Tag: book review

• Book Review: “Once Upon a River” by Diane Setterfield (ARC)

  Posted at 6:45 am by Laura, on December 5, 2018

  Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

  Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
  Publishing Date: December 4
  Genre: historical fiction, gothic
  ISBN: 9780743298070
  Rating: ★★★.5

  A dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the Thames. The regulars are entertaining themselves by telling stories when the door bursts open on an injured stranger. In his arms is the drowned corpse of a little child.

  Hours later the dead girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life.

  Is it a miracle?

  Is it magic?

  Or can it be explained by science?

  Replete with folklore, suspense and romance, as well as with the urgent scientific curiosity of the Darwinian age, Once Upon a River is as richly atmospheric as Setterfield’s bestseller The Thirteenth Tale.

  In a pub known for its storytellers, nestled along the Thames, an injured and soaked man stumbles across the threshold, carrying what looks to be a drowned girl. But as the evening bustles to care for the strangers, a nurse and the innkeeper’s son both realize the girl is neither dead nor alive. And yet, she awakens. Three different people claim her as their lost daughter or sister, but the girl refuses to speak. Is she really who the others claim, does she belong to someone else, and how is it she managed to be neither alive nor dead when she appeared at The Swan?

  Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale is one of my all-time favorite novels. Though Bellman & Black hasn’t quite captured my attention, I knew from the jacket of this book that Setterfield was back in her game with Once Upon a River — atmospheric, absorbing, and full of wonder.

  The little girl’s arrival sparks an interesting scientific and fantastical discussion on life, death, and the in-between. The inn’s patrons are natural storytellers, and as they watch and soak up every minute detail of her appearance and life following the inn, you begin to wonder yourself, as the reader, how she came to be and what exactly happened. Rita, the nurse (and probably my favorite character!), relies on science to find the answers to the little girl’s situation, but nothing scientific comes to light. This sparks a philosophical discussion about God, about myths and legends and fantasies, and how to grapple with the unknown.

  Setterfield writes the narrative like the tributaries leading to the Thames — little, seemingly insignificant stories and characters grow and develop into a powerful flood of emotion, drama, and enlightenment by the story’s end. This is a novel that begs to be read slowly, savored, and not rushed or skimmed. Like the storytellers at The Swan, this too feels like a fairytale, to be read by a warm fire, in a cozy chair, with hot tea in hand.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018 | 8 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, review

• Book Review: “The Girl in the Tower” by Katherine Arden

  Posted at 6:45 am by Laura, on November 29, 2018

  The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

  Publisher: Del Rey
  Published: December 2017
  Genre: historical fiction, fantasy
  ISBN: 9781101885963
  Rating: ★★★

  Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.

  The Girl in the Tower, the second book of the Winternight trilogy, starts immediately where The Bear and the Nightingale ended. Vasya is free from her village and wants to see more of the world. Her desire leads her to trouble in Moscow, and the rumbling undercurrents of war and oppressive religion. Is she to be trapped as a boy and become a warrior for the Grand Prince, or locked in a tower as a girl to be wed or sent to convent? And what does the prince of night, winter, death, and darkness have to say about it all?

  Of these two books so far, the first is my favorite. It stands out in my mind because it was full of medieval Russian culture, mythology, history, and lore. It was a commentary on religion mixed with paganism and magic. However, this book was far more political and battle-hungry, and it worked well with Vasya’s character and her need for adventure and freedom. While The Bear and the Nightingale has a clear-cut villain, with a tangible beginning, middle, and end in plot arc, and a cast of recurring characters, The Girl in the Tower felt far more realistic to life (even with its magical elements). Characters come and go depending on the location and political situation, all the characters from her village do not appear in here (of course they wouldn’t — Vasya’s left them all behind!), and newer, more immediate events take place that require Vasya to look deeply into herself and her motivations and goals. The romantic thread is far more prominent in this novel as well, and it felt appropriate to Vasya’s character growth — I was pleased to see that.

  By the end of the novel, Arden has set the stage for what’s no doubt going to be a spectacular showdown. I’m curious to see where Arden takes us next.

