is so detailed, from the characters backstories, to the afterlife where Maledicus is unleashing his campaign of terror, that I was completely invested in what was happening.

In the end, I believe Maledicus is an auspicious debut for Charles French. With its believable characters and themes of love, friendship and devotion coupled with the horror, suspense and mystery, it’s a captivating tale and one I highly recommend. I’m looking forward to reading the next supernatural adventure of this intrepid group.

~

If you haven’t checked out Charles’s blog at https://charlesfrenchonwordsreadingandwriting.wordpress.com I recommend that as well. You won’t be disappointed. 

Blog Tour: Watching Glass Shatter, by James J. Cudney ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Family Relationships, LGBT, Mystery, Substance Abuse

Thanks to James Cudney for including me in this blog tour and providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Creativia

Release Date: Available Now

278 Pages

Synopsis: The wealthy Glass family lost its patriarch, Benjamin Glass, sooner than expected. Benjamin’s widow, Olivia, and her 5 sons each react to his death in their own way while preparing for the reading of his will. Olivia receives an unexpected confession from her late husband about one of their sons that could shatter the whole family.

Prior to revealing the secret to her children, Olivia must figure out which boy Ben refers to in the confession he left her in his will. While the family attorney searches for the mysterious Rowena Hector whom Ben says holds all the answers, Olivia asks her sons to each spend spend a week with her as she isn’t ready to let go of the past. When Olivia visits her sons, she quickly learns that each one has been keeping his own secret from her. Olivia never expected her remaining years would be so complex and life-altering, but she will not rest until her family is reunited after Ben’s untimely death.

We all need family. We all want to fit in. We’re all a mix of quirky personalities. Will Olivia be able to fix them or will the whole family implode? What will she do when she discovers the son behind Ben’s secret? Check out this ensemble cast where each family member’s perspective is center stage, discovering along the way who might feel the biggest impact from all the secrets. Welcome to being an honorary member of the Glass family.

I think I’ve said before that I’m always a little anxious reviewing another blogger’s book because I hate even the idea of having to give a poor review to someone I’ve gotten to know through the WordPress community. But when Jay, one of my favorite bloggers, announced that his book Watching Glass Shatter, had been picked up by a publisher, I was thrilled and unhesitatingly asked if I could be part of the blog tour. I purposely waited to read it until a few days before I was due to write this post. Last Thursday night I picked it up thinking I’d read for a couple of hours before bed. Four hours and half a Kleenex box later I had finished it and my first thought was: “THIS is a debut?”

Starting with the Glass family patriarch Ben, the story is then picked up by his widow Olivia and her four sons: Ethan, Caleb, Matt, Zachary, and Teddy. With such a large cast of characters and a relatively short length, the personalities of the Glass family very easily could have been under-developed and confusing, but instead they literally leapt off the page. I have to admit at the beginning I thoroughly disliked Olivia. She’s judgemental, interfering and self-involved, but as she spends time with each of her sons and discovers the secrets each of them hides, she realizes that her family isn’t as picture perfect as she thought and that she may have played a role in this. She’s a very complex character and while I still didn’t really like her at the end, I did appreciate her more as she evolved and became a little more kind and empathetic.

Ethan, Caleb and Olivia’s underappreciated yet loyal sister Diane, are without a doubt my favorite characters out of everyone, but interestingly, although I had some issues with Zachary, Teddy and Matt, I wound up having a lot of sympathy for them as well. They’re richly drawn and realistically written, and by the end of the book they’ve all recognized their shortcomings and have taken the first steps to correct them. 

Equal to the character development is the multi-layered plot. Beginning with the secret that Ben kept from Olivia, this theme is continued throughout the book. While each son’s story is unique, the parts of themselves that they’re hiding effect the rest of the family. At the end, while some are further along the road to self-enlightenment and recovery than others, the family unit as a whole is so much closer. While I already had guessed how the actual mystery stemming from Ben’s confession was going be concluded, when the revelation came near the end of the book I was so involved with this flawed family, I didn’t mind the lack of surprise. Indeed, it lent even more poignancy to this already compelling tale.

