Tag: review

• Book Review: “Blackhearts” by Nicole Castroman

  Posted at 4:45 am by Laura, on February 25, 2016

  Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

  Publisher: Simon Pulse
  Published: February 9
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction, romance
  ISBN: 9781481432696
  Rating: ★★★

  Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything.

  Edward “Teach” Drummond, son of one of Bristol’s richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There’s just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

  Following her parents’ deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she’s stuck in England?

  From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.

  Before he was Blackbeard the pirate, Edward “Teach” Drummond was a young sailor whose father, a wealthy Bristol merchant, wanted nothing more than a claim to the aristocracy. Teach is determined to defy his father and set sail again, but a run-in with a maid in the house, Anne, compels him to stay. When it becomes apparent she would love nothing more than to sail away from England as well, their circumstances become even more complicated.

  As I was reading this, I couldn’t help but feel this was a mash-up of BBC’s Poldark and Amma Asante’s Belle. Good things to compare it to, I promise. Teach’s temperament is very much like Poldark’s (plus, sailor. And tricorn hats. Swoon), and Anne’s complex social hierarchy, with her race and her inheritance, mirrors Dido’s. Toss in the Blackbeard element — that this is an origin story, as very little is known about Blackbeard’s life prior to his final years at sea — and you’re in for a PBS special in book form: slow-burning, rich, and complex.

  I want to gush about my favorite part of the book, but I can’t because it’s the ending. It’s satisfyingly unsatisfying; it leaves the reader hanging on such a pivotal movement that you can’t help but wonder what happens between that scene and Blackbeard’s appearance in historical documentation.

  And while this story is very much about Teach, it’s also an interesting story about Anne. Everything she represents. Historically, women do not have a voice. We know nothing about them, except the daily activities the educated women mentioned in their journals or letters (if they’re surviving). That’s such a slim margin of women in history, too. Toss in the fact Anne is mixed race in a time when everyone who was non-white was considered beyond inferior (I know we’re still struggling with race today, but bear with me), that anyone bearing a resemblance to Anne was typically a slave — and we’re really beginning to touch upon the lost voices in history. Anne represents those lost voices, and Anne represents mixed races and cultures today.

  This book is for the historical romance reader. While it’s not particularly covering a momentous time in history, the heart of the story lies in the everyday trials of a young man struggling for independence, and a young woman seeking a sense of belonging, and how these two individuals found each other.

  (And, of course, PIRATES.)

  This fulfills book 2 of 10 library books in 2016. 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: romance, genre: young adult, review

• Book Review: “The Forbidden Orchid” by Sharon Biggs Waller (ARC)

  Posted at 6:15 am by Laura, on February 22, 2016

  The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller

  Publisher: Viking Children’s
  Publishing Date: March 8
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780451474117
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  Staid, responsible Elodie Buchanan is the eldest of ten sisters living in a small English market town in 1861. The girls’ father is a plant hunter, usually off adventuring through the jungles of China.

  Then disaster strikes: Mr. Buchanan fails to collect an extremely rare and valuable orchid, meaning that he will be thrown into debtors’ prison and the girls will be sent to the orphanage or the poorhouse. Elodie’s father has one last chance to return to China, find the orchid, and save the family—and this time, thanks to an unforeseen twist of fate, Elodie is going with him. Elodie has never before left her village, but what starts as fear turns to wonder as she adapts to seafaring life aboard the tea clipper The Osprey, and later to the new sights, dangers, and romance of China.

  But even if she can find the orchid, how can she find herself now that staid, responsible Elodie has seen how much the world has to offer?

  Elodie Buchanan’s father is a plant hunter, which means she only sees him once a year, and nine months later yet another sister is born. While some of the sisters are resentful of Papa — leaving their mother behind with yet another baby to care for in their small English village, one wrapped around a power-hungry deacon’s finger — Elodie can’t help but admire him and all he represents: adventure, beauty, and freedom. But when he does not return home from China and holes up in a tiny flat in Kew, Elodie takes matters into her own hands. If her father does not venture to China once more to gather a rare and valuable orchid before another threatening plant hunter does, the Buchanan women will be sent to the workhouses. It’s up to Elodie to stow away on a clipper ship, witness the aftermath of the China Wars, experience a culture wholly unlike England, and find the orchid before it’s too late.

