Book Review - The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher

 

 

 

 

The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher is about Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy’s time in London. In 1938, Kick and her family moved to London when her father was named ambassador. She enjoys spending time in high society social circles and attending balls and parties with highly influential people. Kick loves being on her own and free from her family’s expectations of her.

Kick’s mother, Rose, is strict and overbearing. She expects Kick to follow all of her rules and to always be mindful of her image. Her older brothers, Jack and Joe, are always up to something and are still their father’s confidantes. Kick has always felt left out that her older brothers could do whatever they wanted and yet still be in their father’s good graces. Her older sister, Rosemary, displayed erratic behavior that many people in polite society frowned upon. As her behaviors are considered strange, Rosemary tends to be excluded from events by her family to avoid people passing judgment on her.  As Kick begins exploring all that London has to offer, she finally feels free to pursue things that matter to her, including a certain future Duke.

Kick and Billy Hartington, the future Duke of Devonshire run in the same social circles and spend a lot of time together. The pair find themselves drawn to each other and they fall for each other. However, their love is prohibited as Kick’s family is Catholic and Billy’s family is Protestant. As they navigate their budding relationship, war breaks out and the entire world is thrown into chaos. The Kennedys are forced to return to the States, causing Kick to try and find her way back into Billy’s arms. When she finds work that allows her to return to London, she must decide if she will choose Billy or her family.

I thought the book was an okay read. I started losing interest though towards the halfway point. It felt very boring to me because the book only talked about parties that Kick or someone else from her social circle was attending. I was struggling to find a plot during portions of the book. 

The novel included a lot of famous people and characters that weren’t fleshed out much. A few of them I had to look up to learn their backstory but after a while that became tedious. It would have been nice to have a glossary that gave a snippet or footnote of each person’s background, or some story building by the author.  The ending was a bit abrupt and the author did include more details about Kick’s life that happened a few years after the book concluded. I felt like that part of Kick’s life was more exciting than the parts we got to read about in the novel.

 

Book Review - A Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly

 

A Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly is about a woman, Evelyne Redfern, who finds a dead body at her new job. In England 1940, Evelyne is famously known as the “The Parisian Orphan” because of the nasty divorce between her mother and her adventurer father that unfolded very publicly.  Evelyne wishes to leave her parents’ shadow and move on with her life.

She decides to take a job working on the line at a munitions factory to help out with the war efforts.  During the night, she and her friends at the local boarding house go out for a fun night out. There she crosses paths with one of her father’s old friends, Mr. Fletcher. 

Mr. Fletcher asks if she is interested in taking a new job as he remembers how clever and resourceful she was as a child. Evelyne is intrigued and decides to take him up on his offer. She wasn’t sure what to expect of the new job but now she is working as a secretary for the Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s cabinet war rooms.  She feels that this job would have more of an impact with the war efforts than working in the factories as it would have a “more” direct impact.

As Evelyne tries to find her way around the underground bunker, she comes across a person she thinks is sleeping at the desk. When she goes closer to the person, she realizes the person is dead and it was someone she knew and worked with. Evelyne is determined to find the killer. She loves reading detective novels, and she believes that she can find the culprit, but her plan puts her directly in the path of David Poole. 

Evelyne doesn’t know much about David other than he is sketchy and always seems to turn up wherever she is. She hopes that they will stay out of each other’s way until she finds out that David has been tasked to find the mole that has been selling government secrets to Britain’s enemies. Evelyne feels that their missions are connected and begrudgingly agrees to team up with David. Will the pair be able to find out who is behind the murder? 

I thought the book was an interesting read but it wasn’t as enjoyable to me as I would have expected. It took me a bit of time to get into the author’s writing style. I found myself going back and rereading the same thing over again because I couldn’t grasp what the author was trying to communicate. There was also a large cast of people that it was difficult to keep everyone’s motive and story straight. It felt like tons of information was given about minor characters who didn’t really add anything to the story. Then at other times, I feel like we didn’t really get to know many of the characters other than their basic cursory backgrounds.

I felt at times the pacing was a bit off. The book was boring and plodded along slowly towards the middle and the ending came out of nowhere. It felt a bit unexpected on how the book ended but not unpredictable. I did find it odd that the only qualification that Evelyne had to solve the murder was that she was a fan of murder mystery novels. She had one job prior to being a secretary, and she had minimal office experience. I can understand her being considered clever but there weren't really any facts or reason to back that up. I didn’t like that the author made it seem that she knew more than other people because she was an amateur sleuth that liked murder mysteries. If you like cozy mystery reads, then this book might be enjoyable to you.  I would be open to read more books from the series but I wouldn’t go out of my way to find or read it.

