Blog Tour Review: Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

Today is my stop on the Wicked Saints blog tour!

Title: Wicked Saints
Author: Emily A. Duncan
Genre: fantasy
Series: Something Dark and Holy #1
Pages: 385
Published: April 2 2019
Source: publishers for review
Rating: 4.5/5

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy.

Without doubt, Wicked Saints marks the arrival of a new talent on the fantasy scene. With her debut and the launch of a series, Emily A. Duncan ably crafts a tactile and immersive world, full of monsters and magic, gods and girls. From atmosphere to characterization, Wicked Saints is a finely-tuned work of fantasy/horror. The author clearly illustrates a keen eye for detail and a dab hand at plotting; this novel proves a good harbinger of things to come for fans of intricate, morally grey stories.

The slowly revealed world and central conflict at the root of Nadya's story is loosely based on the Hundred Years' War and is also vaguely Slavic in nature and tone. Despite these real-world influences, Duncan's countries of Kalyazin and Tranavia come across with a unique sense of place and history; their ongoing and escalating conflict is rooted in recognizable territory and feels as senseless as any real war. There's a solidity to the world that Duncan has fashioned for her characters to live within and it anchors not only Nadya but Serefin and Malachiasz as well. The verisimilitude of each of these countries is slowly built, by Nadya's stories and experiences and by Serefin's journey across both in pursuit of her. It's a world worth exploring and bursting with potential.

The characters in Wicked Saints live up to the high expectations wrought by comparisons to Bardugo. Duncan's characters are complicated and conflicted -- they may not always be likeable but they are always interesting and hard to predict. Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiasz are more than they appear to be and are more connected than it might seem. Their slowly revealed relationships make for another layer to the interactions between them.  This author has shown herself to be quite adept at uncovering and exploring the hidden facets of people.Even the secondary characters feel three-dimensional and real, though I could have done with more time spent with Parji in particular.

Wicked Saints stands out. It's unapologetic and angry; Nadya's emotions bleed out from the page and so does Serefin's. It leaves a mark when you're finished because it's memorable and harsh. A dark fantasy filled with blood magic, power, and an endless struggle. The magic systems could stand to be fleshed out some more but signs indicate that more on the front will be present in the sequels. Emily A. Duncan knows to leave her audience hungry for more and this brutal, reckless read does exactly that.

Book Tour Review: Lady of a Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd

Title: Lady of a Thousand Treasures
Author: Sandra Byrd
Genre: historical fiction
Series: Victorian Ladies #1
Pages: 480
Published: October 9 2018
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for review
Rating: 3.5/5

Miss Eleanor Sheffield is a talented evaluator of antiquities, trained to know the difference between a genuine artifact and a fraud. But with her father’s passing and her uncle’s decline into dementia, the family business is at risk. In the Victorian era, unmarried Eleanor cannot run Sheffield Brothers alone.

The death of a longtime client, Baron Lydney, offers an unexpected complication when Eleanor is appointed the temporary trustee of the baron’s legendary collection. She must choose whether to donate the priceless treasures to a museum or allow them to pass to the baron’s only living son, Harry—the man who broke Eleanor’s heart.

Eleanor distrusts the baron’s motives and her own ability to be unbiased regarding Harry’s future. Harry claims to still love her and Eleanor yearns to believe him, but his mysterious comments and actions fuel her doubts. When she learns an Italian beauty accompanied him on his return to England, her lingering hope for a future with Harry dims.

With the threat of debtor’s prison closing in, Eleanor knows that donating the baron’s collection would win her favor among potential clients, saving Sheffield Brothers. But the more time she spends with Harry, the more her faith in him grows. Might Harry be worthy of his inheritance, and her heart, after all? As pressures mount and time runs out, Eleanor must decide whom she can trust—who in her life is false or true, brass or gold—and what is meant to be treasured.

With her keen eye for time, detail, and scenery and a talent for crafting realistic and likeable characters, reading a Sandra Byrd book has yet to disappoint me. Her historical novels are well-drawn forays into the past, using the lives of disparate people during interesting times. Her latest, Lady of a Thousand Treasures, is a slowly spooled-out historical mystery; one that also has a strong romantic plotline to complement the meticulously built series of questions that surround middle-class Miss Eleanor Sheffield and her work in antiquities.

Eleanor is a deceptively mild, self-effacing woman; outwardly demure but possessing a keen mind, self-confidence, and abundant personal drive. She's relatable without being anachronistic for the time within which she lives. Her need to protect her family is pivotal but it's also refreshing that she likes her job, she likes to work and use her brain to provide. Always, she takes time to consider, think, and decide before taking action-- a benefit to her profession but one that leads to romantic complications when her longtime love acts rashly. The circumstances that keep Harry and Eleanor apart can feel a bit contrived -- one real, substantial conversation could have cleared things up -- but the author makes their interactions shine. There's chemistry and an easy camaraderie between them. His charm and her carefulness work well together.

The story in Lady of a Thousand Treasures is an involved one, tying together antiquities theft, murder, the Italian Wars for unity, a vengeful father, debtors' prisons, and a thwarted engagement. There's a lot of plot fodder and for the most part, the story covers it all and then moves along well and quickly. Eleanor is sorely tested from a wide array of antagonistic forces but she's stalwart and resourceful from start to finish.