  I’ll admit I had a few concerns before reading Waller’s sophomore novel. First, I adored A Mad, Wicked Folly, and sometimes it’s hard to beat out your own debut. Second, everything that China represented in the 1860s (poverty, opium, just how utterly terrible the English left them) felt unappealing. It’s just not something I want to read about, even though I know about the terrible history. Plus, ugh, another opium story / another girl-dresses-as-a-boy story? Third, as someone who doesn’t know much about plants or gardening, I thought I would find that aspect of it to be a bore.

  Let me be the first to tell you that every last scene, sentence, and word was worth it. All the hopes and joys, devastation and heartbreak, beautiful and terrible — all of it was worth it.

  Elodie is such a fascinating character. Every visit home her father would bring her books. He believed girls should have proper education just like boys. One Christmas, he brings home Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, and the way Elodie makes sense of it with her faith is encouraging and astounding. One does not negate the other. In fact, she’s able to make science and religion walk hand-in-hand — and the scene with her standing up to her deacon’s ignorance cracked me up. So yes, plants are discussed extensively in here, but it’s just as beautiful to read as it was to read about Vicky and her art. (Plus, also, I had no idea there was such a job as plant hunting. Of course there would be such a job, but that it could be so dangerous, and like a race! Fascinating.) Elodie is frustrated by the freedom a man’s life holds, but she also feels duty-bound to her mother and sisters. That torn feeling is understandably on her mind constantly, but not once did it feel like Waller was projecting 21st-century feminism into a 19th-century mind. I love it when a character stays true to the time!

  China is also not romantisized whatsoever, which was a relief. The beauty of the land untouched by war is, of course, observed and appreciated. Elodie learns a lot about Chinese culture through Ching Lan, a girl who joins the expedition to assist with translation and medicinal purposes. The subtle differences between Western and Eastern culture are exposed in such exquisite ways — the concept of honoring one’s family and yet still wanting to be independent and making one’s own choices, the ritual of tea, the way you treat another human to raise their station. But of course, the opium is a huge topic in the book as well. Not a moment of randomly dropping in opium dens just because — there’s a purpose. China was destroyed and the English made these poor people addicted to the drug. It’s prevalent, and it circles back around several times on Elodie’s journey. The meaning behind it only increased the story further.

  Finally, the girl-dressed-as-boy bit doesn’t last long. It didn’t feel unnecessary, but that, plus the marriage Elodie had to commit to, didn’t feel forced either. Every second of her situation is a plan gone wrong and her figuring out how to be strong and overcoming it. Her circumstances are less than ideal, but not hopeless. Especially with Alex by her side. He’s always there, but she’s the one doing the thinking, the reacting, the burden of the work. This YA was (blessedly) a Plot A Save the Family, Plot B Self-Discovery & Empowerment, and Plot C Romance. Budding and off to the side, just as Elodie was sorting out her priorities as well.

  Waller has convinced me, with this book, that I can read a dark period of history (China Wars) and come out not only knowing so much more (plants, opium, just how tied up women were) but also enjoying the experience of something I was once wary about (adventuring through China for a plant). It’s a cultural, historical journey with a compelling story, a fascinating protagonist, and a complex situation. It was such a joy to read a text so rich and full of life!

  Thank you, Sharon, for sending me a galley for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, review

• Book Review: “Can You Keep a Secret?” by Sophie Kinsella

  Posted at 5:30 am by Laura, on February 19, 2016

  Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

  Publisher: Dial Press
  Published: 2008 (reprint) 2004 (original)
  Genre: women’s fiction, contemporary, chick lit
  ISBN: 9780385338080
  Rating: ★★★★

  Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets:

  Secrets from her boyfriend:I’ve always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken.
  Secrets from her mother: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur.
  Secrets she wouldn’t share with anyone in the world: I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is.

  Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger.…Until Emma comes face-to-face with Jack Harper, the company’s elusive CEO, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her…

  Emma Corrigan is on the path to success! Almost an entire year in one company (finally! Prove cousin Kerry she can have a career!), a handsome and kind boyfriend, and a supportive BFF/flat mate. But after Emma botches a meeting in Glasgow and flies back to London, she can’t help but feel like a complete wreck. When the plane experiences extreme turbulence, Emma word-vomits all her secrets to the businessman sitting next to her. Totally fine, right? She’ll never see him again. Except she will. And he’s her boss.