Book Review - The Changing Man by Tomi Oyemakinde

  

The Changing Man by Tomi Oyemakinde is about a young woman, Ife Adebola, who is trying to adjust to her new school. Ife knows she should be excited about starting at the prestigious Nithercott School. However, she misses her old friends and school. She felt like she used to belong at her old school but at her new school she feels like an outsider.

As her parents couldn’t afford the tuition on their own, she is placed in the Urban Achievers scholarship program. She feels that this makes her an outsider and she is determined to focus on her schoolwork. However, when another student, Malika, starts acting strange, Ife wonders if there is more going on at the school. She wonders if Malika’s new behavior is related to the disappearance of the older brother of her classmate.

I love horror and mystery books, so I was so excited to read this book. The cover had a lot of spooky vibes.  However, I had a hard time getting into the book. The writing didn’t flow very smoothly for me. It also felt forced and disjointed. I had a hard time liking Ife. She was struggling to make friends but, when someone was interested in being her friend, Ife just used her when it was convenient. For example, she was only interested in talking to one girl, Bee, because Ife wanted to use Bee’s phone. I felt that there were also a lot of characters and it was hard to keep track of them all. It was a cumbersome process to remember how they all related to the plot. The book was so slow that nothing happened for more than half of the book. I stopped reading towards the midpoint as there wasn’t anything keeping me tethered to the novel.

 

Book Review - Mercury by Amy Jo Burns

 

 

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is about seventeen year old Marley West, who is trying to find a place to belong. In 1990, Marley and her mother arrived in the small river valley town of Mercury, Pennsylvania. Marley and her mother are constantly moving city to city looking for work. Marley felt like a loner and is looking for a community and a place to belong.

When Marley arrives at Mercury, she sees three men on top of a roof. She isn’t able to make out who the men were as only their silhouettes were visible from the sun. Later, when Marley decides to watch a local baseball game, she runs into one of the Joseph brothers and is later introduced to the rest of the family.

Marley receives an invitation to join the Joseph family for dinner and eventually leads to a standing invite. It started as a simple dinner but it led Marley to be intertwined with the entire Joseph family and eventually she married into the family. Marley finds the connection and family that she has been searching for but, she realizes that it comes at a steep cost.

I thought the book was a dull read. I thought there was going to be a mystery around the dead body but it wasn’t until almost halfway into the book that it was even mentioned. I felt like there wasn’t much going on in the book and a lot of the drama was just drummed up or exaggerated to make it seem like more was going on. I didn’t understand what the point of the book was. Was it to show how consuming a small business is? Or should we be careful about what we wish for? 

While the plot was moving as slow as molasses, I didn’t find any of the characters to be enjoyable. I found it weird that Marley wants a family of her own, when she is barely an adult and has a very supportive mother. Instead, she jumps headfirst into building connections with a highly dysfunctional family and continues to stay with them even though she has her reservations about them.  No one from the Joseph family seemed remotely interesting. Elise Joseph, the mother, seemed to be welcoming, but then cold at times. I wish we were given more information on her behaviors along with the other members of the family. The entire family just seemed selfish and unbalanced. Readers who enjoy reading about people’s everyday lives and family drama, might find this more entertaining than I did.

 

Book Review - The Fury by Alex Michaelides

 

 The Fury by Alex Michaelides is about the murder of a famous movie star, Lana Farrar, and its aftermath.  Lana is feeling a bit under the weather after being surrounded by the dreary rainy weather in London. To escape the weather, she decides to invite her friends, Kate and Elliot, to spend Easter with her and her family on her private Greek Island.

Lana and her friends are settling into the island when news of an incoming storm hits. While the island is being buffeted by high winds and rain, Lana’s body is discovered. Everyone is worried that someone else has snuck on the island and that they might be the next target. However, when it becomes clear that the murderer is someone they might know, will anyone be safe?

I loved the book Silent Patient by the author and have also read his other book, The Maidens. However, I am starting to feel that the author is a one hit wonder. The story was told from a protagonist, Elliot Chase, who breaks the fourth wall. He invites us to sit with him at a bar to share the story of how his friend, Lana, gets murdered.

At first, it was interesting listening to Elliot describe the events that lead to murder and the murder. However, after a while it got tiresome. He jumps around in his narration and fills it with pointless details. He would constantly dangle the proverbial carrot in front of us teasing juicy details, but they led nowhere.

The book plods along slowly with barely enough action to keep you interested. The twists are seen a mile away and are very predictable. The ending was disappointing. I was expecting to have my socks blown off after sloughing through the boring narration. All I was left wondering was, “Is that it”?  The characters themselves are insufferable and I didn’t care for any of them. After reading two disappointing books by the author, I am in no rush to read another one of his books.