  I’d recommend this book — this trilogy! — to anyone who loves Eastern European history, folklore, and fantasy. Uprooted, Spinning Silver, and The Sisters of the Winter Wood come to mind…

  This qualifies as book 11 of 16 in my TBR challenge. 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018, Rock My TBR | 9 Comments | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The Romanov Empress” by CW Gortner

  Posted at 7:30 am by Laura, on November 26, 2018

  The Romanov Empress by CW Gortner

  Publisher: Ballantine
  Published: July 2018
  Genre: historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780425286166
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  Narrated by the mother of Russia’s last tsar, this vivid, historically authentic novel brings to life the courageous story of Maria Feodorovna, one of Imperial Russia’s most compelling women who witnessed the splendor and tragic downfall of the Romanovs as she fought to save her dynasty in the final years of its long reign.

  Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriage–as her older sister Alix has done, moving to England to wed Queen Victoria’s eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the Romanov heir and becomes empress once he ascends the throne. When resistance to his reign strikes at the heart of her family and the tsar sets out to crush all who oppose him, Minnie–now called Maria–must tread a perilous path of compromise in a country she has come to love.

  Her husband’s death leaves their son Nicholas as the inexperienced ruler of a deeply divided and crumbling empire. Determined to guide him to reforms that will bring Russia into the modern age, Maria faces implacable opposition from Nicholas’s strong-willed wife, Alexandra, whose fervor has lead her into a disturbing relationship with a mystic named Rasputin. As the unstoppable wave of revolution rises anew to engulf Russia, Maria will face her most dangerous challenge and her greatest heartache.

  From the opulent palaces of St. Petersburg and the intrigue-laced salons of the aristocracy to the World War I battlefields and the bloodied countryside occupied by the Bolsheviks, C. W. Gortner sweeps us into the anarchic fall of an empire and the complex, bold heart of the woman who tried to save it.

  What an absorbing read! My understanding of Romanov history is pretty slim — the gist that the Russians (specifically the Bolsheviks) were upset with their poverty and the Romanov’s excess, tore down the monarchy, and established communism, which is great in theory but not in practice. I remember my travels to Russia in 2004 reflecting that juxtaposition of wealth and poverty, all the glorious palaces and churches bursting with gold and light, and the dirty, gray-and-brown streets, transportation, skies, and downtrodden people. So many elements from the last hundred years of the Romanov dynasty are still very much part of the Russian political system today, such as censorship, oppression, and the KGB (and its successors) for example.

  This slim understanding of Romanov and Russian history was perfectly fine, as the book details about sixty of the final years of the Romanov dynasty, all that happened, what led to the uprising, and the state of Europe at that time. The Romanov Empress follows Maria (or Dagmar, as she’s known in Denmark) as a teenager and ends shortly after her son Tsar Nicholas II is shot. She becomes the daughter-in-law to Alexander II, who freed the serfs but didn’t have the foresight to provide homes and jobs. He was assassinated, and Maria’s husband Sasha (Alexander III) ruled. He was beloved, but he also lived in fear of the sect responsible for killing his father — thus creating a police system to track down and execute naysayers.

  Meanwhile, Maria would hard to show the Russian people the Romanov family cared about their people, the land, their country. She worked in hospitals and established agencies for women and children. Unrest continued — and when Nicholas II took the throne, Maria was devastated by his choice of bride. And I was too. Alexandra was an annoying, arrogant, manipulative, pretentious, horrible woman, who seemed shy and weak at first but proved to be incredibly overpowering as well as gullible. If Nicholas had a backbone, or if Alexandra weren’t his wife, I think the Romanovs would certainly still be on the throne, with a Parliament as intended by Alexander II, today.

  I was immersed in this novel, and after every engaging chapter I’d look up the people mentioned, the events that took place, the surrounding events in Europe, and found myself falling down an absorbing rabbit hole of complex history. The Romanov Empress is well-researched, a fascinating biographical historical fiction through the eyes of the wife and mother of two drastically different tsars, and all that led to the family’s downfall and the rise of Lenin.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review

• Book Review: “Small Great Things” by Jodi Picoult

  Posted at 6:35 am by Laura, on November 19, 2018

  Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

  Publisher: Ballantine
  Published: October 2016
  Genre: contemporary
  ISBN: 9780345544971
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years’ experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?

  Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy’s counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family–especially her teenage son–as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other’s trust, and come to see that what they’ve been taught their whole lives about others–and themselves–might be wrong.

  Jodi Picoult is one of my all-time favorite authors, but I was nervous to pick this one up. It was clearly going to be heavier than most of her novels, tackling race, prejudice, discrimination, and justice, all of which can make so many of us uncomfortable. I also knew I didn’t want to be in the head of a white supremacist, first and foremost.

  So this isn’t a review so much as a commentary on what I got from this book. I have to acknowledge that I may say something incorrectly in this post, and I’m sorry in advance if I’ve inadvertently offended readers.

  On a friend’s post about the diverse new Congress on FB, someone had left a comment saying, “My personal opinion….I think we should look at all the members of Congress as equal…. regardless of race, gender, creed, or disability. They should all work together to make all our lives better! I worked in several schools where this was the work environment, and I was so appreciative! Love one another.” Their heart was in the right place, and they mean well, but this sort of statement is what Picoult tackles in the novel: by not acknowledging someone’s difference, you are negating the strengths of that difference, the core of their identity, the success and hardship they faced because of that identity. You are, inexplicably, perpetuating discrimination. Turning a blind eye does not change the system.

  I was angry and ashamed and felt such a weight of guilt the entire time I read the novel. I may call myself an ally, an advocate, someone who isn’t racist, someone who wants equality for all, who seeks social justice for all. But there are things I’ve said and done, intending to be a good person, that actually continue the perpetuation of racism (ex: “I don’t see color,” or like that FB comment above). These are things I need to work on, do better, listen more. Compounding with that were several moments of eye-rolling and shock at the lawyer’s naivete whenever she went shopping with Ruth, looking up jurors with Howard, or listening to what children say to one another. Is this really the world “basic white people” live in? Are they really that ignorant? I grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood and school district. So these cringe-worthy moments were horrendous, because to me it seems like common sense. But I had to actively remember Jodi Picoult’s audience: privileged white women who probably, genuinely, have no idea. This book is meant to make us uncomfortable. It’s supposed to raise these issues, and make us more aware of our own shortcomings.

  Which then raises the question: who has the right to tell a story like Ruth’s, a black woman or a white woman? Well, a black woman, because she can accurately portray this life and mindset, absolutely! But you also need to think about audience and wide reach — in the case of Picoult, how can you properly show white people (her general audience being white women) what it’s like to be a black woman without making them feel too discomforted? Racism can be discussed between two or more races, but more importantly it needs to discussed, addressed, and pointed out within races to start. Whites need to see their ugly side from a fellow white, and learn and grow. Picoult’s author’s note said exactly this, and she made a great disclaimer too. Roxanne Gay’s review of this book is fantastic as well. I cannot stress enough the importance of reading her review alongside reading this book.

  Like I said, this wasn’t so much a review of the book but a reflection of what I got from it. It shocked me (the basic white outlook of it), it made me uncomfortable, it made me feel guilty, it made me angry, it made me want to do more and be better.

  Read this book. Learn. Ask the difficult questions. Seek out information to further your racial education. (Everyone. Even those of you who say you’re not racist.) It gives me hope that as the industry continues to strive for diversity, we will finally see Ruth’s story through a black writer, and that book would sell just as many copies as, if not more than, Picoult’s.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review

• Book Review: “Dear Mrs. Bird” by AJ Pearce

  Posted at 6:15 am by Laura, on November 1, 2018

  Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce

  Publisher: Scribner
  Published: July 2018
  Genre: historical fiction
  ISBN: 9781501170065
  Rating: ★★★★★

  London, 1940. Emmeline Lake is Doing Her Bit for the war effort, volunteering as a telephone operator with the Auxiliary Fire Services. When Emmy sees an advertisement for a job at the London Evening Chronicle, her dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent suddenly seem achievable. But the job turns out to be working as a typist for the fierce and renowned advice columnist, Henrietta Bird. Emmy is disappointed, but gamely bucks up and buckles down.