  Everyone, meet Emma, my new book-BFF. She’s funny, she’s smart, she’s incredibly caring (almost to a fault), and she’s desperately trying to get a promotion at work. This is her third career change since college (mind you, that was 3 years ago!), and though she doesn’t quite understand what all the marketing execs are saying (like “multi-logistical” and “strategic competencies”), she’s eager to prove to her parents, to her suffocatingly, obnoxiously successful cousin Kerry, and to herself that she can Be An Adult. Her successes and failures are funny and oh-so-relatable. I can’t help but feel this connection to her as another mid-20s millennial proving to the world she can Succeed In Her Career. And Life. And Everything Else.

  Jack Harper, the man on the plane and the man running the corporation, is not your standard love interest or corporate businessman in literature. He’s not sleazy, he’s not snobbish, and he’s not out to coerce young women in the company to sleep with him. He’s a breath of fresh air in modern romance (probably because he’s been around longer than Christian Grey?), and you can’t help but like him too. Although, even during his low points, I still sided with Emma. Girlfriend knows how to take care of herself!

  The general atmosphere of this book is light, and I couldn’t stop myself from loving the friendship between Emma and Lissy, her BFF since pre-school and flatmate. They’re supportive of one another, and help each other through thick and thin. I looked forward to the scenes with Emma coming home from work and having girl time with Lissy — the girl-power and togetherness made me feel nostalgic for my college roomies!

  This book is filled with obstacles and hilarity. What does happen when your boss knows every single secret of yours? And that’s only within the first 50 pages. Join the ride. It’s fun.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 14 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review

• Book Review: “Into the Dim” by Janet B. Taylor (ARC)

  Posted at 6:00 am by Laura, on February 16, 2016

  Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor

  Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
  Publishing Date: March 1
  Genre: young adult, contemporary, historical
  ISBN: 9780544602007
  Rating: ★★★★★

  When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission . . . or the key to Hope’s undoing.

  When Hope sees footage from the earthquake destruction responsible for her mother’s death, she begins to question her sanity and her eidetic memory. She accepts her aunt’s offer to stay with her in Scotland, and immediately understands why her mother was secretive and an amazing historical scholar: she comes from a secret society of time travelers. Hope is sent back in time to Eleanor of Aquitaine’s court to retrieve her mother, lost in time and decidedly not dead in the twenty-first century. But time travel comes with a price to pay, and Hope’s loyalty is torn when the bigger picture of her journey and its consequences come to light.

  When they said this was going to be Outlander for the YA market, they weren’t kidding. Heck, Gabaldon even blurbed it! While Outlander relies on chance and Celtic magic, Into the Dim‘s time travel is more scientific than supernatural. Similar to Stiefvater’s books’ obsession with ley lines, Taylor incorporates ley lines and Tesla into the history behind time travel, and all the technology (both high-tech modern and low-tech ancient) that comes with it. It’s an amazing journey, one that I could read repeatedly. It felt real. Like one could actually go back in time!

  Hope reminded me of Hermione, without the bossy attitude. She is a know-it-all, but mostly because of her eidetic (photographic) memory. She knows facts, she knows dates, she has images and maps imprinted in her brain. But for all her knowledge, she still needs to use common sense and wit, and she grows so much throughout the course of the book. There’s knowing something by rote and recall, and knowing something through experience and instinct. Her intellect allows the narrative to give the reader the backstory and history lessons throughout in such a way it doesn’t feel like info-dumping. It shows the reader more about Hope’s character and talent while also informing the reader of the era.

  There are moments in the book when it feels like her relationships with some of the male leads will go down the love triangle trap. There’s potential for one to exist, but Hope is not the kind of character to think about that sort of thing, or dwell on the “what ifs” when bringing her mother home is far more important. In fact, a potential love triangle is only apparent to the reader, just like a third party observer. Hope clearly likes one guy, you’re not sure if he likes her or is luring her in to a trap, and there’s another guy Hope needs to work alongside to get the job done but he’s either of the protective nature or harboring feelings as well. Who knows. I’m just thrilled the “love interest” storyline takes a back seat in this thrilling, action-packed, fascinating book.

  Science, history, intrigue, and packed with an awesome punch of a twist at the end — all these things will keep you on the edge of your seat at work and buried under the covers with a flashlight at night. I could not put this down!