There is also a slight religious element to the story in Lady of a Thousand Treasures. I rarely reach for anything in that realm of fiction but with Sandra Byrd, the more religious moments aren't heavy-handed and nor do they detract from the real plot being set up. They are incidental to what is happening; faith is part of Eleanor's life but the book isn't preachy. It can be bypassed or have  the reader's attention; it is not necessary. The real focus of the novel is Eleanor and her internal decisions -- first about the collection and then about how to save Sheffield Brothers.

First in a new series, Lady of a Thousand Treasures is an auspicious beginning.

 

Review: The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton

Title: The Clockmaker's Daughter
Author: Kate Morton
Genre: historical
Series: N/A
Pages: 608
Published: expected September 2018
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 4.25/5

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?

Told by multiple voices across time, The Clockmaker's Daughter is a story of murder, mystery and thievery, of art, love and loss. And flowing through its pages like a river, is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history, but who has watched it all unfold: Birdie Bell, the clockmaker's daughter.

Kate Morton has long been a favorite, even amongst my top authors. As I have said before, her novels are masterpieces of narrative fiction.  They are intricate and executed with aplomb. I know an author is highly-prized to me when my reaction to their work is anything less than five-stars because it feels like both a surprise and just intrinsically wrong, somehow. But I have to admit that while The Clockmaker's Daughter contains nearly all the classic Morton hallmarks of a great read, this particular set of interwoven stories didn't resonate with me as much as almost all of her previous novels did. I still fell into her intricate style of storytelling eventually, but it wasn't as complete of an immersion; for once, this is a Morton that could stand to use a bit of editing down. In a six hundred page book, especially one so dependent on the slow reveal of authorial sleight of hand, the underdeveloped aspects of the story stand out in retrospect.

The tale of Birdie and Leonard and Elodie and Tip and all the others connected to the manor at Birchwood is by no means a "bad" book -- Morton isn't even capable of that with her weakest effort to date, 2015's The Lake House -- but the beginning of this lags, one of the POVs is rather dull and underdeveloped each time it's visited, and the addition of the supernatural elements detracted from the novel's other various strongpoints. Dense and slow-moving as is the author's usual style, the plot to The Clockmaker's Daughter takes a long time to engage the reader and even Kate's undeniable and present talents for atmosphere and mystery can't entirely compensate for it.

The cast is a myriad of characters with tangential connections to one another across time and distance. Their slowly revealed relationships make the pages spent interesting for the most part; Morton's quite adept at uncovering the hidden facets of people, this time those related to the mysterious photograph whose discovery incited all the ensuing revelations. Leonard is the exception to the rule; his chapters have emotional resonance but his voice is dull and the events he narrated aren't the most pivotal. Despite his relevance to both plot and other characters, he is a charisma void on the page. The supernatural additions of <spoiler>the 'Night of the Following' (maybe??) and even Birdie herself, charming as she was</spoiler> didn't work and also felt unnecessary. One could have been excised completely and the other could have featured in a more mundane sense. They felt like a rare misfire from an experienced author.

The Clockmaker's Daughter is the author's sixth to be so centered on dual timelines across history and connected to a mysterious house/manor/castle and each is unique gothic tale of secrets, family, and how the past lives on in the present.Though not the complete Morton experience possible and not without a few missteps in its hundreds of pages and several rotating POVs, The Clockmaker's Daughter is still a solidly good novel and with well-rendered characters, an enveloping atmosphere, a intriguing set of mysteries, and creative plotting tying it all together. It's a decent idea of what this author is capable of doing even if it left me craving a reread for the more polished The Distant Hours and The House at Riverton.

Review: The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani

Title: The Storyteller's Secret
Author: Sejal Badani
Genre: historical fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 411
Published: expected September 2018
Source: ARC received for review
Rating: 3.5/5

From the bestselling author of Trail of Broken Wings comes an epic story of the unrelenting force of love, the power of healing, and the invincible desire to dream.
 
Nothing prepares Jaya, a New York journalist, for the heartbreak of her third miscarriage and the slow unraveling of her marriage in its wake. Desperate to assuage her deep anguish, she decides to go to India to uncover answers to her family’s past.

Intoxicated by the sights, smells, and sounds she experiences, Jaya becomes an eager student of the culture. But it is Ravi—her grandmother’s former servant and trusted confidant—who reveals the resilience, struggles, secret love, and tragic fall of Jaya’s pioneering grandmother during the British occupation. Through her courageous grandmother’s arrestingly romantic and heart-wrenching story, Jaya discovers the legacy bequeathed to her and a strength that, until now, she never knew was possible.

A finely-tuned dual timeline novel centered on memorable women, both modernish America and India in the 1930s - 1940s. A rather dense book and one that can move the plot rather slowly, The Storyteller's Secret is very much character-driven in both its past and the present timelines. The two seemingly-disparate plots are intricately linked to one another, and though the reveal of how that is so is easily guessed, Badani's talent for characterization compensates for any lost surprise later on. She is able to evince genuine interest in the people involved, from Jaya and her "modern" problems, to Amisha's quiet determination in the rigid culture of the past, and that makes reading this historical fiction a satisfying experience.

The characters and world of her novels are where this author truly shines. Some of the novel's plotting is a bit blunt and predictable for anyone paying attention, but her characters are well-wrought and realistic and her settings are vibrantly realized. It's easy to envision both sets of plotlines but especially so when set in the lively, colorfully described India of Badani's pen. Likewise, the American Jaya is a character easy to understand and care for but it is Amisha that truly captures the heart of the novel. She lives a far different life than her modern counterpart but it's easy to see the echoes of one another across the decades that divide them.

