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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breaking (Burning), by Danielle Rollins ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Dysfunctional Relationships, Horror, Mystery, Suicide, Supernatural, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Childrens for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

352 Pages

Synopsis: Charlotte has always been content in the shadow of her two best friends at the prestigious Underhill Preparatory Institute. Ariel is daring and mysterious. Devon is beautiful and brilliant. Without Charlotte never lived up to the standards of the school–or her demanding mother–her two best friends became the family she never had. When Ariel and Devon suddenly commit suicide within a month of each other, Charlotte refuses to accept it as coincidence. But as the clues point to a dangerous secret at Underhill Prep, Charlotte is suddenly in over her head. There’s a reason the students of Underhill are so exceptional, and the people responsible are willing to kill to protect the truth…

Breaking is the “companion book” to Burning, which means that technically you could read this as a standalone, but I personally think you’ll get more out of it if you read the books in order. 

Breaking has more mystery to it than the previous book, as it opens with the main character, Charlotte, dealing with her two best friend’s suicides only a month apart. She discovers that one of them has left a clue behind, and she determinedly sets out to find out what really happened. None of the characters are very likable. There are flashbacks to when Ari and Devon were still alive, and they both gave off that stereotypical “mean girl” vibe, with Charlotte being the follower. But, there’s a twist near the end of the book which gives a creative twist to this trope which is why I changed my mind about the 2 star rating I was considering giving this. I had mixed feelings about Charlotte. She came across as self-pitying and insecure throughout much of the book, but the more you find out about the relationship she has with her mother, the more understandable this is. And, as the story progressed, she did get stronger. There’s a big build-up to the romance that develops between Charlotte and Jack, but for me, there wasn’t enough chemistry between them.

The plot itself is interesting and kept me guessing for the majority of the story. It’s the last 100 or so pages though, where things get truly exciting and the events from Burning are tied into what’s been happening here. 

Overall, I though Breaking was an okay sequel that could have used more character development. The ending leaves no doubt that there’ll be a third book, and I’m interested in how things will turn out. Because of the darker themes and some brutally graphic scenes, I’d recommend this for older teens who are looking for contemporary fiction with a hint of the supernatural.

Secrets Of Skin And Stone, by Wendy Laine ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Gargoyles, Self-harm, Supernatural, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

290 Pages

Synopsis: Something is wrong in Hidden Creek. The sleepy Alabama town is more haunted than any place fiend hunter Grisham Caso has ever seen. Unearthed graves, curse bags, and spilled blood all point to an evil that could destroy his gargoyle birthright. The town isn’t safe for anyone, and everyone say fiery Piper Devon knows why.

Piper wants to leave Hidden Creek behind. She’s had enough of secrets–they hide in the shadows of her room and tell her terrible things are coming. Too-charming city boy Grisham might be her only chance to save herself. 

To survive, Piper and Grisham have to shed their secrets and depend only on each other. But what lurks in Hidden Creek still might take everything away from them, including each other.

I have to be honest and admit the main reason why I requested Secrets of Skin and Stone was the mention of gargoyles. I have a fondness for them and personally feel there aren’t enough books featuring them. The premise was intriguing, but I didn’t expect to be so completely charmed by the story and Piper and Gris. Piper is a cutter and has OCD so please be aware of this trigger. A week or so ago I gave another YA novel, The Suffering Tree, a poor review primarily because of a main character who also self-harmed, and not only was there no advance trigger warning, but I felt the issue was poorly handled in the story itself. This was definitely not the case here. On the page directly before the beginning of the first chapter, there’s this warning:

Trigger Warning: 

This book contains fictional descriptions of self-harm. All attempts were made by the author, who has a personal history of self-harm, to portray cutting as realistic, but not gratuitous. These scenes are crucial to the characterization of the mental disorder represented.