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from HMH BFYR for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: historical fiction, genre: sci-fi, genre: young adult, review

• Book Review: “Arsenic for Tea” by Robin Stevens

  Posted at 5:05 am by Laura, on February 10, 2016

  Arsenic for Tea by Robin Stevens
  Poison is Not Polite (US)

  Publisher: Corgi Children’s (UK) / Simon & Schuster (US)
  Published: January 2015 (UK) / April 26, 2016 (US)
  Genre: middle grade, mystery, historical
  ISBN: 9780552570732 (UK) / 9781481422154 (US)
  Rating: ★★★★

  Schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy’s home, Fallingford, for the holidays. Daisy’s glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for Daisy’s birthday, and the whole family is invited, from eccentric Aunt Saskia to dashing Uncle Felix. But it soon becomes clear that this party isn’t really about Daisy at all. Naturally, Daisy is furious.

  Then one of their party falls seriously, mysteriously ill—and everything points to poison.

  With wild storms preventing anyone from leaving, or the police from arriving, Fallingford suddenly feels like a very dangerous place to be. Not a single person present is what they seem—and everyone has a secret or two. And when someone very close to Daisy looks suspicious, the Detective Society must do everything they can to reveal the truth… no matter the consequences.

  Hazel Wong is invited to Fallingford to spend the Easter holidays with Daisy Wells and her family. Daisy’s mother plans a birthday tea party for Daisy, but the girls know Lady Hastings is really throwing this tea for her “special guest” — one who seems to have upset the governess, Daisy’s brother’s friend, Lord Hastings, and Daisy’s favorite Uncle Felix. When the special guest quickly falls ill and dies, it’s up to Daisy and Hazel to solve the mystery before the police arrive in the middle of a wild storm, even if it means confronting nasty truths about the Wells family.

  I fell in love with the Wells & Wong Detective Agency / Murder Most Unladylike series last summer, and was thrilled to find the as-of-December-2015 completed series in Waterstones. Middle grade detective fiction is probably my favorite kind of mystery to read. They’re quick, fun, witty, and never bogged down with details. Toss in the very Conan Doyle/Christie feel to it, and you have an immediate reader in me!

  In the last book, I mentioned how well-rounded Hazel was as a character. It was easy to like her and understand her — her patience, thoughtfulness, insight. She’s governed by her emotions a bit more than Daisy is (you really can call her the Watson of the two, as Daisy herself calls Hazel Watson), but it’s her gut feelings that guide them down the right path. In this book, we see more of Daisy and understand her and all her quirks. From her silly father to her charming, intelligent uncle, her need to impress mixed with her desire to explore warring with one another when her mother enters and leaves a room, the reader (and Hazel) is able to see how Daisy became Daisy based on the people in her life.

  Not only this, but the murder happened in her house on her birthday. Which means one of the guests, likely a family member, committed the crime. Daisy is so wrapped up in the details of the case that when it finally hits her it could be a relative of hers, one she loves dearly, she cracks. Witnessing this “weakness” in her character brought me closer to these two girls. They may be little detectives solving cases like one would in a novel, but it’s all fun and games until it really hits home how dark, dangerous, and scary this can be.

  It’s hard to review a mystery book without accidentally spoiling the details of the plot! So I’ll leave you with this: Arsenic for Tea is a delightful, incredibly English detective mystery for the little Holmes or Marple in your life.

  

  This book qualifies as book 2 of 12 of the “Rock My TBR” Challenge, hosted by Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler, in an effort to read more books off my overflowing TBR bookcase.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016, Rock My TBR | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: middle grade, genre: mystery, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Salt to the Sea” by Ruta Sepetys (ARC)

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on February 1, 2016

  Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

  Publisher: Philomel
  Publishing Date: February 2
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780399160301
  Rating: ★★★★★

  In 1945, World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia, and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, almost all of them with something to hide. Among them are  Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer toward safety.

  Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.

  Four young adults’ journeys to escape East Prussia and survive the war intersect in January 1945. Three of them — Joana, Emilia, and Florian, all of different backgrounds with secrets of their own — seek asylum across the waters. The fourth, Alfred, is a Nazi sailor attempting to justify assisting the “lesser races” as they flee the Russians. But when they meet on the Wilhelm Gustloff, secrets are no longer safely hidden, and spilling the truth may be their only chance at surviving the destruction of the ship.