There is perhaps just a shade too much perspective changing in The Storyteller's Secret. Each plotline has its merits and its problems, but jumping between first-person to third, so rapidly can highlight the artificiality of fiction. That, combined with the easily-predicted reveal, detract slightly from the story's conclusion. The Storyteller's Secret is a comprehensive, detailed novel, that does a lot right when it comes to character and setting. But though the good points outnumber the negative by a fair margin, it must be noted that overall, it was weighed down by a few too many chapters and a rather overt plot resolution.

Blog Tour Review: Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi

Title: Star-Touched Stories
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Genre: fantasy
Series: The Star-Touched Queen #2.5
Pages: 304
Published: August 7 2018
Source: ARC via publishers for review
Rating: 4/5

Three lush and adventurous stories in the Star-Touched world.

Death and Night

He was Lord of Death, cursed never to love. She was Night incarnate, destined to stay alone. After a chance meeting, they wonder if, perhaps, they could be meant for more. But danger crouches in their paths, and the choices they make will set them on a journey that will span lifetimes.

Poison and Gold

Now that her wish for a choice has come true, Aasha struggles to control her powers. But when an opportunity to help Queen Gauri and King Vikram's new reign presents itself, she is thrown into the path of the fearsome yet enchanting Spy Mistress. To help her friends, Aasha will have to battle her insecurities and perhaps, along the way, find love.

Rose and Sword

There is a tale whispered in the dark of the Empire of Bharat-Jain. A tale of a bride who loses her bridegroom on the eve of her wedding. But is it a tale or a truth? 

These three short stories, set in the same magical and dangerous world as the author's full-length novels The Star-Touched Queen and its successor A Court of Wishes, are another window into the fertile imagination of Roshani Chokshi. Each is replete with the vibrant imagery and vivid writing that readers have come to appreciate in Chokshi’s verbose style. The writing itself can approach purple prose at times, but without ever crossing over; this is a flowery book full of ornate writing and Chokshi has the talent to pull it off with aplomb.

Though all the additions to Star-Touched Stories are creative, well-written and plotted, it is the first,‘Death and Night’, that is the best, and the sole one rated at a full five stars. All three make for a solid selection but Chokshi's clever, and often darkly humorous or just plain silly, look at the courtship between the god of death and goddess of night is the standout. A familiar story, and a prequel for the first novel, played out in fresh hands and with fresh eyes, there's inventiveness from start to finish as Chokshi weaves her unlikely but impossible to resist love story. It doesn't follow the expected path or fall into overdone tropes; watching Amar and Maya is still genuinely fun and seeing them meet is satisfying.

The second, 'Poison and Gold', is another strong offering; one a bit shorter but focused on flawed and yet likeable characters, relatable despite their less-than-mundane situations and abilities. The writing itself remains a standout throughout the pages, but Aasha's struggle to control her gift, control her fate is vividly rendered and easily empathized. 'Rose and Sword' is a another good short story, but even with the talents of varied Roshani Chokshi, felt a bit shortchanged in comparison to the sweeping romance of the first and the heartfelt emotion of the second. It was too short, too rushed of an ending. The unexpected glimmers of humor, usually unexpected, were another highlight of the entire collection.

An anthology that further explores the world that Maya introduced us to and Gauri further expanded on her own adventures, Star-Touched Stories is a glimpse at smaller lives within a large world. Key figures are shown and feature into the plots, but even the newcomers and side characters make an impression. The author's vivid storytelling, which is often so descriptive it verges on tangible, is ably suited to short-form as well as full-length novels. It was fun to revisit such a fantastical and unique world, even for a short time.

Book Tour Review: The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner

Title: The Romanov Empress
Author: C.W. Gortner
Genre: historical fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 448
Published: July 2018
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for review
Rating:  4/5

Even from behind the throne, a woman can rule.

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.  

Covering decades in the doomed Romanov Court, veteran author C.W. Gortner uses his many strengths as a historical fiction writer to illuminate the life of Dagmar of Denmark, who became known to history by her adopted name of Empress Maria Feodorovna. Mother to the last Tsar of Russia, this kind and clever woman left an impact all her own both on her family and on the country she adopted as her own.

Dagmar, who usually answered to the name Minnie though she had a plethora of nicknames, led a fascinating life. The second daughter of an impoverished and unexpected king of Denmark, her story is full of both heartbreak and quiet determination. Fiancee first to Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich, but the eventual wife of his brother Emperor Alexander III, her romantic life was unpredictable and tangled. Her many allegiances -- to her beloved home country, then to Nixa, then her autocratic husband, and finally to her children and grandchildren -- made the intersections of her identity relatable and recognizable to modern readers. She was a woman pulled in many directions who did the best she could for her country and for her descendants.

Life in the Romanov court is brought to vibrant reality under Gortner's pen, albeit with a few improvisations on the factual. Minnie's introduction to Russian culture and perspective is fresh and atmospheric; seeing Russia through the eyes of the tsars and their family is memorable. Some details and events have been adjusted, moved, or ignored to streamline the narrative and the authorial decisions make sense; Minnie's life was long and convoluted but the gist of her story is contained within The Romanov Empress. She's presented as a whole person; fallible and flawed, but one who no doubt tried to stave off the inevitable decline of her 400-year-old dynasty.