 

Book Review: Twin Sisters Livingston and the Mystery at Madame Molineaux's by Mary Knight

Twin Sisters Livingston and the Mystery at Madame Molineaux's by Mary Knight is about two sisters, Maddie and Jo Livingston, who discover something is amiss at their new boarding school, Madame Molineaux's. The twelve year old twins have spent most of their lives traveling the world with their famous archaeologist parents. However, when their parents take on a new assignment in Siberia, they decide to leave the girls at a new boarding school in Switzerland. The girls are disappointed that they can’t join their parents but they are excited that their new school is in a castle.

The school is filled with students and professors from all over the world. Shortly after arriving at the school, the girls realize that the school is unlike anything they have ever seen. Not only are the residents interesting but the school is filled with secret tunnels, weird hybrid animals, and tapestries that are hidden under artwork. Maddie and Jo are excited to try and figure out all the mysteries the school contains while they wait for their parents to return.

I was excited to read the novel because I love mysteries. However, I was thoroughly disappointed at how boring and unnecessarily long the novel was. The book clocked in at a little under 450 pages but nothing happened for more than 400 pages. I was more than 95% done before I stopped reading the novel because we learned nothing after 400 pages other than something is happening but we don’t know what, who, or why.  There was nothing keeping me tethered to the novel to continue reading the last few pages. I am very surprised that this book was targeted towards middle school aged readers as it is a hefty read without any humor or engaging plot to keep young readers entertained. 

Book Review - Frozen Peaches: The Great Peach Experiment by Erin Soderberg Downing

 

Frozen Peaches: The Great Peach Experiment by Erin Soderberg Downing is about the Peach family winning a trip to the world famous Ice Hotel. While the family are eating breakfast, Freddy makes an announcement to his father and siblings. He hints that the announcement is life changing and exciting. His family is used to Freddy making random announcements that are a bit overdramatized and not really life changing at all. After a few minutes of being ignored, Freddy decides to tell them the great news.

Freddy tells his family that they won an all expense paid trip to Sweden to learn more about the Ice Hotel. When they arrived at the hotel, they met the other sweepstakes winners. As part of the contest prize, the winners will get to participate in the hotel’s Frozen Olympics to win their very own ice hotel.  The siblings are excited to learn more about the Ice Hotel and win their very own one.

The novel is the third book in the series but could be read as a standalone. This was the first book I’ve read in the series and I was able to follow along with the story. There were a few references to previous storylines but it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the book. I found the book to be a quick and fun read. I feel that young readers would enjoy reading this story. The book included drawings that were made by Freddy but while cute I didn’t really think they added much to the story. The book also included a short author’s note explaining her inspiration for the book. I would have enjoyed the book a bit more if it had a bit more humor though. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets by Kyo Maclear

 

 

Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets by Kyo Maclear is about a woman who finds out the man who raised her was not her biological dad. In December 2018, three months after her father’s death, Kyo receives DNA results that shows that someone else is her biological dad. Kyo feels completely unmoored by the discovery and feels her life is unraveling. She starts to question her entire identity. 

Kyo decides to try and figure out who her father is. She tries to get her mother to open up and tell her the truth. However, Kyo finds that her mother is not forthcoming even though her mother is dying of cancer.

I was excited to read the book but my interest started to wane at many points of the story. I found it confusing when the author would jump back and forth in the book. It was hard to keep track of the events and felt the book was all over the place. I also found the book to be overly wordy and boring. It would be too descriptive on certain events and it was exhausting to read after a while. The author would repeat some of the same ideas several times. I thought the book would reveal a bunch of family secrets and have many twists but the main secret was her biological father was kept a secret from her.

I was more than 90% finished with the book before I decided that it was too boring to continue. I didn’t understand the connection that the author was trying to make with her relationships with her love for plants to her relationship with her family. I am sure a general connection could be said of any relationship. Overall, I am very disappointed in the book.

 

Book Review - The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning

 

 

The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning is about a young woman, Alexandra, who is trying to find out the truth about her family’s past. In 1939, a young Jewish European refugee named Romy escaped to Shanghai with her family to escape from the growing Nazi influence. While Romy and her family try to acclimate to their new surroundings, Romy befriends her neighbor’s daughter, Li. The pair and their families become close friends and inseparable. However, Shanghai isn’t invisible to the terrors of World War II and its destruction comes to their little corner of the world.  After a devastating act of violence, Li and Romy find their friendship violently torn apart.