Watching Glass Shatter is a family drama filled with love, humor and tragedy. It elicited strong emotions in me and I found myself laughing and crying multiple times as I was reading. And, that to me is the true strength of this novel. There is so much emotional havoc, yet I never once felt it was over the top. Instead, all the drama drew me that much closer to the family, even with characters I didn’t care for in the beginning. I absolutely loved Jay’s debut from start to finish and I truly can’t recommend it highly enough. Jay writes with the talent of a seasoned author, so I’m excited to see what he comes out with next.  And, as I’m not ready to say goodbye to the Glass family, I’m thrilled that he’s planning to revisit them in the near future! 

There’s a Goodreads Giveaway until November 30th! Check it out at: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/263554-watching-glass-shatter 

Watching Glass Shatter is also available to purchase on Amazon. http://mybook.to/WGS

About the Author:

James is my given name; most call me Jay. I grew up on Long Island and currently live in New York City, but I’ve traveled all across the US (and various part of the world). After college I spent 15 years working in technology and business operations in the sports, entertainment and media industries. Although I enjoyed my job, I left in 2016 to focus on my passion: telling stories and connecting people through words. My debut novel is “Watching Glass Shatter”, a contemporary family drama with elements of mystery, suspense, humor and romance. To see samples or receive news from my current and upcoming books please subscribe with your email address at my website: https://jamesjcudney.com

What do I do outside of writing: I’m an avid genealogist (discovered 2K family members going back about 250 years) and cook (I find it so hard to follow a recipe). I love to read; between Goodreads and my blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com I have over 500 book reviews which will give you a full flavor for my voice and style. On my blog I started the 365 day challenge, where I post a word each day that has some meaning to me, then converse with everyone about life. There is humor, tears, love, friendship, advice and bloopers. Lots of bloopers where I make fun of myself all the time. Even my dog has a weekly segment called “Ryder’s Rants” where he complains about me. All these things make up who I am; none of them very fancy or magnanimous, but they are real and show how I live every day.

A bit of humor: Everything as something else when you live in NYC. For me, it’s the dining room, my favorite space in the apartment, where more than my cooking is on display! As I look out the windows onto the 12th floor terrace, various parts of nature (trees, bushes, flowers, bogs & animals) inspire me to write. Ryder, my 10-year-old shiba inu, usually lays on my feet, growling when I shift position too many times or when I forget to share my food! And although he’s only 20 pounds, he’s quite strong and pushy. But how else do you pen the best story possible without these things by your side?

You can also visit Jay at:

Goodreads ~ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17128817.James_J_Cudney

Twitter ~ https://mobile.twitter.com/jamescudney4

Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/jamescudney4/

There’s also a wonderful interview with Jay on Artist First ~ 

http://www.artistfirst2.com/Authors-First_2017-11-14_James_Cudney.mp3

And finally, please check out some of these other fantastic bloggers who have participated in this blog tour. You’ll find more great reviews, interesting Q&As with Jay and even an awesome poll on who should play the characters if this gets optioned for film (which it totally should!)

 

Alone, by Cyn Balog ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Family Relationships, Horror Fiction, Mental Illness, Mystery, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 1st, 2017

288 Pages

Synopsis: When her mom inherits an old, crumbling mansion, Seda’s almost excited to spend the summer there. The grounds are beautiful and it’s fun to explore the sprawling house with its creepy rooms and secret passages. Except now her mom wants to renovate, rather than sell the estate—which means they’re not going back to the city…or Seda’s friends and school.

As the days grow shorter, Seda is filled with dread. They’re about to be cut off from the outside world, and she’s not sure she can handle the solitude or the darkness it brings out in her.