Large in scope but without sacrificing the finer details, The Romanov Empress paints a realistic and researched version of Dagmar. Her personality and opinions shine through, even when overruled by her more despotic spouse; a figure in the Russian court for most of her life, it's easy to get lost in the romanticized version of this period in history. But Maria was a real woman, who loved, lost and then tried to find her grand-daughter after the worst horror befell her extended family. Through all the stages of her public life -- impoverished princess to wary tsarevna to strong-willed tsarina -- Minnie never lost her quiet strength or her deeply-held beliefs. She was an impressive woman and Gortner shows her in all her imperfect humanity.

Review: Hullmetal Girls

Title: Hullmetal Girls
Author: Emily Skrutskie
Genre: science fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 320
Published: 2018
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 2.5/5

Aisha Un-Haad would do anything for her family. When her brother contracts a plague, she knows her janitor's salary isn't enough to fund his treatment. So she volunteers to become a Scela, a mechanically enhanced soldier sworn to protect and serve the governing body of the Fleet, the collective of starships they call home. If Aisha can survive the harrowing modifications and earn an elite place in the Scela ranks, she may be able to save her brother.

Key Tanaka awakens in a Scela body with only hazy memories of her life before. She knows she's from the privileged end of the Fleet, but she has no recollection of why she chose to give up a life of luxury to become a hulking cyborg soldier. If she can make it through the training, she might have a shot at recovering her missing past.

In a unit of new recruits vying for top placement, Aisha's and Key's paths collide, and the two must learn to work together--a tall order for girls from opposite ends of the Fleet. But a rebellion is stirring, pitting those who yearn for independence from the Fleet against a government struggling to maintain unity.

With violence brewing and dark secrets surfacing, Aisha and Key find themselves questioning their loyalties. They will have to put aside their differences, though, if they want to keep humanity from tearing itself apart.

While I remain a big fan of this author and her apparently boundless and horrific imagination (that's a compliment, trust me) I found Hullmetal Girls to be maybe 2.5 stars out of 5 if I am being lenient. Maybe. I have to admit that I am disappointed by the lackluster effort that is her third novel. I expect big things from the mind behind The Abyss Surrounds Us and while this book has more than a few good ideas and a few clever science fiction angles, the messy execution of them makes it hard to stick around, much less immerse myself in Key and Aisha's POVs. 

This is a standalone so I understand the author didn't have the time of say her earlier duology to frame and fill her imagined world/starships, but there are many questions left about how the districts work; some subplots are woven into the gaps of the information but overall it's a patchy framework from which to hang a story. The setup of this space-dystopia is also unfailingly familiar to anyone whose read even just the Hunger Games. Skrutskie is usually brimming with originality and flair -- and while the second talent is on display with things like the Scela system, the "rich and poor numbered district' left much to be desired.

The worldbuilding is sink or swim when it comes to the hard scifi (and then comes the body horror, be prepared), but without enough information provided and the POVs felt indistinguishable. There is a definite uptick after about 65% in -- the story makes up somewhat for lost time by the end but it's not enough to entirely compensate. It takes a long time for basic details of Key and Aisha's life to be understood -- how the Scela work, what their function is within the ships, what the General Body means and how it ties into the story. It's clumsily rendered and often too late; I finished the novel because I was intrigued in one of the plots, but not due to any attachment to the characters themselves.

A swing and a miss for Skrutskie's third at bat, but I'll definitely be checking out her fourth.

 

Two Minute Review: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Title: The Kiss Quotient
Author: Helen Hoang
Genre: romance
Series: N/A
Pages: 336
Published: June 5 2018
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 5/5

A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases--a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice--with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan--from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...

Wow -- a strong debut and a thoroughly wonderful surprise. This was just absolutely fun and one I didn't want to end though I gobbled it up in two great marathons of utter concentration. Nothing could divert me from Stella and Michael's slow-but-also-not courtship. From the start, it's authentic and engaging and focused on several often ignored perspectives with both sensitivity and care.  

The Kiss Quotient is romance done really well -- it's warm, funny, and the plot is driven by more than just superficial conflict. It's an impressive effort for a debut because the story hardly misses a step. The author may be new but she knows her way around a trope; how to use them, invert them (reverse Pretty Woman!) and how to create sexual tension.

The Kiss Quotient makes for a memorable and heartwarming read; one full of well-drawn characters in an engaging love story that brings the feels and the shipping. A promising debut and easily a full five-star read. It's just plain fun to read. This is one that will be visited again in the near future when I need a guaranteed winner.

Two Minute Review: Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel

Title: Only Human
Author: Sylvain Neuvel
Genre: science fiction
Series: Themis Files #3
Pages: 352
Published: May 2018
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 3/5

We always thought the biggest threat to humanity would come from the outside.

We were wrong.

As the human race picks up the pieces of destruction left behind, a new world order emerges. New alliances are formed. Old divisions are strengthened. And, with a power struggle fuelled by the threat of mutually assured destruction, nothing is certain.

At a time when the world's nations should have been coming together, they have never been more divided.

With the human race teetering on the brink of total war, Rose, Vincent and Eva must choose sides. But doing the right thing might mean making the ultimate sacrifice. 

Hmmm... I hate to damn with fain praise but this is a very lukewarm three stars. This is one novel that needed to sit and sink in before I was entirely sure how I felt about it. It's obvious that Sylvain Neuvel never does what you think he is going to -- or even what he might possibly do. He heads in entirely new directions with each successive novel, but I can't say that it worked very well for me in this last of his humans-meet-aliens trilogy. The first novel was an unparalleled success but neither of the followups matched that original level of imagination meets execution.