In 2016, Alexandra decided to leave her home in London to Australia after experiencing a bad breakup. She decides that spending time with her grandparents, Romy and Wilhelm, would be good for her soul and to help mend her broken heart. Alexandra wants to spend time with her grandparents as her grandfather wasn’t doing too well over the past week. Her grandmother fears that his death might be imminent.

While going in and out of consciousness, Wilhelm lets a secret drop from his past. Alexandra is desperate to learn how it fits into her own past and history. She knows that her mother had struggled in life because she didn’t know her own history of her adoption. Alexandra is determined to find out the truth about her family’s past, so she decides to fly to Shanghai and try to trace her grandparents' past.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the novel. The book was a long read but I enjoyed most parts of the book. I did wish at times that the story would pick up pacing wise. The book did go into a lot of details that I thought could have been cut down a bit.  It was told from alternating timelines and narrators. I loved reading about Romy and her time in Shanghai. I felt that those were the best part of the book. I was disappointed that it took Romy so long before she told Alex the truth. I felt that this could have been done earlier instead of drawing it out. I would be open to reading more books by this author.

 

Book Review - The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James

 

The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James is about a young woman, Silvia Whitford, who reconnects with her estranged aunt, Gabriella Conti. In 1965, Silvia left behind Los Angeles and traveled to Rome’s famed Cinecittà Studios for a supporting role in a movie. Silvia hopes that this would be her big break and she would be able to save enough money to support her young daughter, Lulu, and her ailing mother.

She is disappointed to learn that production of the movie that she was casted in was canceled. Silvia is desperate for money and doesn’t have much left before she and her family are put out of the hotel they’re staying in. Silvia is ashamed to tell her mother the news and how dire their situation is. She decides that she will reach out to her estranged Italian Aunt Gabriella and ask for help. Silvia is nervous because she has never met her aunt and she knows that her mother and aunt do not get along. When Silvia brings up her aunt, her mother clams up and never explains what drove them apart.

Gabriella Conti lives in a crumbling massive castello near the edge of a volcanic lake. Silvia is hesitant to reach out because of the feud between the two sisters but she finds herself entranced by her aunt. Gabriella was once a charismatic and famous actress. However, Silvia finds it curious that her aunt never leaves the castle, and that the townspeople do not get along with her nor do they ever see Gabriella.  Gabrielle is a woman shrouded in an air of mystery.

As Silvia tours the castle, she is both fascinated with it and terrified of the castle. Especially when Gabriella mentions that there is a ghost haunting the grounds. However, when Silvia gets a second chance to star in a new movie called The Revenge of the Lake Witch, she will need to convince  Gabriella to allow the movie crew to use her castle to film the movie.

Silvia is the main lead in the movie. She is playing an ingenue that is tormented and haunted by the ghost of her beautiful and seductive ancestor. Silvia thought she would be able to reconnect with her aunt when she wasn’t filming. However, Gabriella vanishes and Silvia believes that someone or something is the cause of her aunt’s disappearance. To make matters worse, Silvia is seeing signs that something is amiss and things are happening that makes her believe that person won’t stop at nothing to prevent Silvia from finding her aunt. When Silvia tries to get help to search for her aunt, no one believes her. Even Silvia starts to question her own judgment. Will she be able to figure out what happened to her before it’s too late?

The novel was a cozy read. It felt boring at times because nothing much was happening. I found the ending and the twists to be predictable. I thought the book was going to have a lot more mysterious and spooky elements. There were a few plot points in the book that could be perceived to add excitement to the book but they turned out to be nothing. For example, it was unclear why Silvia thought for certain another female actor was out to get rid of Silvia but there was no evidence of that. It was a bit annoying that Silvia did this several times throughout the story. I didn’t care for any of the main characters because they felt boring and one - dimensional.  Silvia was selfish and unlikeable as a character because of her penchant to overreact and assume the worst without any evidence.  The book is billed as a thriller but it was more of a cozy mystery. I would be open to reading more books by the author but I wouldn’t go out of my way to find her books.       

Book Review - The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

 

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova is about a family trying to live with the actions of their matriarch, Orquídea Divina. The Montoya family is used to having to go through life without any explanations from their matriarch. They know better than to ask Orquídea why even though she never leaves her home at Four Rivers, her supplies never seem to run out.

Orquídea sends her family an invitation to her “funeral” with strict instructions they must follow if they want to collect their inheritance. The family is confused because they didn’t know that she was ill or on her deathbed. Reluctantly, the family travels to Four Rivers in hopes to learn the secrets that Orquídea has kept closely guarded their entire lives. When everyone gathers, Orquídea mentions that everyone would be given an inheritance that they must protect and it will protect them in return. Instead of explaining more about her past or the inheritance, Orquídea turns into a ceiba tree, leaving the family to find answers  for themselves.

