Book Review - The Selkie's Daughter by Linda Crotta Brennan + Giveaway

 

The Selkie's Daughter by Linda Crotta Brennan is about a young girl named Brigit who tries to come to terms with being both human and a selkie. Brigit has heard of all the old tales about selkies, sea goddesses, and other magical creatures that are not quite. She should feel proud that she is the daughter of a selkie but she knows it’s a secret she has to keep from everyone. Her aunt, Alys, cuts the webbing between her fingers to help the truth from coming out and to keep Brigit safe from other people.

As Brigit and her family try to keep her secret, a villager has been hurting baby seals and selling their fur. When the Great Selkie hears of this, he brings his wrath to the village.  Brigit decides to travel to Sule Skerrie, the land of selkies, to confront the Great Selkie about the truth. Brigit feels that only the guilt party should be punished and not everyone in the village.

I thought the book was an interesting read. It was a quick and straightforward read with not many twists or turns. I do wish it had a bit more humor to the story. I did enjoy reading about the lore about the selkie and the Sule Skerrie. The author included a snippet of selkie lore at the beginning of each chapter but I wish it was made like a fun fact about selkies. Instead it was a poem, I would have preferred more story based like a snippet of a folklore, song, or myths. The book was a fun read overall and I would be open to reading more books by the author.

About The Book:

Title: THE SELKIE'S DAUGHTER

Author: Linda Crotta Brennan

Pub. Date: January 2, 2024

Publisher: Holiday House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 208

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/THE-SELKIES-DAUGHTER

A cozy, richly imagined fantasy where a young selkie girl must save her family from a vengeful king.

Brigit knows all the old fisherman songs and legends by heart: sea goddess, warriors, and people who are not quite human. But Brigit also knows the truth. It’s evident in the webbing between her fingers–webbing that must be cut. She’s the daughter of a selkie. A truth she must keep secret from everyone.

But there is another secret growing in the village. A terrible one that will invite the wrath of the Great Selkie, bringing storm, sickness, and death. To protect those she loves, Brigit must find a way to Sule Skerrie, the land of selkies, to confront the Great Selkie and bring the truth—all of it—into the light.

Like sitting by a warm fireplace, The Selkie’s Daughter is an imaginative fantasy, steeped in Celtic mythology and set in Nova Scotia. Debut Linda Crotta Brennan has crafted a magical portrait of a brave girl coming into her own. Perfect for fans of mermaids and Studio Ghibli-esque stories.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

 

About Linda Crotta Brennan:

Linda Crotta Brennan is the author of many picture books, including When Rivers Burned, named a Notable Social Studies Trade Book by the CBC and NCSS and an Outstanding Science Trade Book by the NSTA and CBC. She holds a master's degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked as an instructor for the Institute of Children's Literature. Linda is an active member of SCBWI. The Selkie’s Daughter is her debut novel. She lives in New England.

 

Website | Twitter (X) | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE SELKIE'S DAUGHTER, US Only.

Ends January 31st, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/15/2024	Kountry Girl Bookaholic	Excerpt/IG Post
1/15/2024	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
1/16/2024	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt/IG Post
1/16/2024	Lady Hawkeye	Excerpt/IG Post
1/17/2024	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt/IG Post
1/17/2024	@dharashahauthor	IG Post/TikTok Post
1/18/2024	GryffindorBookishNerd	Review/IG Post
1/18/2024	Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's	Review/IG Post
1/19/2024	@anitralovesbooksanddogs	IG Review
1/19/2024	The Momma Spot	Review

Week Two:

1/22/2024	FUONLYKNEW	Excerpt
1/22/2024	Jaimes_mystical_library	IG Review
1/23/2024	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post
1/23/2024	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post
1/24/2024	@froggyreadteach	IG Review
1/24/2024	Lisa-Queen of Random	Review/IG Post
1/25/2024	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
1/25/2024	Confessions of the Perfect Mom	Review/IG Post
1/26/2024	two points of interest	Review
1/26/2024	@enthuse_reader	IG Review/TikTok Post

Book Spotlight - Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell + Giveaway

 

About The Book:

Title: LIGHT AND AIR

Author: Mindy Nichols Wendell

Pub. Date: January 2, 2024

Publisher: Holiday House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 218

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/LIGHT-AND-AIR 

It's 1935, and tuberculosis is ravaging the nation. Everyone is afraid of this deadly respiratory illness. But what happens when you actually have it?