Yes! That is what I want to see when an issue like this is a major part of the story. And true to this warning, the reasons for Piper’s cutting herself are thoroughly explored and her actions are not ignored, at least by Gris who understands the stress and despair behind her cutting and helps her discover that she doesn’t need to do this to herself in order to gain relief. Her OCD is also addressed although in a somewhat more limited fashion. While you would think these two issues would make Piper seem weak and vulnerable, let me assure you she’s anything but. She’s feisty, determined, and ignores the cruel words thrown at her by many of the other residents of Hidden Creek. What does haunt her is that she believes there’s a hidden darkness in her. This is heartbreakingly illustrated when after her dog is brutally killed, she decides to make a list of possible suspects and puts her own name on it. This is just one of the many times I wanted to reach in and hug her. And then there’s Gris. He is without a doubt Piper’s soulmate. As a gargoyle, or “Watcher” he’s in a perfect position to help her given that a mysterious villain is sending fiends after her. While his feelings of love for her develop pretty quickly, Piper is extremely distrustful of him in the beginning and it takes a little while for her to warm up to him. Once she does though, they’re the type of couple that give you the warm fuzzies. The secondary characters are okay, but because I was so invested in Piper and Gris, they didn’t really stand out as much to me. The identity of the villain wasn’t a huge shock, but that didn’t take anything away from the climax. The other thing I wanted to be sure to mention was how much I loved the setting. Although this story is contemporary, the description of Hidden Creek almost reads like a Southern Gothic. The dialogue between the characters that features that deep southern drawl helps bring this to life. Overall, while Secrets of Skin and Stone isn’t action-packed from beginning to end, I was still completely captivated. Starting with two main characters that I think readers will fall in love with and an original and creative mythology featuring gargoyles, this book should have wide appeal for fans of YA supernatural fiction. While this may be a standalone novel, I’m hoping it’s not because I’d love to see more of Piper and Gris.

 

The Suffering Tree, by Elle Cosimano ~ 2.0 Stars

Tags

Historical Fiction, Mental Illness, Mystery, Self-harm, Supernatural, YA Fiction

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

Release Date: June 13th, 2017

368 Pages

Synopsis: Tori Burns and her family left D.C. for claustrophobic Chaptico, Maryland, after suddenly inheriting a house under mysterious circumstances. That inheritance puts her at odds with the entire town, especially Jesse Slaughter and his family–it’s their generations-old land that the Burns have “stolen”. But none of that seems to matter after Tori witnesses a young man claw his way out of a grand v e under the gnarled oak in her new backyard.

Nathaniel Bishop may not understand what brought him back, but it’s clear to Tori t h at he hates the Slaughters for what they did to him centuries ago. Wary yet drawn to him by a shared sense of loss, she gives him shelter. But in the wake of his arrival comes a string of troubling events–including the disappearance of Jesse Slaughter’s cousin–that seem to point to back to Nathaniel.

As Tori digs for the truth–and slowly begins to fall for Nathaniel–she uncovers something much darker in the tangled branches of the Slaughter family tree. In order to break the centuries-old curse that binds Nathaniel there and discover the true nature of her inheritance, Tori must unravel the Slaughter family’s oldest and most guarded secrets. But the Slaughters want to keep them buried…at any cost.

The Suffering Tree is a tough book to review. There are some good things about it, but it also has many weaknesses. First, it should definitely come with a trigger warning concerning self-harm. Tori is a cutter, and this is brought up repeatedly, yet there’s nothing in the book’s summary about this. Making matters worse is the way in which Cosimano uses Tori’s illness as the way Nathaniel is brought back to life. So, right from the beginning I was frankly appalled. In addition, no one in Tori’s life ever makes a serious effort to stop her harmful behavior. There’s no resolution and it seems to me that the only reason why it’s included in the story is to bring in Nathaniel. The book is told from three perspectives: the present, the past through Tori’s visions, and the past from Nathaniel’s POV and it was jarring to move back and forth between them. While I found Nathaniel and his historical ties to the Slaughters to be the most interesting part of the story, the rest of the characters including Tori, come across as being generally under-developed which makes it difficult to become emotionally invested in them. The mystery is interesting, and the writing itself is beautiful and at times almost poetic but these aren’t enough to save the story. To be honest, even without the issue of cutting being magically glorified, The Suffering Tree would have been just an okay read for me, but the cavalier way Cosimano treats the issue of depression, anxiety and self-harm has left me concerned for the teens that will be reading this. 