The gifts that her family members Marimar, Rey, and Rhiannon received from Orquídea seven years prior, all have manifested differently for them. Some of them were given special blessings or powers that they can wield. As they try to understand their budding powers, a mysterious figure that Orquídea has warned them about has started to hunt them down. The trio is desperate to save the rest of their remaining family and travel back to Ecuador, where Orquídea hailed from. They hope that they can understand more about their inheritance and why Orquídea fled from Ecuador and never returned.

The book is told from alternating points of views and timelines. It was confusing to keep track of the different characters as there were quite many of them.  I didn’t really like any of the characters and it was hard to remember how they each related to the story. Then there were characters that had many pages dedicated to them but didn’t serve any purpose to the main story.  The characters felt flat and bland. I wish they were fleshed out a bit more.

The story would jump from the past to the present. I found myself drawn more to Orquídea’s past than the current timeline. I thought it was more interesting and wished that the entire book just contained her life story as it was very interesting to me. 

The novel took a bit for me to get into. There would be pages and pages where nothing was happening. I didn’t care for the writing style as it seemed overly wordy and at times I would have to reread the same sentence a few times to understand what the author was trying to portray. I felt like the book was trying too hard and it fell flat for me. I wish the author spent more time explaining some of the magical elements. Instead, we were just told that the magical elements just exist with no further explanation. I can understand why some people would enjoy the book but it wasn’t for me.

Book Review - ChupaCarter by George Lopez

 

ChupaCarter  by George Lopez is about a lonely boy named Jorge, who meets and befriends a magical creature named Carter. Twelve year old Jorge is upset that he is shipped off to live with his grandparents after an incident at school. His mom feels that she isn’t able to control him nor give him the discipline and structure he needs. Jorge struggles with containing his emotions and often loses his temper.

During his first day at the new school, things didn't go well either. He catches the attention of school bullies and an aggressive principal who likes hunting animals. They both have it out for Jorge after he stands up for a bullied classmate. The principal feels that there is something that Jorge is hiding. Jorge is desperate for a friend to have in his corner and to feel less lonely. 

Jorge was hanging out on his grandparents’ roof when he noticed someone or something hanging around in the trees. The next day his stash of junk food is depleted. Jorge decides to follow the trail of empty food wrappers and comes across a scary looking monster called chupacabra. Chupacabras are well known for their bloodthirst and the slaughtering of livestock. However, Carter is nothing like the lore. He is friendly, kind, and a good listener. Jorge is so excited to have a friend that he doesn’t even mind that Carter is a mythical creature because he feels that he is a good being. Not everyone feels the same way when some local cattle are slaughtered. Will Jorge be able to prove Carter’s innocence? 

I have read a few books by the co-author, Ryan Calejo, and have enjoyed his books. I am familiar with George Lopez and have enjoyed watching his shows. The novel was a quick and easy read. It had black and white illustrations and some funny moments. I did wish it had a little bit of humor that George and Ryan are known for. The book did have some Spanish words that were a nice inclusion for young readers to pick up a new language. I would read more books by the authors and thought this was an interesting collaboration.

Book Review - All Eyes on Her by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

 

All Eyes on Her by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn is about Abby, a teenager accused of murdering her boyfriend, Mark. Abby and Mark’s story is a love story like any other teenage romance. Mark is a college student who swims competitively. He falls head over heels for Abby, a high schooler with a notorious reputation. Their relationship seems perfect at the beginning, but then the cracks begin to show. However, can the imperfections in their relationship justify the death of one of them? 

The pair go hiking into the woods to have a picnic near an iconic cliff. However, only Abby emerges from the woods claiming that Mark accidentally fell off the cliff to his death. Many people believe that Abby maliciously pushed Mark, while others believe that Mark got what he deserved. 

The novel is told from multiple points of view except from Abby’s. It was interesting to see how she and Mark were portrayed by their friends and family.  I wonder if this was a social commentary on the part of the author, in that when something horrendous occurs, your voice really does not matter because everyone else has already formed an opinion about what happened. I liked trying to piece together the clues that each narrator shared and tried to figure out what happened on that fateful day. However, the novel moved very slowly and it got boring because no new clues or developments were added. I was disappointed that the ending didn’t prove to be a satisfying ending to me because it leaves more questions than answers.