  Just as Between Shades of Gray, this book made me weep, reflect, weep, ponder, and weep some more. I’m once again left speechless, with slightly more coherent thoughts developing each day after finishing this book. Instead of trying to convince another reader with quotes, I’ll leave quick trails of thought.

  HISTORY. Sepetys captured yet another Eastern European horror rarely studied in school or discussed in WWII reflections. This book is full of the devastating facts of the war in Europe, and how caught in the middle Eastern Europeans were between Germany and Russia. Like with BSOG, she takes survivors’ true accounts, changes names and snippets of their situations, and provides an informative history book that will no doubt be used in classrooms. History is important. We cannot let atrocities like these continuously happen.

  WRITING. Sepetys is not a lush writer. There’s no need for exaggeration or embellishment. She provides the facts; the reader develops the emotions. She writes one line about an emaciated cow on the side of the road with burst, frozen utters — your gut clenches in this simple, painful horror. She writes one line about orphan children being passed from one group to the next so refugees can board the ship — you wonder at what point in your fight for survival you would exchange children like currency. She writes one line about a mother tossing her baby over the ship, aiming for a lifeboat, and the baby drowns in the waters — you sense the desperation, fear, and sorrow. She writes one line about Polish families refusing to leave their lands, with graves pre-dug in their gardens and a plan in place to lie in them and take their own lives when they hear of the Russians marching through — you’re a goner.

  STORY. A thief, a nurse, a Pole, and a sociopath. They represent so many of the lives lost in the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. Though the book covers the month of January, it’s within the few days of boarding and setting sail that all the truths come to light. As panic rises, as their fate becomes inevitable, chaos outside and within explodes.

  Sepetys wrote another heart-wrenching nonfiction book masked as fiction. I cannot stress enough how important it is to read Salt to the Sea, to read Between Shades of Gray, to reflect on your life and the lives lost after reading. Sepetys understands the nature of humanity on such a deep level. I trust her completely.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Philomel for review.

  HIGHLIGHT FOR SPOILER: Joana is Lina’s cousin from BSOG!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 8 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, review

• Book Review: “Walk on Earth a Stranger” by Rae Carson

  Posted at 5:45 am by Laura, on January 28, 2016

  Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

  Publisher: Greenwillow Books
  Published: September 2015
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780062242914
  Goodreads: 3.91
  Rating: ★★★

  Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

  She also has a secret.

  Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

  When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

  Georgia was the place to be for gold miners before word got around that California was filled with the precious metal. Leah Westfall’s family were just fine in their town — until someone got a whiff of her secret and murdered her parents. To protect her secret and run from the one person her parents trusted, Leah disguises as a boy and sets off on the Oregon Trail to California. Passing for a boy comes fairly easily on the trail, what with Leah comfortable with hard labor and harsh conditions, but some secrets can be too burdensome to bear alone.

  This is most definitely more historical fiction than fantasy. Leah — Lee, as she’s called by friends and as a boy — may be able to sense gold, and that sense comes in handy a few times throughout her travels on the harsh trail, but even without her uncanny ability the story still stands. She’s a hardworking, strong, determined, no-nonsense kind of character, and that’s enough to help her get by on her frightening journey from Georgia to Missouri, to joining her friend and a company to travel with from Missouri to California.

  The evocative writing and developed characters kept me reading, despite the lack of magic in the story. Lee finds being a boy liberating and difficult all at once. People listen to what she says, they let her do what she wants — they trust her mind and body without question. But she doesn’t like to lie, she feels lonely by keeping such a big secret from the women in her company, and she’s not sure who she really is: Leah or Lee. Thankfully her good friend, Jefferson, is there to remind her she can be both, is both.

  Canadians, Germans, a preacher and his wife, the Joyners (a family that hired Lee from the beginning on a flatboat to Missouri — keep your eye on Mrs. Joyner), college students, herders, and veterans all make up the company Lee and Jefferson join in Missouri. They all have their reasons to go to California or Oregon, but they tend to work together for the sake of keeping each other (or even, selfishly, themselves) safe. Everything I remember seeing so early on in The Oregon Trail computer game cropped up, too: cholera, measles, wandering children, stampede of buffalo. You name it, it happened. It made me wonder if I could ever give up everything like those pioneers did for the sake of a new life. I’m not sure I’m made of such tough stuff.