Then a group of teens get stranded near the mansion during a blizzard. Seda has no choice but to offer them shelter, even though she knows danger lurks in the dilapidated mansion—and in herself. And as the snow continues to fall, what Seda fears most is about to become her reality…

Welcome to the Bismarck-Chisholm House—where murder is only the beginning of the fun! Stay in one of eighteen comfortable guest rooms. You’ll sleep like the dead. We guarantee it…

How bone-chillingly cool is that opening? If you think the premise sounds vaguely familiar, you’d be right. Alone pays homage to The Shining , even mentioning it during one scene, yet it has several unique twists of its own. 

Seda is an unreliable narrator and her actions kept me off guard throughout the story. She’s isolated in a creepy rundown mansion that used to be a hotel that held themed murder mysteries for their guests. Except for a general store twenty miles away there’s no other contact with the outside world as they have no cell phone service or landline. And to top things off, the father, fed up with his wife’s insistence that the house only be sold to someone who will stay true to its history, deserts the family. After four months of this, Seda seemingly goes from a once popular sixteen-year-old girl, to a socially awkward one who has a difficult time with even the most basic conversations. Part of this is explained by the secret she’s been keeping from everyone for years. I’d be sympathizing with her one moment, and left scratching my head at her puzzling actions the next. Every time I thought I had a handle on who she was, something would happen and I’d be right back at the beginning. It was infuriating yet mesmerizing at the same time. 

The rest of the characters didn’t stand out all that much, although I thought Seda’s younger siblings (two sets of twins), were adorable. The mother was a little out there and I wound up disliking her intensely. I thought her actions were selfish, neglectful and uncaring. She supposedly loved Seda and her siblings but aside from inventing entertaining games to keep them distracted, she seemed otherwise disengaged. The stranded teens pretty much fit the standard roles: romantic lead, mean girl, loner, etc. and didn’t add all that much until the end of the book.

The descriptive setting was the best part of the story. You can feel the eeriness and claustrophobic atmosphere creep off the pages and surround you. Each chapter begins with a heading that ties the crumbling ruin back to its heyday of being a popular hotel, which was an imaginative touch. The pace though, was extremely slow for about 70% of the book, and at times, I was ready to tear out my hair waiting for something, ANYTHING to happen! And then it finally did, and yikes! What a rollercoaster ride! There’s a huge twist at the end that I still can’t make up my mind as to whether I loved or hated it. Either way, I’m still thinking about it two days after I finished the book, which makes it a success in my mind. 

While Alone didn’t quite live up to my admittedly high expectations, I still enjoyed it and I think it’s a good read for teens, especially this time of year. It’s creepy and unsettling and I guarantee the ending will give you goosebumps!

 

Protected, by Claire Zorn ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Australia, Bullying, Coping With Loss and Grief, Family Relationships, Friendship, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

276 Pages

Synopsis: I have three months left to call Katie my older sister. Then the gap will close and I will pass her I will get older. But Katie will always be fifteen, eleven months and twenty-one days old.

Hannah’s world is in pieces and she doesn’t need the school counsellor to tell her she has deep-seated psychological issues. With a seriously depressed mum, an injured dad and a dead sister, who wouldn’t have problems?

Hannah should feel terrible but for the first time in ages, she feels a glimmer of hope and isn’t afraid anymore. Is it because the elusive Josh is taking an interest in her? Or does it run deeper than that?

In a family torn apart by grief and guilt, one girl’s struggle to come to terms with years of torment shows just how long old wounds can take to heal.

Australian author Claire Zorn’s Protected has been nominated for and won several awards, and after reading it, it’s easy to see why. With the many issues it brings up it’s a difficult read at times, especially as it’s so believable, but take my word for it, this is a book worth picking up.

The story begins in the present day, with the one year anniversary of the death of Hannah’s sister, Katie, approaching. The family is in crisis, with the mother being severely depressed and the father being under investigation as he was driving the girls at the the time of the accident. Complicating things further is that he has amnesia due to his injuries. Hannah also claims to have amnesia, and is now facing a meeting with investigators. 