Feast of All Souls ~ By Simon Bestwick – 3.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Arthurian Legends, England, Historical Fiction, Horror, Loss of a Child, Supernatural

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

Release Date: December 6th, 2016

382 Pages

Synopsis: Alice’s house stands at a gateway between worlds. Now something has awoken on the other side–and she’s in its way…

378 Collarmill Road looks like an ordinary house. But sometimes, the world outside the windows isn’t the one you expect to see. And sometimes you’ll turn around and find you’re not alone.

The suburb of Crawbeck , on a hill outside the English city of Manchester, overlooks the woodlands of Browton Vale. Alice Collier was happy here, once, but following the end of her marriage and loss of her daughter, she’s come back to pick of the threads of her life. 

John Revell, an old flame of Alice’s, reluctantly comes to her aid when the house begins to reveal its secrets. The hill on which it sits is a place of legends–of Old Harry, the Beast of Crawbeck, of the Virgin of the Height and of the mysterious Red Man–and home to the secrets of the shadowy Arodias Thorne.

And now Alice and John stand between him and the rest of our world…

What happened? I should have LOVED this. It had all the right ingredients for a perfect story: a haunted house, ghost children, multiple mythologies, horror beyond imagination… I’m going to stop there because I don’t want to give any spoilers away. Let me say that the story itself more than lived up to its incredible premise. As soon as I read the first couple of chapters, I was immediately sucked in. The story is told in the third person from the perspectives of Mary Carson in the 1830s, who was the secretary for the previous occupant of the house, Arodias Thorne and Alice Collier in the present day,  who has suffered one of the worst losses one can suffer, that of her daughter. Separated from her husband Andrew, Alice moves into this neglected house hoping to get a new start. Instead she gets ghostly children who right from the onset seem bent on killing her, supernatural monsters and sinister figures, a mysterious man in a red cloak and white mask, whose intentions are unclear, and multiple dimensions. Then, as Alice and later on her ex-lover, John investigate, even Arthurian legends come into play. And this all works. It truly does. There’s no confusion and the chapters seamlessly alternate between the two women. The world-building was spectacular and there wasn’t a single thing that left me wanting. So, why you may ask am I giving this only 3 stars? Well, it mainly comes down to Alice and Mary, neither who I was able to connect to even though I had the utmost sympathy for their positions. It’s not that they’re unlikable. They both are written as very nice women. I guess the best way I can describe them is bland. There’s nothing that stands out in either of them. They both find themselves in horrifically unimaginable circumstances yet I wound up feeling completely disengaged. I wound up being far more interested in the villainous Arodias Thorn, which now has me questioning what kind of person am I. The secondary characters are even worse, coming across a wooden, or in a couple of cases, completely unnecessary. Because of this, well before the halfway point in the book, I was forcing myself to continue. It took me close to two weeks to finish this, which if you’ve been following me any length of time you’ll agree that this is a highly unusual occurance. When I finally got to the ending, it wrapped everything up, but it finished so abruptly it left me a bit discombobulated. Now, I cannot stress enough that Feast of All Souls is getting mainly rave reviews on Goodreads, so I’m thinking that maybe this is a case of “it’s me, not you.” If you enjoy horror mixed with historical fiction and the supernatural, I encourage you to try this. You’ll quite likely love it and be left wondering what on earth I was blathering on about!