Book Review - The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen

 

 

The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen is about a young couple who falls in love. In 1851, Mad Lasse was a Lutheran minister in a remote town located on the Scandinavian tundra. Mad Lasse is trying to convert the native Sami reindeer herders to his faith. He is having a hard time with his mission as most of the natives are staying true to their pagan beliefs.

Things change when Bietter, a shaman from the native religion and a well respected herder, has a dramatic awakening and converts to a Lutheran. He leaves his son, Ivvar, to watch over their dwindling herd while Bietter spends his time with Mad Lasse to learn more about the religion. Ivvar is annoyed that his father abandoned his herding and religion so easily. Ivvar heads to the city to purchase liquor when he crosses paths with Mad Lasse’s daughter, Willa. He finds that he enjoys her company and is excited to see her in the town. Will Ivvar’s infatuation with the preacher’s daughter allow him to be more accepting of his father’s conversion?

This book was a disappointing and dull read. I picked the book because I liked the cover but that was the only thing I liked about the book. The summary of the book was a bit deceptive because the story was told from alternating points of views and there were several main characters in the story. The book was focused on at least 6 characters and described how they all related to each other.

I found the book to be confusing as the narrator would switch between the many different characters in the middle of a paragraph without making it clear that a new person is narrating. The author had a lot of long run-on sentences that were confusing and unclear what they were trying to communicate. I felt that the novel was boring and nothing happened for pages at a time. I read more than one fourth of the novel but the story didn’t progress at all. The only benefit I got from reading this book is that it cured my insomnia.

Book Review - Easy Beauty by Chloé Cooper Jones

 

 

 

 

Easy Beauty by Chloé Cooper Jones is a memoir about a woman’s journey through life in a body that looks different than what society considers normal. Chloe was born with a rare congenital condition called sacral agenesis. It affects her gait and stature which causes her to be in pain frequently. She learned a technique called “pain calculations”, that she takes into consideration for every plan and situations she is in to handle and deal with the pain.

Physical pain isn’t the only type of pain that Chloe has to deal with on a daily basis. She has to deal with the pain of being judged, pitied, or considered less than because of her medical condition. The way society has judged her by just her appearance, without getting to know her, has impacted her view  of reality. She tried to excel in her academic career and retreated to a “neutral room in her mind”, where she can ignore an uncomfortable situation until it has passed.

When she was first diagnosed with her condition, she was told that she wouldn’t be able to become pregnant.  Chloe unexpectedly becomes a mother even though she was told that it wasn’t possible. When she became a mother, her perception of life shifted. She felt that she should no longer be limited or denied things because of how she looks. Chloe decided to travel the globe in hopes of reclaiming her space.

I normally don’t read a lot of memoirs but I have been trying to expand my normal reading preferences. The memoir started off interesting but I started losing interest towards the halfway mark and then stopped reading when I was ten pages away from finishing the book. The author kept jumping back and forth between the present and past that I was having trouble keeping the plot points straight. She would then weave a story while talking about the present but then jump to another subject that I failed to see how the two things were connected. It felt like a random and jumble stream of consciousness.

The author wove a lot of academic references and stories when talking about her experiences. The first few times, I thought it was interesting but then it started feeling like I was reading a term paper. Chloe seems upset and angry when describing her interactions with people and the world. I really do feel for her and got upset on her behalf at how she was treated, like a small child or as someone who didn’t know any better.  However, it got tiring to read that after a while. It was too depressing and I wanted some happy moments where she felt happy and enjoyed life. I wish she went into a bit more detail about her medical diagnosis. Instead, I felt like she mentioned her condition and expected readers to know what it was and how it affects people.

 

Book Review - Unknown Threat by Lynn Blackburn

 

 

Unknown Threat by Lynn Blackburn is about two U.S. Secret Service agents who are racing against the clock to find out who is murdering their fellow agents.  US Secret Service Special Agent Luke Powell was on a run with a colleague when they were attacked. Luke barely made it out alive and his partner is in critical care.  Luke’s attack has been one in a series of attacks against his colleagues. In the past ten weeks, three of his fellow agents had died in unusual circumstances. 

Luke is shattered by the death and loss of his friends. He feels that it’s his personal mission to find the killer and find justice for his colleagues.  Luke feels helpless that he can’t protect the people he loves, especially since they are good people who have spent their lives protecting others.

FBI Special Agent Faith Malone is driven and ambitious. She is confident that she will solve every case that she is assigned. However, when she is put in charge of the investigation of the attacks on Secret Service agents, she is worried that as she and Luke get to know each other on professional and personal levels, it raises stakes higher than any of her previous cases.