  In the end, this felt like a solid standalone adventure novel. It’s a story about a journey, from start to finish. Every single day of it, from sunrise to sunset, all the joys and troubles, laughter and heartache. A part of me was bummed there was so little magic — I was promised historical fantasy, and this delivered historical. Nothing wrong with that; this is an excellent historical. But it is not historical fantasy. Upon realizing this is part of a trilogy, I’m looking forward to seeing how the remaining cast of characters, and Lee’s gold-sensing abilities, play out in the future books. (I’ve got my eye on you, Mrs. Joyner.) Maybe the fantasy elements amp up later on.

  

  This book qualifies as book 1 of 12 of the “Rock My TBR” Challenge, hosted by Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler, in an effort to read more books off my overflowing TBR bookcase. 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016, Rock My TBR | 5 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Future Perfect” by Jen Larsen

  Posted at 5:30 am by Laura, on January 25, 2016

  Future Perfect by Jen Larsen

  Publisher: HarperTeen
  Published: October 2015
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780062321237
  Goodreads: 3.19
  Rating: ★★

  Every year on her birthday, Ashley Perkins gets a card from her grandmother: lose enough weight, and I will buy your happiness.

  Ashley doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with the way she looks. She knows exactly how she fits into her life, wide hips and all. But no amount of arguing can persuade her grandmother that “fat” isn’t a dirty word—that Ashley is happy with her life, and her body, as it is.

  But Ashley wasn’t counting on having her dreams served up on a silver platter at her latest birthday party. She falters when Grandmother offers the one thing she’s always wanted: tuition to attend Harvard University. Ashley wants it—she can’t deny it. But their annual negotiation has upped its stakes—Grandmother wants her to get weight-loss surgery in return for the money.

  As Ashley grapples with the choice that little white card has given her, she feels pressured by her friends, her family, even administrators at school. What’s a girl to do when the reflection in her mirror seems to bother everyone but her?

  Ashley Perkins is valedictorian at an advanced high school, has a wonderful, artistic boyfriend, supportive friends, and a killer resume for college applications. But her grandmother doesn’t see that. All she sees is her granddaughter’s weight, and how it could influence her admission into Harvard. When Ashley receives the tempting note from her grandmother on her birthday — free tuition for four years at Harvard if she gets weight-loss surgery — she grapples with the price of her dreams and her priceless worth.

  Before diving into this, I was looking forward to reading another kind of body book and was curious about its premise. While Dumplin’ was very body positive, embracing all shapes and sizes and health, this one tackles another kind of issue: what if the protagonist does care what others think about her weight?

  I am the sum of my parts. Everything I’ve ever done and everything I’ve ever
  achieved and everything I have ever been. Fat and smart and afraid and
  fierce and angry and brave all together right here, and every piece of the
  puzzle fits the way it’s supposed to and I can’t pretend anymore.

  Ashley’s passionate and determined and hard-working, destined for greatness.I was on board with her anxiety before her birthday, the tension and build-up and pacing that would become Turning Point 1 in the novel. But after receiving the note (and everyone getting all up in her business with their opinions on what she should do with her own body and future), her ultimate decision in Turning Point 2 seemed a bit lackluster. I’m not sure the Ashley at the beginning of the book would’ve gone in the direction Ashley at the end of the book did, but is that the character growth? I don’t know. Nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to do with your life, especially when you’re a teenager, but Ashley’s reasons for going to Harvard pre- and post-note almost seem unimportant. Surely someone with her resume could also receive scholarships, right?

  I guess I’m just unsure about the delivery of the ending. It could be inspirational; it could be a cop-out. I’m on the fence about it.

  What was completely unexpected was how integral her friends’ lives (and their own journeys they tackled) were in the book. Jolene, transgender, and Laura, a free-spirit artist, have a lot on their plates. I was interested in each of them, but to the same degree and intensity I was interested in Ashley. So whose story am I supposed to invest most of my time in? Is this book about finding your own direction in life, regardless of what people say? If so, I think it was halfway to meeting that goal. I really wanted to read about Ashley. Save Jolene’s powerful story and Laura’s interesting one for other books to let all these voices ring properly.

  Again, I’m unsure. There are good things in here, and moments of greatness (like that quote! YES!), but I think too much was attempted for one book. Body perception and health is quite the issue, and Ashley was a strong character. I wanted more.