  Mrs. Bird is very clear: letters containing any Unpleasantness must go straight in the bin. But when Emmy reads poignant notes from women who may have Gone Too Far with the wrong men, or who can’t bear to let their children be evacuated, she is unable to resist responding. As the German planes make their nightly raids, and London picks up the smoldering pieces each morning, Emmy secretly begins to write back to the readers who have poured out their troubles.

  Emmy wants nothing more than to be a war correspondent for a prominent London newspaper, and is over-the-moon to find an advertisement for a job at the London Evening Chronicle. But with her head in the clouds, she doesn’t realize that the job she has accepted is that of a typist for a grouchy, abrasive, particular woman who runs the advice column, “Henrietta Helps.” Unlike other advice columns, though, Mrs. Henrietta Bird wants nothing to do with women’s problems during the war and will only offer advice on housekeeping and other “appropriate” topics. Emmy can’t leave these poor women’s letters in the bin, and secretly writes back to them, hoping against hope that the little comfort she can provide will also assist her in her own troubles as bombs fall from the sky.

  Several friends read and raved over this little book, and I knew I had to get my hands on this story about friendship and hope in the midst of one of the worst wars in history. I listened to it on audio, and I highly recommend you do too — Anna Popplewell (of Narnia fame) was the narrator and she does such an excellent job! She really brings the characters to life and I enjoyed every second.

  Going in, all I knew about this novel was the premise, and it truly is just the first three or so chapters. But what happens after Emmy writes to the readers and defies her boss? This novel is a slice of life for one particular woman in war-torn London, and all the ups and downs each day brought. She has her full-time job at the magazine, her part-time evening job taking calls during raids to send out fire departments, her deep friendship with flatmate and childhood friend Bunty, and their trials and tribulations in love. I was so immersed in Emmy’s life, I felt like she was my friend. So while I, too, was invested in the readers and the consequences of Emmy’s actions, I found myself drawn to the everyday.

  I highly recommend this novel to readers of WWII historical fiction, and readers who want to root for a lighthearted, resourceful, silver-lining protagonist who does her very best in keeping spirits up a during a turbulent era.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review

• Book Review: “The Lost Queen” by Signe Pike

  Posted at 6:55 am by Laura, on October 29, 2018

  The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

  Publisher: Touchstone
  Published: September 2018
  Genre: historical fiction
  ISBN: 9781501191411
  Rating: ★★★.5

  Intelligent, passionate, rebellious, brave, and one of the most powerful early medieval queens in British history, Languoreth ruled at a time of enormous disruption and bloodshed, when the burgeoning forces of Christianity threatened to obliterate the ancient pagan beliefs and change her way of life forever.

  Together with her twin brother Lailoken, a warrior and druid known to history as Merlin, Languoreth is catapulted into a world of danger and violence. When a war brings Emrys Pendragon to their door, Languoreth collides with the handsome warrior Maelgwn. Their passionate connection is forged by enchantment, but Languoreth is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of the High King who is sympathetic to the followers of Christianity. As Rhydderch’s wife, Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way, her kingdom, and all she holds dear.

  Languoreth is a sixth-century queen of Scotland and twin to Lailoken, whom history later knows as Merlin. The two have a bond unlike any other, and while both have druid gifts, Languoreth uses hers for healing and political alliances while Lailoken uses his for strategy, battle, and preservation of the Old Way. But as Christianity comes to head in their land, sweeping across the country and stirring up violent trouble, Languoreth must navigate difficult waters and ensure the world remembers her brother for the warrior he truly is.

  This was one of the most interesting and potentially historically accurate pieces of fiction in the Merlin tale. We’ve all been led to believe the King Arthur lore originated in Wales, and historians and academics keep finding potential ties to true men in English and Welsh medieval history who may fit the bill. But this book, and the wealth of research behind it backing this up (I know Wiki is not a true source, but seriously, a simple search there only confirms Pike’s extensive research further!), will blow your mind. Searching for Arthur isn’t the answer––it’s searching for Merlin, or Myrddin (“mad man”), which was the obscured name for a man known as Lailoken. Lailoken had a twin sister, Languoreth, whose children also appear in Arthurian lore. And all those big historical Scottish battles also appear in Arthurian lore, and happened during the twins’ childhood, teen, and adult years. It all adds pretty well together.