When Halle and her mother both come down with TB, they are shunned—and then they are sent to the J.N. Adam Tuberculosis Hospital: far from home, far from family, far from the world.

Tucked away in the woods of upstate New York, the hospital is a closed and quiet place. But it is not, Halle learns, a prison. Free of her worried and difficult father for the first time in her life, she slowly discovers joy, family, and the healing power of honey on the children's ward, where the girls on the floor become her confidantes and sisters. But when Mama suffers a lung hemorrhage, their entire future—and recovery—is thrown into question....

Light and Air deals tenderly and insightfully with isolation, quarantine, found family, and illness. Set in the fully realized world of a 1930s hospital, it offers a tender glimpse into a historical epidemic that has become more relatable than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Halle tries to warm her father’s coldness and learns to trust the girls and women of the hospital, and as she and her mother battle a disease that once paralyzed the country, a profound message of strength, hope, and healing emerges.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

 

About Mindy Nichols Wendell:

Mindy Nichols Wendell taught writing and pedagogy at SUNY Fredonia for many years, where she served as the Director of the Composition Program. In 2019, she received the prestigious State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Mindy lives in Western New York with her husband, Steve, a retired teacher. She is located not far from the ruins of the J. N. Adam Tuberculosis Hospital, the inspiration for LIGHT AND AIR.

 

Website | Twitter (X) | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of LIGHT AND AIR, US Only.

Ends January 31st, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/15/2024	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt/IG Post
1/15/2024	Lady Hawkeye	Excerpt/IG Post
1/16/2024	Kountry Girl Bookaholic	Excerpt/IG Post
1/16/2024	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
1/17/2024	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt/IG Post
1/17/2024	Fyrekatz Blog	Review
1/18/2024	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post
1/18/2024	@anitralovesbooksanddogs	IG Review
1/19/2024	Avainbookland	IG Review
1/19/2024	Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

1/22/2024	@enthuse_reader	IG Review/TikTok Post
1/22/2024	NewBookCatsREADS	Review/IG Post
1/23/2024	100 Pages A Day	Review/IG Post
1/23/2024	Lisa-Queen of Random	Review/IG Post
1/24/2024	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
1/24/2024	Confessions of the Perfect Mom	Review/IG Post
1/25/2024	FUONLYKNEW	Excerpt
1/25/2024	two points of interest	Review
1/26/2024	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post
1/26/2024	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post

Book Review - The Valley by John Renehan

The Valley by John Renehan is about an army Lieutenant traveling deep into the valley to investigate a complaint. Black is a deskbound admin officer that is sent up to the valley to investigate a warning shot that was fired by a platoon in a neighboring village. He doesn’t look forward to the task and feels that it is insulting that he was assigned to it. He feels that it's another disappointment in his Army career. As Black travels to the valley, he isn’t aware that his report can determine the fate of the fragile relationship between the Army and the residents of the valley.

When I picked this book, I picked it solely on the cover without ever reading the book summary. After reading this novel, I think I should be more selective when picking books by the cover. The novel started off a bit slowly but then got confusing. The author included a lot of technical military terms that I wasn’t familiar with. The author didn’t spend any time explaining some of what the terms meant. At times, I was confused about what was going on in the story. I felt like I was missing something and the ending left me a bit confused. The protagonist would work something out in his head but fail to share it with the audience so we could also be in on the new information. Instead we are left to ourselves to try and decipher what the new information could mean. 

The reader barely got any background on the protagonist other than he was desk personnel and then he was made to go into a village that was filled with war and chaos. During that time he went from a pencil pusher to someone who was physically pushed to the limit. Since we barely got any background on him, it was hard to understand and figure out his purpose for being at the base in the valley without it being explained to us. I don't think I would read another book by the 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 - Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig

 

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig is about an autistic teenager in foster care named Ginny Moon, who has special needs, and her journey to find a place to belong. Ginny was adopted by her new parents after her birth mother, Gloria, was neglectful and abusive. Ginny’s new adoptive parents,  Maura and Brian, love her and care about her but they don’t quite understand Ginny. They try to make her feel that she belongs with them and that Ginny has somewhere that she can call home.