As the story unfolds, you see that fifteen-year-old Hannah’s trauma started long before the accident. She has been a victim of a vicious and frankly, depraved campaign of bullying since her first year in high school. Despite a caring teacher and school counsellor, the adults here are oblivious to what’s been happening until after the accident. Hannah’s well-meaning parents discover how much their youngest daughter is suffering, but with Katie’s untimely death, the bullying is forgotten. If there’s a silver lining in all this, it’s that now, Hannah’s tormentors have somewhat grown a conscience and leave her alone. 

Hannah is such a relatable character, and my heart ached for her. Her grief is palpable and as the story goes back and forth between the present day and the past events which lead up to the fateful day, it’s obvious that this young girl is a lot stronger than she appears. Her first person narrative is full of raw emotion and I honestly found myself stunned at times at the way she was able to push through the trauma and grief and guilt. 

The reader also sees the difficult relationship that existed between the sisters. Katie knew about the the bullying, but as the popular older sister, not only didn’t want to get involved, but actually blamed Hannah. The quintessential party girl, Katie was completely self-absorbed and viewed Hannah with a mixture of scorn and bitterness. I found myself wondering if she had lived, if their relationship could have been saved once they reached adulthood. My one criticism is that I thought Katie was a little too one dimensional. Sibling relationships can be complicated, but there was nothing likable about Katie whatsoever, and I wish she had been fleshed out a little more.

Hannah’s mother and father are both loving parents, but since the accident, her mother has completely withdrawn from the world and only shows emotion when she’s bitterly blaming her husband for Katie’s death. There is a family support system in place of sorts, with grandparents trying to help, but I found it hard to believe that no one brought up the idea of professional counseling for her. The father and Hannah have a closer relationship and I appreciated how even facing the possibility of legal repercussions, he urged her to tell the truth. 

The two people who ultimately help Hannah get past what has happened though is Anne, the quirky school counsellor and Josh, a fellow classmate. Both of them determinedly set out on bringing Hannah out of her shell and showing her what a wonderful person she is, and that she did not ask for or deserve anything that’s happened to her. I enjoyed the burgeoning relationship between Josh and Hannah. He made me laugh out loud more than once, and he’s exactly what Hannah needs as he patiently coaxes her back into the world, The ending is bittersweet but filled with hope as you can see that Hannah is going to be alright. 

Claire Zorn’s writing is incredibly vivid, from her descriptions of the Blue Mountains of Australia, to the bullying and the consequences that result from it. Hannah is such a sympathetic character that I think she’s going to stay with me for a long time. Protected is a perfect book for classrooms and book discussion groups and I highly recommend it. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author, but it certainly won’t be the last.

The Party, by Robyn Harding ~ 2.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Bullying, Contemporary Fiction, Family Relationships, Teen Drinking

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

352 Pages

Synopsis: One invitation. A lifetime of regrets.

Sweet sixteen. It’s an exciting coming of age, a milestone, and a rite of passage. Jeff and Kim Sanders plan on throwing a party for their daughter, Hannah–a sweet girl with good grades, and nice friends. Rather than an extravagant, indulgent affair, they invite four girls over for pizza, cake, movies, and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong?

But things do go wrong, horrifically so. After a tragic accident occurs, Jeff and Kim’s flawless life in a wealthy San Francisco suburb suddenly begins to come apart. In the ugly aftermath, friends become enemies, dark secrets are revealed in the Sanders’ marriage, and the truth about their perfect daughter, Hannah, is exposed.

The Party is a fairly decent read, but for me it played out like a Lifetime movie of the week with lots of angst and drama, but surprisingly little in the way of excitement or suspense. 