  My mind was blown historically, and I’m eager to see Pike’s next book in the trilogy (I have some guesses as to which character in Arthurian legend she’ll tackle next). The language is appropriately medieval in tone, and at times the novel felt like it was dragging––but I kept reading, and I’m glad I did. This is Languoreth’s story, a forgotten strong queen in Scottish history, and it deserves a read. This is Camelot meets Outlander in terms of historical depth and mystical elements, and I would definitely encourage you to crack it open and sink into the mythology that is history!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review

• Book Review: “The Clockmaker’s Daughter” by Kate Morton (ARC)

  Posted at 6:15 am by Laura, on September 24, 2018

  The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

  Publisher: Atria Books
  Publishing: October 9
  Genre: historical, contemporary
  ISBN: 9781451649390
  Rating: ★★★★★

  “My real name, no one remembers. The truth about that summer, no one else knows.”

  In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe’s life is in ruins.

  Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist’s sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.

  Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets?

  It has taken me forever to write this review (at the time of writing this, I’ve since read ten novels), in large part because it’s now my favorite Morton (knocking The House at Riverton to second) and because I have difficulty putting favorite novels by long-standing favorite authors into reviewing words. Morton’s novels are like Rowling’s Harry Potter to me. Rowling was there for my childhood and teen years, and my love affair with the series continues on; Morton was there in my young and early adulthood, showing me that romantic Gothic fiction is still around and accessible and full of wonder, like being with an old friend and picking up where things left off. I adore Morton’s work.

  The Clockmaker’s Daughter is not about clocks, or about a daughter assisting her father making clocks, or anything that title and cover image may suggest. It is very much about time, family secrets, loss, and everything that can happen within one beautiful manor house. It’s classic Morton, and this time — thanks to the clockmaker’s daughter’s narrative voice — the Birchwood Manor is a character in itself. Birchwood links all of the narrative threads together, a touchstone within this gorgeous novel that you love to come back home to.

  First there’s Elodie. She’s a quiet sort, intelligent, observant, a bit of a wallflower, and my kindred spirit. I fell for her instantly. She’s an archivist in London for a private art collection. When a package is discovered in a back room containing a leather satchel with a photograph of a beautiful woman and a sketchbook, Elodie sets out to link the two together and uncover the mystery of why the package was there, why it wasn’t archived, and how these were related to the man whose collection she works for.

  But this isn’t her story. It’s Birdie’s. It’s Juliet’s. It’s Edward’s. It’s Ada’s. It’s Leonard’s and Tip’s and Lucy’s. This is probably the most perspectives Morton’s had in a novel, and at first it’s a little jarring, I’ll admit — but hang on. Birdie and Birchwood Manor will bring you back, and soon you’ll be making the surprisingly and thrilling connections that all these people have with one another and with Birchwood Manor.

  Birchwood began as a magical summer home, later bequeathed to Edward and his friends. After a terrible accident and misunderstanding, it falls to ruin. Edward’s sister Lucy spruces up the manor and turns it into a girl’s school, where Ada attends and learns all about geology and archaeology and independence with Lucy. But war hits, and Birchwood is left once more. Leonard, seeking solace, finds it to be a place of refuge, and Juliet a lovely home for her children, including Tip, in the country.

  But most of all, it’s the way Birdie connects these people to this manor, and her tragedy. It broke my heart, gently, softly, the only way Morton can and does every time. I had Secret Garden and Little Princess vibes throughout the novel, and Tip’s curiosity reminded me so much of Uncle Desmond in “About Time.” I loved this book to pieces. I don’t know what I was expecting — definitely something more with clocks! — but this was infinitely better.

  The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a quietly vibrant novel about love, murder, mystery, loss, art, and the constant flowing river of time. Fans of Morton’s earlier work will not be disappointed.