  This fulfills book 1 of 10 library books in 2016. 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, review

• Book Review: “The Case of the Girl in Grey” by Jordan Stratford (ARC)

  Posted at 4:50 am by Laura, on January 12, 2016

  The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency: The Case of the Girl in Grey by Jordan Stratford

  Publisher: Knopf BFYR
  Publishing Date: January 26
  Genre: middle grade, historical fiction, mystery
  ISBN: 9780385754446
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★.5

  The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency was supposed to be a secret constabulary, but after the success of their first case, all of London knows that Lady Ada and Mary are the girls to go to if you have a problem.

  Their new case is a puzzle indeed. It involves a horrible hospital, a missing will, a hasty engagement, and a suspiciously slippery servant.

  But Mary’s stumbled onto a mystery of her own. She spotted a ghostly girl in a grey gown dashing through the park. A girl who is the spitting image of their new client.

  The two cases must be linked . . . or else there’s a perfectly supernatural explanation.

  Ada and Mary have two new detectives in their agency — their sisters — whether they like it or not. But the sisters prove to be of assistance when another case crops up, one that requires understanding the class system and social etiquette. But Mary is certain this case may be linked to an almost supernatural one she and Charles stumbled upon: a girl in grey, quite distressed, and one who seems to know a thing or two about the case the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency is working on.

  I love how Stratford manages to share bits and pieces of the true Ada and Mary (and Charles and Claire and Percy) in his mystery novels for MG readers. We know what these children and young adults become later on in life, and though there’s some fudging with the timelines, it’s all excellently written and fun.

  This case echoes another Wilkie Collins book, The Woman in White. It also has more character development for our adorable protagonists. Ada is obsessed with codes, which becomes incredibly helpful in solving this case. Mary is growing up and it appears she’s becoming chummy with Percy (*squeal*). But you can always rely on Ada to be awkward with people and for Mary to point it out and smooth over. Some things never change.

  Cute, clever, and darker than the first, this next installment of the Wollstonecraft mystery series is a bit more gothic and a tad less humorous. As I’m familiar with Woman in White, I knew within the first 30 pages which direction the book was going, but it’s still an excellent introduction to gothic for MG readers. Can’t wait for more!

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Knopf BFYR for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, genre: middle grade, genre: mystery, review

• Book Review: “Everything, Everything” by Nicola Yoon

  Posted at 2:17 pm by Laura, on December 16, 2015

  Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

  Publisher: Delacorte BFYR
  Published: September 2015
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780553496642
  Goodreads: 4.03
  Rating: ★★★.5

  My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

  But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

  Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

  Maddy is allergic to everything. She only interacts with her mother and Carla, her nurse. Everything other contact must go through a decontamination chamber for an hour and not be sick/have been around sick people, cannot touch Maddy, and cannot introduce new foods or clothes or fabrics to Maddy. No open windows or doors. Shaded spaces. Cleanliness. But then a family moves in next door, and Maddy’s interest in the world outside reawakens. Her curiosity over this noisy, rather abusive family is heightened when their son, Olly, manages to find a way to interact with Maddy. He clearly wants to find a way out of his own cage, and Maddy is the answer. For Maddy, Olly is her answer, too.

  I was drawn far more to Maddy’s experience of the world — seeing everything through her eyes and wondering how much of her life was a ticking clock — than the romance. The romance was a great way to propel her out of her house (talk about an even faster, heart-pounding ticking clock!), but I was not drawn to the romance mostly because I wasn’t drawn to Olly. It seemed real enough, sure, and they discuss whether she loves him because she genuinely loves him or because he’s the only one she’s interacted with — but even still, if it weren’t for the romance, for that enticing slice of the Outside, Maddy wouldn’t have left her home.

  Or discovered all the shocking things after leaving home. *dun dun dun*

  Not only was Maddy’s situation an interesting and unique one — absolutely fascinating, this “bubble baby” scenario — but this book is another good tool to discuss mental illness and the impact it has on everyone outside of the primary individual. YA is loaded with mental illness books through the eyes of the mentally ill, rather than the friend or family member witnessing it and experiencing it from another perspective. Maddy, Olly, Carla, and Maddy’s mother all express and experience love in different ways. It’s amazing how love can inspire or hinder us. Love is worth everything, and everything is worth love. It’s how we act upon it that define who we are in this world.

  Enhanced with the supplementary images, charts, tickets, and IM convos, this novel will send you for a spin across two extremes in environment: experiencing a pristine, glass world, and a world of chaos and vibrancy.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

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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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