My main issue was that I just didn’t like any of the characters. The teens were your stereotypical mean girls, or in Hannah’s case, an eager to please follower who cares only about ascending the social ladder. The adults were completely self-absorbed and insipid, and were more concerned with bemoaning how what happens directly effects them, then doing what’s right.

The story itself is more suspenseful in the events leading up to the accident. Unfortunately this only makes for less than a 1/4 of the book. After that, the intensity peeters out somewhat and this is made worse by the overwhelming focus on high school politics and lawsuits.

The Party isn’t a horrible book. It was just a little too “meh” for me to truly enjoy it. It surprisingly had little tension or suspense, and there’s no psychological insight into its characters, which made it impossible for me to get really invested in the story, The book has received some positive reviews, and I think if you’re a fan of family drama, you may want to try this. But if you’re looking for a suspense/thriller with a climactic ending, you might wind up being disappointed as I was.

 

 

The Inevitable Collision Of Birdie & Bash by Candace Granger ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Family Relationships, Friendships, Humor, Romance, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

Synopsis: Birdie never meant to be at the party. Bash should have been long gone. But when they meet, a collision course is set off they may never recover from.

Sebastian Alvarez is just trying to hold the pieces together: to not flunk our, to keep his sort-of-best friend Wild Kyle from going something really bad, and to see his beloved Ma through chemo. But then he meets Birdie Paxton, a near-Valedictorian who doesn’t realize she’s smoking hot in her science pun T-shirt, at a party, an undeniable attraction sparks. But before they are able to exchange numbers, they are pulled apart. A horrifying tragedy soon links Birdie and Bash together–but neither knows it. When they finally reconnect, and are starting to fall–hard–the events of the tragedy unfold, changing both their lives in ways they can never undo. Told in alternating perspectives, The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash by Candace Granger is a beautiful, complex, and ultimately hopeful teen novel that will move you to the very last page.

I have to admit that The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash was a 100% impulse request. But honestly! Between the cover and the quirky title, can you blame me? I don’t read a lot of contemporary YA Fiction, but this caught my eye and I’m so glad it did!

As always, I’m not going to include any spoilers. Suffice it to say a tragedy occurs near the beginning of the book that links Birdie and Bash, although Birdie isn’t aware of the connection. Things get even more complicated as they both start working at a rollerskating rink, with Bash struggling with the secret he’s hiding.

Birdie is such an awesome character. She’s intelligent and cracks math jokes. She’s also pretty sassy and her ability to recite random facts provides some much needed comic relief. After the tragedy, she struggles with guilt which lends her a certain vulnerability. She’s extremely likable and believable.

And Bash just broke my heart on so many occasions. He’s a good kid who is struggling with the impending death of his mother. He tries to forget what is happening, but it overshadows his every move. He’s the type of teen who takes responsibility for everything, even something that’s not his fault. He tries so desperately to keep his life together, that I kept wanting to reach into the book and give him a hug.

The plot is very fast-paced, and filled with beautiful imagery. The ending is perfect and is one of those that will leave you sighing with complete satisfaction as you close the book. 

The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash is an amazing and unforgettable debut by Candace Granger. It’s a breathtaking story of love, family, and friendship that will make you laugh and also tear up at times, and is perfect for fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell, and Nicole Yoon. It’s a delightful rollercoaster of a book that will put readers through through the ringer and invites debate over destiny and fate. I usually delete eARCS from my Kindle once I’ve read them but this one I’m going to keep because I have a feeling I’m going to want to read it again. 

 

 

The Dreadful Tale Of Prosper Redding (The Dreadful Tale Of Prosper Redding #1) by Alexandra Bracken ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Family Relationships, Friendship, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Supernatural, Tween Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 5th, 2017

272 Pages

Synopsis: Prosper is the only unexceptional Redding in his old and storied family history–that is, until he discovers the demon living inside him. Turns out Prosper’s great-great-great-great-great-something grandfather made–then broke–a contract with a malefactor, a demon who exchanges fortune for eternal servitude. And, weirdly enough, four-thousand-year-old Alastor isn’t exactly the forgiving type. 