  Thank you, Atria Books, for providing the galley on Edelweiss for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018 | 6 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: historical fiction, review

• Book Review: “The Bird and the Blade” by Megan Bannen

  Posted at 7:05 am by Laura, on September 19, 2018

  The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen

  Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  Published: June 2018
  Genre: historical fantasy
  ISBN: 9780062674159
  Rating: ★★★★★

  As a slave in the Kipchak Khanate, Jinghua has lost everything: her home, her family, her freedom … until the kingdom is conquered by enemy forces and she finds herself an unlikely conspirator in the escape of Prince Khalaf and his irascible father across the vast Mongol Empire. On the run, with adversaries on all sides and an endless journey ahead, Jinghua hatches a scheme to use the Kipchaks’ exile to return home, a plan that becomes increasingly fraught as her feelings for Khalaf evolve into a hopeless love.

  Jinghua’s already dicey prospects take a downward turn when Khalaf seeks to restore his kingdom by forging a marriage alliance with Turandokht, the daughter of the Great Khan. As beautiful as she is cunning, Turandokht requires all potential suitors to solve three impossible riddles to win her hand—and if they fail, they die.

  Jinghua has kept her own counsel well, but with Khalaf’s kingdom—and his very life—on the line, she must reconcile the hard truth of her past with her love for a boy who has no idea what she’s capable of … even if it means losing him to the girl who’d sooner take his life than his heart.

  Jinghua, a Song slave in Kipchak Khanate, mourns the loss of her family and is haunted by their hungry spirits. A part of her would wish nothing more than for the Kipchaks to disappear, but Prince Khalaf was once so kind to her she cannot hate them all. When an unlikely and terrible opportunity arises for her to escape, she chooses to flee the Khanate with Prince Khalaf and his father, seeking assistance from neighboring kingdoms to take back their land and stand up to the Great Khan. But Khalaf does not seek warfare, and instead makes his father and Jinghua chase after him across the great Mongol Empire, in an attempt to stop him from answering the dangerous Turandokht’s riddles and face imminent death. Jinghua must find the balance between honoring her family and past, and protecting her heart.

  I thought my familiarity with the opera Turandot would numb me from the tragedy, but nope. Bannen still made me cry. This is my fifth 5-star read in 2018, and it deserves all of it and so much more. I absolutely loved it — from the inspiration for the story, to the language and descriptions, to the timeline jumps, and everything in between. This is an excellent crossover novel, and I’d love to see more books like this out in the world.

  The opera is based on a Persian-translated-into-French story about a Chinese princess and her fall into slavery, combined with a folktale about a princess who locked herself away in a palace on a mountain asking suitors riddles. The Bird and the Blade is the slave girl’s story. Because let’s be real, her story is infinitely better than Turandokht’s. Knowing the opera will not fully prepare you for this immensely emotional journey. Jinghua’s grief, anger, turmoil, fear, and love are so tangible, so authentic and so powerful, that I could not put this book down. Likewise Khalaf’s maturity, intelligence, patience, and kindness made my heart ache. When we get to the end of this tragedy, I was already weeping.

  Bannen makes a huge disclaimer in her notes about the historical and fantastical elements in this novel. Because it’s based on an opera, which in itself is based on a translated text on Mongolian culture and history, it can’t necessarily be taken as fact, nor can it be seen as complete folktale. These people, this story, really comes down to Ghengis Khan’s rule and the division of his descendants, and Bannen tried to stay as true as possible to elements of Mongolian Empire history, religion, and culture across Asia and Europe in that time. Needless to say, I was blown away. What a tremendous undertaking. This is every folklore historian’s dream in one book.

  What an overwhelmingly, wonderfully descriptive and gorgeous book, full of love and fear and guilt and honor. It’s a tremendous accomplishment.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, review

• Book Review: “Kings of the Wyld” by Nicholas Eames

  Posted at 6:25 am by Laura, on September 12, 2018

  Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

  Publisher: Orbit
  Published: February 2017
  Genre: fantasy
  ISBN: 9780316362474
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best — the meanest, dirtiest, most feared crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld.

  Their glory days long past, the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk – or a combination of the three. Then an ex-bandmate turns up at Clay’s door with a plea for help. His daughter Rose is trapped in a city besieged by an enemy one hundred thousand strong and hungry for blood. Rescuing Rose is the kind of mission that only the very brave or the very stupid would sign up for.

  It’s time to get the band back together for one last tour across the Wyld.