For a finale, specially for a series like this -- one that has been so creative and unpredictable... this was kind of underwhelming, I am not going to lie. This series started out so strongly and then.. kinda petered out more and more with both sequels. They each weren't bad taken on their own merit, but both Waking Gods a year ago and Only Human now definitely didn't have the vision and creativity of Sleeping Giants.

Book Tour Review: Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt

Title: Ecstasy
Author: Mary Sharratt
Genre: historical fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 400
Published: April 10 2018
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for review
Rating:  4/5

In the glittering hotbed of turn-of-the-twentieth-century Vienna, one woman’s life would define and defy an era

Gustav Klimt gave Alma her first kiss. Gustav Mahler fell in love with her at first sight and proposed only a few weeks later. Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius abandoned all reason to pursue her. Poet and novelist Franz Werfel described her as “one of the very few magical women that exist.” But who was this woman who brought these most eminent of men to their knees? In Ecstasy, Mary Sharratt finally gives one of the most controversial and complex women of her time the center stage.

Coming of age in the midst of a creative and cultural whirlwind, young, beautiful Alma Schindler yearns to make her mark as a composer. A brand-new era of possibility for women is dawning and she is determined to make the most of it. But Alma loses her heart to the great composer Gustav Mahler, nearly twenty years her senior. He demands that she give up her music as a condition for their marriage. Torn by her love and in awe of his genius, how will she remain true to herself and her artistic passion?

Part cautionary tale, part triumph of the feminist spirit, Ecstasy reveals the true Alma Mahler: composer, author, daughter, sister, mother, wife, lover, and muse.

Mary Sharratt is a vivid writer with an eye for both detail and atmosphere and a knack for re-framing familiar historical events in new light. She highlights and humanizes women from history; those who are often ignored, stifled, or vilified and those that are rarely given a voice in the official narrative. With Ecstasy, Sharratt illuminates the life of the talented and tempestuous Alma Schindler, a formidable musician in her own right as well as a muse and inspiration to many well-known male musicians and artists in turn-of-the-century Vienna.

A strong personality with a noticeable talent for both composing and performing, Alma's presence is unique and memorable. She's faced by constraints of her time and society, as well as in her eventual husband's expectations but her talent and wit shine through. And even through facing her personal demons, Alma remains uniquely herself. Her point-of-view is refreshingly relate-able without being anachronistic for the times in which she lived. Sharratt does an admirable job of adapting Alma's voice and feelings and her narration feels natural.

Creation, especially of the musical variety, are main themes for both Ecstasy and for Alma herself in all stages of her story. Her life revolved around art for its entirety with a famous painter for a father and Sharratt makes music omnipresent here in her fictional life. Alma's need to create more than just human life, to be defined as more than only a wife or a mother -- to make her own art known -- is a core element to who she is and how she develops as a single woman and later as the 'proper' wife to an Opera Director. Her life and goals may shift and ebb, but her love of music is a constant, believable, and unchanging facet of her characterization.

An authentic and vivid recreation of a fascinating and flawed woman, Ecstasy is a look at mental health and love, music and motherhood. Mary Sharratt ably renders a nuanced version of a complicated woman and adapts her unconventional life with ease. Her version of the acclaimed and beloved fixture of culture and society in Europe and in America is engaging, forthright, and unique.  Ecstasy is a window to a vibrant Viennese society and a memorable main character.

Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, April 10
Review at Broken Teepee

Wednesday, April 11
Feature at Passages to the Past

Thursday, April 12
Review at Bookfever
Review at Unabridged Chick

Friday, April 13
Interview at Unabridged Chick
Review at View From the Birdhouse

Saturday, April 14
Review at Clarissa Reads it All

Monday, April 16
Review at Cup of Sensibility

Tuesday, April 17
Review at Based on a True Story

Wednesday, April 18
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Thursday, April 19
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective

Friday, April 20
Review at Linda’s Book Obsession

Sunday, April 22
Review at Carole Rae’s Random Ramblings

Monday, April 23
Review at A Bookaholic Swede

Tuesday, April 24
Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Wednesday, April 25
Review at A Literary Vacation

Thursday, April 26
Guest Post at A Bookish Affair

Friday, April 27
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews

Monday, April 30
Review at Caryn, the Book Whisperer

Tuesday, May 1
Review at A Bookish Affair

Thursday, May 3
Interview at The Writing Desk

Monday, May 7
Review at What Cathy Read Next

Wednesday, May 9
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Thursday, May 10
Review at Writing the Renaissance

Friday, May 11
Interview at Writing the Renaissance

Monday, May 14
Interview at Let Them Read Books

Wednesday, May 16
Review at Jorie Loves a Story

Thursday, May 17
Review at Nicole Evelina

Friday, May 18
Interview at Nicole Evelina

 

Book Tour Review: Blood of a Thousand Stars by Rhoda Belleza

Title: Blood of a Thousand Stars
Author: Rhoda Belleza
Genre: science fiction
Series: Empress of a Thousand Skies #2
Pages: 344
Published: expected February 20 2018
Source: ARC from publishers for review
Rating: 4/5

Empress 

With a revolution brewing, Rhee is faced with a choice: make a deal with her enemy, Nero, or denounce him and risk losing her crown.


Fugitive 
Framed assassin Alyosha has one goal in mind: kill Nero. But to get his revenge, Aly may have to travel back to the very place he thought he’d left forever—home.

Princess 
Kara knows that a single piece of technology located on the uninhabitable planet Wraeta may be the key to remembering—and erasing—the princess she once was.