Ginny, however, is determined to get into contact with Gloria. Ginny knows that Gloria isn’t suitable to be a parent. Ginny isn’t allowed to use a computer without the help of an adult but she found a way to sneak online and reconnect with her birth mother. Ginny wants to see if her “Baby Doll” is safe and she is willing to risk her safety to make sure her “Baby Doll” is safe.

Ginny’s adoptive parents and her therapist, Patrice, believe that Ginny is talking about a doll when she mentions “Baby Doll.” They do not believe her claims that her “Baby Doll” is a real child since they didn’t see any proof of any other children in Gloria’s house other than Ginny. They are confused why Ginny is so insistent on reuniting with Gloria when that would put Ginny at risk for more abuse.

The book took a bit for me to get into. I had a hard time connecting with Ginny and her adoptive parents. She is neurodivergent and I am not familiar with people who are autistic. It was hard for me to tell if she was being a difficult character or if she was acting like that because she was neurodivergent.

I was a bit confused on how Ginny saw things. When the novel opened up, Ginny was given an electronic baby doll to care for. The doll wouldn’t stop crying so Ginny punches the doll and stuffs it in a suitcase under her bed. It is hard to reconcile this violent side of her with the other side that wants to protect her “Baby Doll.” It was worrying when Ginny wouldn’t refer to any baby by their gender but would only refer to them as “it.” I found it weird that she was worried about her “Baby Doll” but seemed to care very little about other children and the electronic baby doll. I understand why her adoptive parents were hesitant to believe her at first but then years passed by and it was only when Ginny made one flippant comment did someone finally take her seriously.

I hated how rude and mean her adoptive parents were. As soon as they realized that Ginny was too much to handle, they were ready to give her back. I do sympathize that they needed to protect their newborn baby but I felt that they didn’t even take the time to understand Ginny or try to figure out why she wanted to see her birth mom.  The book’s pace did take a bit to pick up and get to the point. It was repetitive  when talking about Ginny’s different idiosyncrasies, but the author glosses over Ginny’s traumatic past. The author hints at her past trauma but never goes into much detail. I feel like if we were given a bit more detail maybe I would have been able to connect a bit better with Ginny. I would, however, be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - Blowback by Valerie Plame

 

Blowback by Valerie Plame is about a CIA ops officer, Vanessa Pierson, who is close to catching a criminal that she has been chasing for years. Vanessa has been tracking Bhoot, a dangerous international nuclear arms dealer.  When one of her assets asked to meet and mentions that he has intel that she might find useful, Vanessa is excited. Her asset has confirmed that Bhoot will be visiting a secret underground weapons facility in Iran in a few days’ time. The information is useful because the CIA was never able to get any information about Bhoot’s whereabouts before. A few minutes before Vanessa was able to get the location to the facility, an ambush occurs that leaves her informant dead on her watch. Vanessa decides that there are now two people that she has on her target list: Bhoot and the sniper responsible for her asset’s death.

Vanessa decides to go rogue when she determines that she isn’t getting enough support from the Agency to protect her assets from Bhoot’s assassin. She ropes in a fellow ops officer who is also her secret lover. If her relationship with him, or that she asked him for help was discovered, it could jeopardize both of their careers. 

The book was a fast paced read but it didn’t keep my interest. It didn’t have any unexpected twists but the ending was left as a cliffhanger.  I felt like the writing was a bit bulky and stilted. It felt like the author was making an outline of things that happened. This occurred and then that happened and this was done next. It felt boring to read something that should be so action packed. At times, it had too many technical details about the spycraft business that went over my head. Then at times, it had too little detail to make the story feel real. The book felt very basic and had all the same elements of other spy novels without bringing anything new to the table. 

I didn’t really connect with the main character as she was portrayed as flawless and perfect. She also seems to bear a lot of resemblance to the author who was an actual CIA agent but it would have been great if there was more character development with our fictional heroine. There was rarely any opportunity for the reader to bond and connect with Vanessa. I am curious to find out who the mastermind is in the novel but I am in no rush to pick up another book by the author.