  These men are legends, rockstars, and shouldn’t be fighting battles anymore but here we are. 20 years after disbanding, Gabe’s daughter is trapped in a city on the other side of the Wyld, death knocking. His only hope is Clay Cooper, our MC, to help him bring the band of warriors back together, beer bellies and aching backs and all. And you know what? They follow. They know it’s crazy, they know death is far more inevitable now that they’re out of shape and older, but for the first time in their lives, they actually have something worth fighting for.

  What a riot of a good time! The language is funny and accessible, and Eames does an excellent job of grounding the characters and really making the relationships feel long-established. Plus, how often do you get to see a grown child shout “Dad?!” when one of those bandmates — your friends — does something weird or stupid? It’s like Robin Hood twenty years later, rehashing the glory days while try to adjust to this older body and familiar moves. So fun. So hilarious. And so…vivid. Real.

  I would highly recommend this to someone new to fantasy as well as a long-time fan. Yes there’s a map, and funny names and interesting history, plus hordes of creatures familiar and brand new, but the magic of this realm is not the point of the story: it’s about survival, adjustment, standing together with your friends even when it feels like a lost cause. I’m really looking forward to reading Bloody Rose!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, review

• Book Review: “China Rich Girlfriend” by Kevin Kwan

  Posted at 7:15 am by Laura, on September 10, 2018

  China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan

  Publisher: Anchor
  Published: May 2016
  Genre: contemporary
  ISBN: 9780804172066
  Rating: ★★★★

  It’s the eve of Rachel Chu’s wedding, and she should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond, a wedding dress she loves, and a fiancé willing to thwart his meddling relatives and give up one of the biggest fortunes in Asia in order to marry her. Still, Rachel mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won’t be there to walk her down the aisle.

  Then a chance accident reveals his identity. Suddenly, Rachel is drawn into a dizzying world of Shanghai splendor, a world where people attend church in a penthouse, where exotic cars race down the boulevard, and where people aren’t just crazy rich … they’re China rich.

  If you haven’t read Crazy Rich Asians, there might be spoilers of that book in this review!

  With Nick on the rocks with his family and Rachel planning their intimate wedding, Rachel can’t help but feel the relationships with their parents need some mending. She wants to find her birth father and invite him to the wedding, and Nick’s mother wants to be involved (though, understandingly, not as crazy-involved as he’s worried she’ll be). When Eleanor’s digging unearths Rachel’s true father — and he’s filthy, mind-blowingly, extraordinarily rich — Rachel and Nick are swept up on a trip to Shanghai. But their appearance shakes things up for friends and family in China, and Rachel must decide what’s really important: a life of extravagance in her father’s world, or a life she’s built with Nick knowing that she may never see her father again.

  This was just as fun, if not more over-the-top than the last novel! China Rich Girlfriend explores Chinese bajillionaires and “new money,” family secrets, living up to society’s expectations, and so much more. Rachel, Nick, Charlie, and Astrid continue to ground the narrative in reality while the rest of their crazy world spins out of control.

  Some of our favorite characters from the first book appear again here, and others who were more secondary (such as Kitty Pong!) take center stage. New characters are introduced, and their wild lifestyles and interesting backstories shed light on the constraints of society that still exist today. For example, Kitty Pong wants to do good in society, but instead of throwing money everywhere like she wishes to, she “needs” to learn how to be restrained, quiet, demur, and behind-the-scenes. New characters, such as Carlton and his instagram-famous “girlfriend but not my girlfriend” have interesting dynamics, in that both are pressured to marry and they likely will, but they want to find themselves as individuals first (both, essentially, wanting to pursue their careers).

  In many ways this made Rachel, Nick, and their relationship more two-dimensional. They sit and watch the drama unfold, like the reader. But Astrid and Charlie — and likewise Astrid and Michael — really propel the novel interspersed through all the drama. They try so hard to maintain a good and safe friendship, but Michael (understandably) is swept up in his sudden self-made fortune and is obsessed with appearances in a way Astrid’s family never was. The tension was palpable and the dynamics were great with this! Astrid is the shining star of this installment.

  I’m curious what Rich People Problems will bring!

  This qualifies as book 9 of 16 in my TBR challenge. 

   

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018, Rock My TBR | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review, rock my TBR

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• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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