Madman 

Villainous media star Nero is out for blood, and he’ll go to any means necessary to control the galaxy.

Vicious politics and high-stakes action culminate in an epic showdown that will determine the fate of the universe.

The second book in Rhoda Belleza's politics and revenge-driven YA science fiction series, Blood of a Thousand Stars offers more of what made the first so much fun: fast-paced action, interesting characters of diverse backgrounds, clever plots, and general mayhem in space.  This time around the stakes are higher and the plots are thicker, the villain more devious -- the author pulls no punches with her sophomore offering. Galactic war threatens everyone and everything, and the Ta'an sisters and their allies have to scramble to find their place in everything and try to stop a tyrant.

Empress of a Thousand Skies was undoubtedly Rhiannon's story, and Blood of a Thousand Stars belongs to Kara/Josselyn's struggle and evolution. While there are still three pivotal rotating POVs --  this time: Kara, Rhee, and Alyosha -- it is Kara that dominates the narrative. Hers is the POV that stood out the most because her choices are the most crucial to the plot of the novel. The other characters have become steadily more real and defined people over the course of both books, and they again play essential roles, but Kara remains the linchpin of the narrative. Rhiannon is a strong supporting main character; she still grows and learns about herself; Alyosha finds himself once again in unexpected but dire straits and complements Kara in more ways than one.

Belleza features a lot of action and assassination attempts and political maneuvering in her second novel. There are some high stakes and high adventures as each character fights -- for the throne, for their people, for themselves. At times the pacing of essential scenes can feel almost frenetic; with a lot happening and different narrators covering various events, it can be confusing to keep straight. There can be clarity issues when it comes to the fight scenes, especially, but it's an improvement from the same situation in book one. There also is a third-act plot reveal which feels like a bit of a retcon from key events that took place  in Empress of a Thousand Skies -- <spoiler>now Veyron is revealed as loyal and his ill-fated assassination attemped was timed perfectly so Dahlen would save Rhee? But then who would have saved Julian from Nero because Rhee was alive?....</spoiler>  -- but tied in neatly with how Julian was involved in this book's plot. I'm not sure it entirely works but I did appreciate how Julian complicated Rhiannon's narrative and made her reflect on her past choices and actions.

While there is still room and space in this galaxy to explore further stories, there is a definite feel of finality to at least this particular arc of Kara and Rhee's stories. There's bittersweet resolution that fits the harsh events that preceded it. Blood of a Thousand Stars was quickly-moving and and engaging; it may be on the lighter side of scifi but doesn't lack for imagination or for a death toll. The plotting could use a little more finesse, the universe feels a tad bit small (why are all these journeys over so fast? Space is huge!) but overall, a surprising and entertaining sequel and an improvement on its predecessor.

Review: The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Title: The House at Riverton
Author: Kate Morton
Genre: historical, gothic, mystery
Series: N/A
Pages: 483
Published: 2006
Source: purchased
Rating: 4.5/5

Grace Bradley was just a girl when she began working as a servant at Riverton House. For years, her life was inextricably tied with the glamorous and eccentric Hartford family's daughters, Hannah and Emmeline. At a glittering society party in the summer of 1924, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline. Only they - and Grace - know the dark truth.

Many years later, when Grace is living in a nursing home, she receives a visit from a young director making a film about the events of that summer. The director takes Grace to Riverton House and reawakens memories of the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege, of the vibrant twenties, and of a stunning secret Grace kept all her life.

A vivid, page-turning tale of suspense and passion, "The House At Riverton" is marked by indelible characters and a breathtaking ending that readers won't soon forget.

Morton's debut is impressive; a near-flawless introduction to the complex convolutions of her plots and intertwined character histories that soon become her hallmark as an author. The House at Riverton is an atmospheric and gothic favorite, covering various themes such as the shifting nature of history, the upstairs/downstairs dichotomy of English service during Edwardian times, how the past informs the present, how secrets can and will surface, as well as the unreliable nature of memory. Morton ably ties all the loose threads and various themes of her story into a comprehensive, clever dual-timeline narrative whose picture becomes ever-clearer as Grace dictates key events.

It's a book that's defined as much by its locations as its people; the setting of the Hartford ancestral manor at Riverton is as much a character as any person and is also a central component of both timelines that make up the narrative. Using her evocative backdrop to literally loom over Grace, Hannah, Emme and Robbie from the first time they meet, Morton subtly weaves a backstory of tragedy leading up to the mysterious events of 1924.

The plot that unfolds slowly and perfectly at the heart of the The House at Riverton centers on two sisters; their rivalries, their secrets, their often tested familial bond. Both Hannah and Emme are fully three-dimensional beings; each with a past that informs their future and sets themselves at cross-purposes to one another in one chapter and and aligns them as allies in the next. Their relationship is pivotal and ever-evolving as the secrets and half-truths that make up their lives are uncovered. The way the finale crescendos into an inevitable, but still clever and unexpected, finale makes this another Morton masterpiece. 

A master storyteller from the first, and one with a considerable talent for crafting real, complex, misguided characters, Kate Morton's first novel is haunting and unforgettable. The emotions it creates and the characters it gave voice linger long after the last page is read.

 

What I Haven't Been Reading: New DNFs

I've had a good run lately, but there are always a few.

Luna: Wolf Moon by Ian McDonald

While I did actually finish this looong book, I have so little so say upon finishing that it doesn't even really deserve a two-minute review post of its own.