 

The Jekyll Revelation ~ By Robert Masello – 3.75 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and 47North for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 8th, 2016

477 Pages

Synopsis: While on a routine patrol in the tinder-dry Topanga Canyon, environmental scientist Rafael Salazar expects to find animal poachers, not a dilapidated antique steamer trunk. Inside the peculiar case, he discovers a journal, written by the renowned Robert Louis Stevenson, which divulges ominous particulars about his creation of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” It also promises to reveal a terrible secret–the real identity of Jack the Ripper.

Unfortunately, the journal–whose macabre tale unfolds in an alternating narrative with Rafe’s–isn’t the only relic in the trunk, and Rafe isn’t the only one to purloin a souvenir. A mysterious flask containing the last drops of the grisly potion that inspired Jekyll and Hyde and spawned London’s most infamous killer has gone missing. And it’s definitely fallen into the wrong hands.

Argh! There was so much I LOVED about this book, but there were problems with it that try as I might, I just couldn’t ignore. After much deliberating this is why I finally decided on the bizarre rating of 3.75 stars. First, I found the premise just too good to resist. A story combining Jack the Ripper, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and Robert Louis Stevenson? For me, this was the literary equivalent of a box of Godiva chocolates. The story alternates between the past with Stevenson, and the present with Rafe. The historical chapters which are Stevenson’s journal entries, are absolutely brilliant and mix fact with fiction. They begin by focusing on Stevenson’s struggle with tuberculosis which lead him down a dark path which eventually leads him to write The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and to cross paths with the notorious Jack the Ripper. When I was reading the journal entries I was completely captivated. The settings of a health clinic in Switzerland, the foggy gaslit streets of Victorian London and finally a South Pacific paradise are beautifully detailed, and Robert Masello does an outstanding job of bringing to life one of my favorite childhood authors. My problem was with the present day chapters involving Rafe. He is a likable character, but for chapters on end there’s little development with his story. By the time I was midway through the book, I was basically skimming his sections. I honestly think if the author had completely cut out his story and simply made this an historical fiction thriller, it would have been a perfect read. That all said, I still found this an imaginative and enjoyable read. I was already a fan of Robert Masello’s and The Jekyll Revelation just proved to me why I always look forward to a new book by him. I think anyone who is intrigued by the mystery of Jack the Ripper, and is a fan of Robert Louis Stevenson and in particular The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, will enjoy this book.

Whimsical Wednesday ~ Halloween Edition

Tags

Humorous Quotes, Supernatural, Whimsical Wednesday

The other day I met this man. A nice guy, you know? And we had a really good chat, sort of like this. Then I slit his throat and ripped his heart out through his chest. Does that make me a bad person?

Meg to Pastor Jim ~ Supernatural 

The Secret City (The Alchemist Chronicles #2) ~ By C.J. Daugherty & Carina Rozenfeld – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Fantasy, Supernatural, Suspense, YA Fiction

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

368 Pages

Synopsis: Locked away inside the fortified walls of Oxford’s St Wilfred’s College, surrounded by alchemists sworn to protect them. Taylor and Sasha are safe from the Darkness. For now.

But time is short. In seven days Sacha will turn 18, and the ancient curse that once made him invincible will kill him, unleashing unimaginable demonic horror upon the world.

There is one way to stop it.

Taylor and Sacha must go to where the curse was first cast–the medieval French city of Carcassonne–and face the demons.

The journey will be dangerous. And monsters are waiting for them.

But as Darkness descends on Oxford, their choice is stark. They must face everything that scares them, or lose everything they love.