The fiend has reawakened with one purpose–to destroy the family whose success he ensured and who then betrayed him. With only days to break the curse and banish Alastor back to the demon realm, Prosper is playing unwilling host to the fiend, who delights in tormenting him with nasty insults and constant attempts to trick him into a contract. Yeah, Prosper will take his future without a side of eternal servitude, thanks. 

Little does Prosper know, the malefactor’s control over his body grows stronger with each passing night, and there’s a lot Alastor isn’t telling his dim-witted (but admittedly strong-willed) human host.

I’m a huge fan of Alexandra Bracken’s YA books, so when I saw The Dreadful Tale Of Prosper Redding on NetGalley, I was both excited and curious about her first book for tweens. I’ve always thought that writing for 9-12 year-olds must be especially challenging, as they’ve moved past most juvenile fiction, yet they’re not quite ready for the more mature themes you find in YA fiction. It’s a tricky balance, and with this book I think Bracken has hit just the right spot.

From the very first page, I was completely charmed by 12-year-old Prosper. Being the “black-sheep” of the Redding family, he’s learned to cope with their disappointment in him, as well as bullying by his classmates, with a dry, self-deprecating humor. At the same time, I was angered by the treatment he received. Sure, he may not be the strongest student, but he’s gifted artistically, and he’s sweet and incredibly loyal. Even his twin sister, Prudence, who he adores, doesn’t really respect him. The relationship between Prosper and Alastor, a centuries-old demon prince, is both humorous and touching at times. As the story unfolds, there’s something more developing underneath Alastor’s snarkiness and disdain for humans and the boy he calls “maggot”. I can’t wait to see where this goes in the sequel.

The secondary characters are wonderfully fleshed out and help bring to life the underlying themes of friendship and family. There’s the relationship between Prosper and Prue, which is made difficult by her being unconditionally loved by their family and the rest of their small town. There’s also the relationship between Alastor and his sister Pyre, who he loves and does everything he can to protect. We also see the contentious feelings between Prosper’s rescuers Uncle Barnabus, and his daughter Nell. These themes are repeatedly brought up throughout the story in a realistic fashion that I think tweens will completely relate to. 

There’s plenty of supernatural elements, with demons, witches, faeries, and hob-goblins, to appeal to fans, and a lot of humor to balance the more serious elements. The main setting of Salem, MA during Halloween is absolutely perfect, and experiencing it through Prosper’s and Alastor’s view was so much fun. The one issue I have concerns the ending. I thought Bracken did an amazing job building everything up, but then when the finale came, it was so rushed and had so many last minute twists, I was left shaking my head and wondering what the heck happened. It was a bit crazy and messy, and stood out too much from the rest of the story.

Overall though, I was charmed by The Dreadful Tale Of Prosper Redding. It’s a whimsical, fun, and creepy tale that I highly recommend to tweens who love horror and the supernatural. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every Last Lie, by Mary Kubica ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Family Relationships, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks To NetGalley and Park Row Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

288 Pages

Synopsis: “The bad man, Daddy. The bad man is after us.”

Clara Solberg’s world shatters when her husband and their four-year-old daughter are in a car crash, killing Nick while Maisie is left remarkably unharmed. The crash is ruled an accident…until the coming days, when Maisie starts having night terrors that make Clara question what really happened on that fateful afternoon. 

Tormented by grief and her obsession that Nick’s death was far more than just an accident, Clara is plunged into a desperate hunt for the truth. Who would have wanted Nick dead? And, more important, why? Clara will stop at nothing to find out–and the truth is only the beginning of this twisted tale of secrets and deceit.

Told in the alternating perspectives of Clara’s investigation and Nick’s last months leading up to the crash, master of suspense Mary Kubica weaves her most chilling thriller to date–one that explores the dark recesses of a mind plagued by grief and shows that some secrets might be better left buried.