The Black Witch by Laurie Feather -- hard pass after all the details have come out and her unrepentant stance since then.

The Empire's Ghost by Isabelle Steiger -- so long, so boring, so unoriginal.

Calling My Name by Liara Tamani -- personally my issues here but I didn't like the writing or the treatment of religion.

Brooding YA Hero by Carrie Ann DiRisio -- there's a reason that this makes for a good twitter account and not a good long-exposure. It's best suited to short burst of amusement; wears thin easily and quickly.

Review: Game of Shadows by Erika Lewis

Title: Game of Shadows
Author: Erika Lewis
Genre: fantasy
Series: N/A
Pages: 400
Published: expected February 28 2017
Source: finished copy for review from publisher
Rating: 3/5

Ethan Makkai thought that seeing ghosts was the worst of his problems. Between his ethereal gift and life with a single mother hell-bent on watching his every move, he feels imprisoned. When Ethan sees a chance to escape, to leave the house by himself for the first time in his life, he seizes it, unaware that this first taste of freedom will cost him everything.

Ethan is thrown into a strange and eerie world, like nothing he's ever seen. He's assaulted by dive-bombing birds and rescued by a stranger who claims to be his bodyguard. His apartment is trashed, and his mother is kidnapped to a place Ethan never knew existed—a hidden continent called Tara.

Travelling to Tara in search of his mother, Ethan discovers that everything he knows about his life is a lie. His mother is royalty. His father is not dead. His destiny is likely to get him killed.

Confronted by a vicious sorcerer determined to destroy the Makkai family, Ethan must garner strength from his gift and embrace his destiny if he’s going to save his mother and all the people of Tara, including the beautiful girl he’s fallen for.

Erika Lewi's debut novel is a fun young adult ride. Though occasionally uneven in execution, Game of Shadows more than makes for a good read with its ambition and solid storytelling. There's a lot going on from the first page; it's full of monsters and ghosts, family secrets and assassinations, hidden continents and ancient kingdoms. First in series, this is an inventive blend of a several genres (portal fantasy/supernatural) in one novel, and contains worldbuilding and magic systems that are definitely unique, though both based on/inspired by Celtic mythology. Action-packed and high adventure, even the book's missteps are forgivable considered the sheer amount of entertainment offered by Ethan's storyline.

While some of the plot twists in Game of Shadows left me with questions occasionally -- how did Ethan never notice Bartlett before that day if he's been there the whole time? etc -- Lewis writes creatively and uses her Celtic influences cleverly. Her plotting is mostly sound though not free of the ccasional clarity issue, and the pacing can be uneven. There are a few genre tropes to be found in its pages and Game of Shadows is not always able to avoid the pitfalls of predictability (Christian's role, especially, is no suprise). The largest strength of the story lies with the hidden world of Tara itself. Given the large amounts of info and detail, there is no surprise that every part of it, from Landover to Kilkerry feels solidly built. Lewis's characters are also interesting, but they aren't as well-developed as the other aspects of the novel. In particular, the main character of Ethan sometimes makes dumb decisions for plot reasons, and can also read as older or younger than his given age most of the time. 

The ending of Game of Shadows manages to be intriguing and satisfying, while still obviously geared toward creating the plot of a sequel to come. The events of the book were prologue to a larger struggle with Ethan's various enemies, sure to be explored further with this new threat looming. This first novel was very much Ethan's story as a young hero; his introduction to Tara is only the launchpoint of further complications and growth. Though his chief antagonist lacks the menace really needed to feel like a threat, the author has a lot of potential to explore in the world and customs of Tara and its diverse, magical countries.

Two Minute Review: The Violinist of Venice by Alyssa Palombo

Title: The Violinist of Venice
Author: Alyssa Palombo
Genre: historical fiction
Series: N/A
Pages: 448
Published: December 15 2015
Source: purchased
Rating: 4/5

A sweeping historical novel of composer and priest Antonio Vivaldi, a secret wealthy mistress, and their passion for music and each other

Like most 18th century Venetians, Adriana d'Amato adores music-except her strict merchant father has forbidden her to cultivate her gift for the violin. But she refuses to let that stop her from living her dreams and begins sneaking out of her family's palazzo under the cover of night to take violin lessons from virtuoso violinist and composer Antonio Vivaldi. However, what begins as secret lessons swiftly evolves into a passionate, consuming love affair.

Adriana's father is intent on seeing her married to a wealthy, prominent member of Venice's patrician class-and a handsome, charming suitor, whom she knows she could love, only complicates matters-but Vivaldi is a priest, making their relationship forbidden in the eyes of the Church and of society. They both know their affair will end upon Adriana's marriage, but she cannot anticipate the events that will force Vivaldi to choose between her and his music. The repercussions of his choice-and of Adriana's own choices-will haunt both of their lives in ways they never imagined.

Spanning more than 30 years of Adriana's life, Alyssa Palombo's The Violinist of Venice is a story of passion, music, ambition, and finding the strength to both fall in love and to carry on when it ends.

Evocative, atmospheric and engaging, The Violinist of Venice is an excellent 18th century historical fiction set in one of the world's most unique cities. With a dramatic story that encompasses the brilliance of Vivaldi, violins, an omnipresent Baroque atmosphere, and ill-fated romance, Alyssa Palombo's debut novel is one to relish for fans of the genre. The pacing can stagnate at times but the picturesque locale and the author's talent for description make the story of Adriana d'Amato one to remember.