Now this is a case where the sequel builds upon the the previous book and winds up being even better! Back in December, I gave The Secret Fire only 3.5 stars mainly because I didn’t care for Sacha and Taylor, and I thought the secondary characters needed much more development. Well, The Secret Fire addressed all those issues and was quite enjoyable. Sacha’s smugness and arrogance that irked me so much in the first book is gone here. He’s extremely supportive of Taylor and on more than one occasion, willing puts his life in danger to protect hers. Taylor, who I thought had absolutely zero personality has developed into a sweet, caring girl who has plenty of courage, but continually battles with self-doubt. Partly because of all the action taking place, their romance develops slowly and believably. Taylor is also immersed in her studies as she’s desperately trying to find a way to save Sacha before he turns eighteen. While she’s busy, Sacha is left feeling a bit like a third wheel, which is understandable given the circumstances. He has no powers, so he’s unsure of his place which leads him to be a bit reckless at times. By the first half of the story though, they’re back to working together. They’ve developed into such engaging characters I couldn’t help but cheer them on. Louisa and Alistair who weren’t well-developed in the first book, are the perfect supporting cast in this. You find out so much more about them, especially Louisa whose harsh personality is tempered this time around. Their relationship never takes away from what is happening with Sacha and Taylor. The plot continues from the original storyline and adds a new villain, who’s not really original, yet still manages to be interesting. The story unfolds at a very quick pace and the exciting conclusion leaves little doubt that there will be a third book. I highly recommend The Secret City to teens and fans of YA fantasy. I’m eagerly anticipating the third installment!

Devil and the Bluebird ~ By Jennifer Mason-Black – 5.0 Stars

Tags

Coming-of age, Domestic Abuse, LGBT, Relationships, Sex Trafficking, Supernatural, YA Fiction

Thank you NetGalley and Amulet Books for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 17th, 2016

Synopsis: Blue Riley has wrestled with her own demons ever since the loss of her mother to cancer. But when she encounters a beautiful devil at her town’s crossroads, it’s her runaway sister’s soul she fights to save. The devil steals Blues voice–inherited from her musically gifted mother–in exchange for a single shot at finding Cass.

Armed with her mother’s guitar, a knapsack of cherished mementos, and a pair of magical books, Blue journeys west in search of her sister. When the devil changes the terms of their deal, Blue must reevaluate her understanding of good and evil and open herself to finding family in unexpected places.

I have to admit that when I requested Devil And The Bluebird, it was because the synopsis with it’s mention of crossroad demons reminded me of the tv show Supernatural, which if you’ve been following me you might have noticed my slight, ahem, obsession. For those of you not familiar with crossroads demon folklore, these are the demons you can make a supernatural deal with. Unfortunately it also involves the giving up of your soul, and in Supernatural when your contract is up, you’re  brutally killed by Hellhounds, who then drag your soul to Hell. Nasty huh? So, in this instance 17-year-old Blue is desperately trying to save her sister Cass who disappeared after making a deal with a devil. Blue makes a bargain: the demon gives her six months to find Cass and if Blue fails then she can collect both sisters’ souls. Of course, as is often the case with demons, this one pulls a sneaky trick on Blue. While Blue sets off on her journey with her guitar and a pair of magical boots, she does so without her voice. Yep. No singing, no talking, nada.

Naturally the devil has other tricks up her sleeves as well, but I’m going to let you discover them on your own if you choose to read this. Blue is a picture-perfect tragically flawed character. She’s smart, loyal and stubbornly determined. She has more love in her heart than she realizes. Mourning her mother deeply, Blue will do whatever it takes to reunite with her sister which gets her into some pretty awful situations. As she makes friends and allies on her journey, she also learns some of different types of evil that are out there, and I’m not talking about the paranormal kind. Throughout the book Mason-Black does a beautiful job with Blue’s voice which rings with clarity and sincerity. The secondary characters, of which there are quite a few, are richly drawn. Each one, no matter how brief their role, is a fully realized person. I fully believed that all these characters who walk in and out of Blue’s life, also have lives of their own. While some of them show that greed, selfishness, indifference and cruelty can take many forms, they also show the same for kindness, compassion and love. It’s these last three that allow Blue to continue on her quest. Alongside the paranormal elements that are in the story, there are also many real-life issues explored including: loss of a parent, teen runaways, transgender teens, drug abuse, homelessness, domestic abuse, and sex trafficking. It amazes me that the author was able to include all of this in a 336 page novel without once slowing the pace down. Devil And The Bluebird is a lyrical and poignant debut that despite its touching on some of the uglier parts of life, still manages to be a beautiful redemption tale. Because of the mature themes I recommend this to older teens and adults. I also think it would be a perfect novel for a book discussion group. And now for some reason I’m feeling an overwhelming need to binge- watch the Winchesters.