Faith and Luke have worked together before but he doesn’t feel that Faith is the right person for the job. He feels that his department should be handling the investigation since the attacks seem to be targeting his team. Faith feels that Luke is hiding secrets that could jeopardize the investigation and cause more people to get hurt. As more people they love are targeted, will Faith and Luke be able to put their disagreements aside and work together?

The book was a quick read. It was interesting to try and guess who the killer was and their motives behind the attacks. There weren't many clues and the story did feel slow at times. However, the ending seemed a bit weird to me and I thought the motive was a bit far-fetched. The romance element between the two characters felt a bit flat. There wasn’t much chemistry or cute moments between the two characters. I might read a few more books by this author but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get them.

 

Book Review - Dominicana by Angie Cruz

 

Dominicana by Angie Cruz is about a teenager named Ana Cancion who moves to America with her husband from the Dominican Republic. Fifteen year old Ana never imagined that she would be going to America. She thought she would spend her entire life in the Dominican countryside. However, when Juan Ruiz proposes to her, her entire life changes. He is twice her age and she doesn’t love him but she is excited about the opportunity to go to America. She knows that it is an opportunity for her family to eventually immigrate over and it’s an opportunity that many people wish they had but might never get.

In 1965, on New Year’s Day, Ana packs up her belongings and leaves everything she knows behind. In New York City, she becomes Ana Ruiz. She spends most of her time in their apartment and the rest of the time is spent taking care of Juan and his younger brother, Cesar. Ana is miserable and isolated with her new life as her new husband turns out to be abusive towards her. She decides to run away and hatches a plan to escape. However, while at the bus terminal, she crosses paths with Cesar and he convinces her to stay.

Juan has to return back to the Dominican Republic as the country is in political turmoil. He needs to secure their family assets and ensure that their restaurant business is coming along okay. Juan leaves Ana behind and asks Cesar to watch over her. 

Ana is overwhelmed and excited by her new freedom.  She can finally do whatever she wants without having to worry about Juan. She can take English lessons, spend time exploring the city, go dancing with Cesar, watch movies and have her own food and clothing repair business. Ana finds that she is finally enjoying her life in America. However, when Juan returns unexpectedly, Ana is torn. Will she  give up her newly found freedom or stay with Juan so her family can have a better life?

The book is an entertaining read. The writing style was easy to read and flowed smoothly. The book was slow during some parts and nothing was happening for quite a bit. The story reminds me of many stories I heard of immigrant families sacrificing to have the opportunity to come to America.

I was saddened to see how trapped Ana must have felt because she had to deal with an abusive husband and then a family who was expecting her to lift them out of poverty. Many times she had to put other people’s happiness before her own. I enjoyed the parts of the story where she was able to find bits of happiness for herself; even if the way she went about it wasn’t the best idea.

The novel is narrated by both Ana and Juan. I thought both perspectives were engaging but I didn’t think it was important or necessary to include Juan’s story. It was interesting to read about his perspective but his story didn’t add much to the main story line as he mostly muses about his love for another married woman. It could have been left out and I wouldn’t have missed it. Perhaps, if his chapters talked about Ana and how he felt towards her, it would have added more to the story. The majority of the novel is narrated by Ana, and Juan’s chapters were a small part of the book. If you like reading stories about women finding their voices, then you might enjoy this book.

Book Review - The Plot - The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 by Michael Moreci

 

The Plot - The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 by Michael Moreci is about a man, Chase Blaine, who tried running from his family’s past. Chase wanted nothing to do with his family and their wealth. He wanted to live his own life without the weight of his family’s name burdening him. 

When his estranged older brother and sister in law unexpectedly dies, he has no choice but to come back home. He is the only living relative and becomes the guardian of his niece and nephew, MacKenzie and Zach. He decides to move them back to his childhood home in Cape Augusta. He doesn’t have enough space in his current apartment and he doesn’t want the children to live in the home where their parents were killed. Their ancestral home has been in the family for decades and is built on a remote and vast bogland. The home is filled with family secrets  that won’t stay buried forever.

The graphic novel was beautifully illustrated with dark and gloomy colors. The story behind the house and the family’s past was interesting but I felt like I was left with more questions than answers. I felt that the graphic novel hinted at a lot of mysteries and devious things but never actually spent any time explaining it.  I do wish that there was more plot and explanations in the first volume because I can see readers abandoning the series because there wasn’t a lot to keep them hooked. I am open to reading the next volume to see what happens next but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.

Book Review - Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig

 

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig is about a woman pirate, Shek Yeung, seeing her pirate husband, Cheng Yat, die. It’s also about her journey afterwards. Shek Yeung and her husband board a Portuguese ship in hopes that they can claim the ship and crew as their own, to add to their numbers. When they board the ship, they end up in an all out combat with the Portuguese who seem to know that Shek and Cheng were going to attack them.