While I’ve certainly heard of Mary Kubica, Every Last Lie is the first book of hers that I’ve read, but after finishing it I can certainly understand why she’s so popular. It starts off a little slowly, but the pace picks up after the first few chapters. The characters of Clara and Nick are ones you can’t help but become emotionally invested in. Both of them are flawed and make many mistakes, but this just makes them even more relatable. Because of this, my heart was breaking for the both of them throughout the story, especially Nick, who I really became attached to. I have to admit I found myself getting a bit weepy during his chapters, especially in the latter half of the book when the fateful last day was approaching. There are so many twists to what caused Nick’s fatal crash, that right up until the end I had no idea what the outcome of Clara’s investigation was going to be. There are basically just two reasons why I’ve only given this 4 stars. Because of the author’s reputation and the suspenseful build-up, when the end came, I thought it was a little flat. And, there were a few plot holes that I didn’t feel were addressed, which is a pet peeve of mine. Otherwise, I think this is a great mystery/suspense novel that’ll make a wonderful beach and vacation read. I already had Mary Kubica on my list of TBR authors, but I’m definitely moving her previous books nearer to the top of my list now.

Now I Rise (The Conqueror’s Saga #2) by Kiersten White ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Family Relationships, Historical Fiction, LGBT Relationships, Ottoman Empire, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

496 Pages

Synopsis: Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lads is out to punish anyone who crosses her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder if he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her.

What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople–and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned the unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence–but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself–but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won…and souls will be lost.

Now I Rise picks up directly where the previous book, And I Darken, left off. Lada (the female version of Vlad the Impaler), is set on fulfilling her destiny to become Prince of Wallachia, leaving her younger brother, Radu, behind with Mehmed. The two siblings are separated during the entire book and this not only effects their relationship, but it further shapes them into the leaders they will become. In the first book, you saw how Lada’s brutal childhood at the hands of her father, made her a fierce, determined and courageous potential leader. In this book, all those traits are still visible, but her ruthlessness ultimately takes an even darker turn, resulting in her committing some truly horrific atrocities. You can see she’s not completely heartless by some of the relationships she has with those who are loyal to her. But by the end, she cares nothing about sacrificing innocents if she believes it’s in the greater good. Even some of those who have remained steadfast in their support, begin to question her. Lada is so fixated on her goal that she doesn’t realize she’s turning into someone far worse than her father. Seeing her transform is cringe-worthy at times, yet utterly mesmerizing. Meanwhile, Radu, who was always the lightness to Lada’s darkness, is facing a crisis of conscience. Still suffering from his unrequited love for Mehmed, he becomes a spy for him to aid in the conquest of Constantinople. The longer he’s there, the more conflicted he becomes over whether he’s doing the right thing. His anguish is heartbreaking, and the things he does changes him in many ways by the conclusion. I didn’t really care for Mehmed in the first book, and nothing in this one has changed my mind. Actually, I dislike him even more. He’s a manipulative, power-hungry ruler who has no problem using or betraying the people who care for him, as both Lada and Radu learn. He may be charming and charismatIc, but he continues to leave me unimpressed. There are quite a few secondary characters that stand out as much as the three main characters, and add interesting layers to the already complex story. Now I Rise is even better than it’s predecessor in terms of world-building, character development, and action. Kiersten White has my deepest admiration for her ability to bring history to life. She may veer away from total accuracy at times, but that doesn’t take anything away from the story. While this is technically a YA trilogy, due to the complexity and brutality of the story, I would suggest this for older teens and adults. You also definitely need to read these books in order because otherwise you’ll find yourself completely lost. The ending of this sequel leaves no doubt that Lada, Radu, and Mehmed are on a collision course, which has me eagerly anticipating the final book, which frustratingly won’t come out until next year. In the meantime, if you’re an adult who usually doesn’t read YA, but you like historical fiction, I cannot recommend these books highly enough!