The Steep & Thorny Way ~ By Cat Winters – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Anti-Semitism, Eugenics, Historical Fiction, Homophobia, Ku Klux Klan, Mystery, Racism, Supernatural, YA Fiction

Thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for providing this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 8th, 2016

Synopsis: A thrilling reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Steep & Thorny Way tells the story of a murder most foul and the mighty power of love and acceptance in a state gone terribly rotten. 

1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee’s oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now her father’s killer is out of jail and back in town, and he claims that Hanalee’s father wasn’t killed by the accident at all but, instead was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him–who happens to be Hanalee’s new stepfather.

The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she needs is to ask Hank himself, a “haunt” wandering the roads at night.

Cat Winters is a well respected author who I’ve been meaning to try for quite some time, but The Steep & Thorny Way is the first book I’ve read by her. All I can say is that her reinterpretation of Hamlet and combining it with an incredibly dark time in America’s history is a compelling read and leaves me wondering why it’s taken me this long to read one of her books.

The 1920s in the U.S. wasn’t just the era of flappers, and the beginning of the jazz age. It was also a time where racism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism were rampant, as was distrust of Catholics, and of course Prohibition. All of these are on display in the fictional small town of of Elston, Oregon. As the child of an African-American father and a white mother, Hanalee’s future prospects for an kind of a meaningful life are pretty much nonexistent. At the age of sixteen she knows that if she’s to have any kind of future, she’ll have to leave her hometown and strike out for the bigger cities who are far more accepting of those who are “different”. When the story opens though, she’s about avenge her father’s death on Joe Adder, the young man just released from prison for his killing. She discovers though that things are definitely not as they seem, and she winds up embarking on a quest to discover the truth with the very person she’s blamed and hated for the past year. Hanalee is someone teens can relate to even though this story is set decades ago. She’s not perfect, she makes mistakes, but despite the hate and prejudice aimed at her she remains pretty open-minded toward other people, which I thought was amazing.

While Hanalee is clearly the main character of the book, Joe is equally important and his story at times overtakes the main mystery. This isn’t a bad thing though. What is done to him and his desperate desire to also escape had me just as emotionally invested in him as I was with Hanalee.

There is no real romance in this book which I think was a wise decision on the part of the author. Instead, there’s a tentative friendship between Hanalee and Joe which flourishes into something quite beautiful. The rest of the characters aren’t quite as well fleshed out, but they still successfully serve to further the story, particularly Laurence, Hanalee’s old childhood friend who’s loyalties are divided.

I did think the central mystery concerning the death of Hanalee’s father could have used a little more development. All the answers are basically provided to her by his ghost. It would have been nice to have a little more sleuthing on her part. But honestly, this wasn’t enough to detract from my overall fascination with this book. Cat Winters does a magnificent job spinning her tale, and I was completely spellbound while reading it. A true measure of it’s impact is the amount of time I’ve spent researching some of the topics it brought up, especially eugenics (forced sterilization of people belonging to certain groups), which much to my surprise and disgust was still happening as late as 1981.

I believe it’s especially important for people to read books like The Steep & Thorny Way given what’s happening in the world right now. For anyone who thinks that hateful idealogy is a thing of the past, pick up a newspaper or turn on the tv. All the same prejudices and bigotry are still very much a part of our society, and stoking the flames are politicians who claim they have their country’s best interests at heart. This is a perfect book for discussion, whether in a high school classroom, a book group, or at home. The best way to combat hatred is to start with our young people and I fervently believe this is something we must do if we are to prevent history from repeating itself.