Music and independence are two of the biggest themes of the The Violinist of Venice and for the life of its main character. Adriana has little personal choice in anything that happens before and after marriage; her impulsive affair with Antonio Vivaldi is her one small moment of rebellion, of personal choice for herself. It combines two of the things forbidden her that she most wants: love and music. Though scandalous, though against expectation, Adriana's decision makes sense for her life and the person she is. Though the book covers much more than the romance between the priest (yeeep) and Adriana - it spans thirty years of her life - the relationship between the two of them impacts all others in her life.

 Highly recommended -- [if only so that someone else can understand the romance of Vivaldi anonymously serenading Adri when they knew their love was doomed].

Two Minute Review: Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge

Title: Fly By Night
Author: Frances Hardinge
Genre: fantasy
Series: Fly By Night #1
Pages: 448
Published: 2006; March 14 2017
Source: publishers via NetGalley
Rating: 3.5/5

Twelve-year-old Mosca Mye hasn't got much. Her cruel uncle keeps her locked up in his mill, and her only friend is her pet goose, Saracen, who'll bite anything that crosses his path. But she does have one small, rare thing: the ability to read. She doesn't know it yet, but in a world where books are dangerous things, this gift will change her life.

Enter Eponymous Clent, a smooth-talking con man who seems to love words nearly as much as Mosca herself. Soon Mosca and Clent are living a life of deceit and danger -- discovering secret societies, following shady characters onto floating coffeehouses, and entangling themselves with crazed dukes and double-crossing racketeers. It would be exactly the kind of tale Mosca has always longed to take part in, until she learns that her one true love -- words -- may be the death of her.

Mosca Mye burned down her uncle's mill when leaving town in the dead of night. While carrying a large, angry goose. With a man she doesn't know, who is on the run from the law, who she also set free to aid in her own escape from the drudgery of her homelife. It doesn't get much better from there for Mosca, Saracen (the goose), or Eponymous Clent (the escaped spy), but it does get highly entertaining. Fly By Night is a middle grade/early young adult novel but there is so much going on -- subtle hints, allusions, references, jokes, wordplay - that will make it readily appeal to readers of all ages and kinds.

Fly By Night is a dense and clever read; this is an author with a unique grasp on language and verbiage. In this world where books are illegal and dangerous to have, Hardinge takes pains to illustrate how that would affect a society and uses her urchin main character to subvert expectations. Granted, this version of Fahrenheit 451 runs a bit silly but it's consistently smart. The twists in the plot, the depth of the world, the dimensions of all the characters (even the villains!) all add up to create a viable, visual story. This is a good read but it does overextend itself somewhat. At almost four hundred fifty pages total, the inevitable lag in pacing is noticeable but also not wholly detrimental.

Clever, fun, detailed, Fly By Night has creativity and fun to spare.

Review: The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

Title: The Distant Hours
Author: Kate Morton
Genre: gothic
Series: N/A
Pages: 565
Published: 2010
Source: purchased
Rating: 5/5

A long lost letter arrives in the post and Edie Burchill finds herself on a journey to Milderhurst Castle, a great but moldering old house, where the Blythe spinsters live and where her mother was billeted 50 years before as a 13 year old child during WWII. The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives looking after the third and youngest sister, Juniper, who hasn’t been the same since her fiance jilted her in 1941.

Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in ‘the distant hours’ of the past has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.

Morton once again enthralls readers with an atmospheric story featuring unforgettable characters beset by love and circumstance and haunted by memory, that reminds us of the rich power of storytelling.

Haunting, evocative, and gothic are just a few of the words that could describe Kate Morton's masterpiece The Distant Hours. Set in the countryside of Kent at differing times in the 19th century for a wide array of connected characters, it's an impressive effort from a seasoned writer. Morton has proved time and time before she can write adeptly, that she can intertwine and obfuscate plotlines until the grand reveal is one of both surprise and sense. The Distant Hours is her best novel yet, the best example of her many gifts as a storyteller; it pulls no punches and ignores no plotline. There's not a page or a word that is wasted; the stage is perfectly set and Kate Morton directs her cast into a virutoso performance with ease.

Without veering into hyperbole I can attest that this is the ultimate in modern gothic storytelling; the hidden stories of Milderhurst castle, from the early 1900s to the early 1990s are shown to be one finely-tuned plot, hinted and hidden behind a superb sleight of hand and shared between the most unlikely of people. The well-rendered characters, from the King Lear-ish figure in Raymond Blythe to his Havisham-esque trio of daughters, are laden with secrets in their moldering castle. The slow reveal of the Blythe family helped one another and hid things for and from each other is an anticipatory delight. The first four hundred pages are a painstaking build of tension and atmosphere; the last one hundred and fifty are increasingly fraught with realization and crucially timed plot points. It all coalesces without missing a step; the ending is perfect in its undeniability and yet how it still manages to subvert expectation.

Though each of her novels are framed similarly and can follow familiar themes, no two are alike in anything from voice to character and they are each impossible to predict. Morton has a firm handle on reader expectation and how to subvert it. Her stories are authentic and easy to immerse within but they are complicated and demand reader attention. The investment of time and energy is worth it because the end of her novels tend to shock, and wow, while engendering real emotion. The Distant Hours does all of that; even on a third rereead it's impossible to not feel empathy and community with not only the Sisters Blythe but also intrepid Edie, shy Meredith, or loquacious Mrs. Bird. The Distant Hours is a gothic novel but it feels present and real, and that is in no little thanks to life in its multifaceted characters.