During the battle, the Portuguese are seen as a worthy enemy in battle and Cheng Yat dies in combat. Shek Yeung knows that she will need to act swiftly to save herself and the rest of her pirate crew. As she and the rest of the crew retreat, she decides that she doesn’t have time to mourn the death of her husband and that her wellbeing is hanging by a thread because she is a woman pirate leader. When her husband was alive, they worked well together as “muscle” and “strategist” but now that he’s gone, she fears the crew will not want her in a leadership role.

She decides that she will marry her husband’s second in command, Cheng Po, and will bear him a son and heir, so she can keep her half of the fleet. Shek Yeung is desperate for the power she has after spending so much of her life not having control over anything, including her life.

Shek Yeung wants to maintain control over the fleet because she knows that she has what they need to survive. She also knows that she would need to be cooperative with the other leaders of the pirate alliance if she wants them to survive as she fears there is a larger threat coming for them. 

The Chinese Emperor in the Qing Dynasty has launched an all out war against the pirates. The Europeans are tired of losing ships, money, and men to the pirates and join forces with the Chinese to help destroy the pirates. As they are being hunted by a crafty enemy, Shek Yeung fears that the enemy might be closer to home. To compound on her worries, Shek Yeung has to navigate motherhood while dealing with a new crisis from every side.

I was super excited to read this book because I thought it was going to be an action packed read. I remember reading about a powerful Chinese female pirate named Zheng Yi Sao. However, I was quickly disappointed because the writing flowed smoothly but it was very clinical and boring. The author mostly spent time talking about politics than spending any time writing and describing the fight scenes. Most of the fight scenes lasted only a few sentences which wasn’t enough to immerse the reader in the high octane pirating lifestyle. I feel like the book is more of an artistic portrayal of the life and struggles of Shek Yeung. 

The book was billed as a “fantasy” and “historical fantasy” novel but there were barely any fantasy elements in the novel. The book was narrated mostly by Shek Yeung and it had stories of Ma Tsu/Ma Zou, the sea goddess weaved in between the chapters. The  Ma Tsu stories were interesting and had similar themes to issues that Shek Yeung was facing but Ma Tsu never herself made an entrance to the story. I feel that the author including snippets of mythology wasn’t enough to consider this novel a fantasy novel. The story did have one character that could read the fortune of other characters but I still don’t think that there are enough “fantasy” elements. 

I did enjoy seeing Shek Yeung’s evolution from a sea loving wild child to being trapped on a flower ship to a pirate wife and then finally a fearless leader. It was interesting reading about some of her inner turmoil and her reasoning behind her decisions. If you like historical fantasy novels that are more about politics, then you might enjoy this book.

Book Review - Ashton Hall by Lauren Belfer

 

Ashton Hall by Lauren Belfer is about an American woman named Hannah Larson and her son, Nicky, finding buried secrets in an old English manor. Hannah and Nicky travel to Ashton Hall, a historic manor house outside Cambridge, England to stay with an ailing relative, who lives there. 

Hannah has given up her academic career to raise her son, who is neurodivergent and experiences the world differently. She is glad for the respite as she left her husband back in New York City. She is afraid what her next steps would be in her marriage after witnessing her husband commit a devastating act of adultery with someone else.

When the pair arrive at the manor, Hannah allows Nicky the freedom to explore the manor unsupervised. Nicky is good at noticing patterns and he was able to find a secret door hidden in the wallpaper. The door leads to a closed off wing and there Nicky finds the skeletal remains of a woman.

Hannah finds herself drawn to this mysterious woman’s story. She and another fellow researcher from the manor dig through personal papers and centuries old ledgers to piece together what happened to the corpse they discovered. As Hannah works to find out the truth, she finds her own life slowly unraveling.

I thought this was going to be a thriller or murder mystery novel as it was classified as a gothic mystery. Instead it was a boring and pointless book. The author goes into such mundane details about everything, that I found myself lulled to sleep while reading. The author would go into detail about what the person read or packed for lunch. However, even though we are given so many pointless details about everything else, we still don’t know what really happened to the dead woman. I think the book is more a research piece on how people lived back in that time period than anything else. 

I also didn’t care for any of the characters. Hannah spent so much time complaining about her husband’s affair and then dealing with his reaction to her confronting him.  Her son was also an unlikeable character. He gets violent to the point where Hannah fears for her safety and locks him in his room at night. She worries if she should tell others but never gives them any warning about his violent tendencies. If this book was billed as women’s contemporary fiction, I wouldn’t have been so disappointed.