Tag: book review

Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Damian Duffy and John Jennings

Title: Kindred: A Graphic Novel
Authors: Damian Duffy and John Jennings
Pub Date: 10-Jan-2017
Rating: 4 Stars

I read Octavia Butler’s Kindred novel years ago and loved it. So I jumped at the chance to get my hands on an ARC of the graphic novel. The story is still very gripping; yet, as a graphic novel it lacked the depth that Octavia achieved in her original version. I know the graphics are supposed to make up for lack of descriptive prose – yet, even after I took  into account that I read an uncorrected proof that is “a work-in-progress” – it still missed the mark. This is my only problem with the graphic version of the story.  If you have not read Ms. Butler’s novel, or are a graphic novel lover, you will probably disagree.

I found the graphic novel to be very true to the original. The story is about Dana a young African-American woman who keeps getting pulled back in time to the South prior to the Civil War, a time when slavery abounds. Each time she is pulled back it is because Rufus, a distant relative (who is white), is in trouble. Each time she assists Rufus and yet Dana herself endures all kinds of atrocities at the hands of white salve owners.

Because of the subject matter and how it is presented this is not something I would recommend for a young reader. If you are one of those people who HAS to read the book before you see the movie, then you might want to consider reading Octavia Butler’s Kindred first. If not, then you decide which to read first. I think you will find both enjoyable. I recommend this book to anyone who likes graphic novels and/or sci-fi.

As noted above, I received an ARC from ABRAMS books in return for my honest opinion.

 

Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

Title: Never Let You Go
Author: Chevy Stevens
Pub Date: 14-Mar-2017
Rating: 5 stars

Never Let You Go is an engaging thriller written by Chevy Stevens. The plot is well thought out and had me totally vested, which kept me turning pages well into the early morning hours. The character develop was excellent also. I especially liked getting into Lindsey’s head a little to understand how an abusive relationship starts and then escalates. How the mental abuse wears a person down and they begin to question everything and are so afraid to seek help.

In the story we meet Lindsey and her daughter Sophie who live in a remote part of Canada’s Pacific Coast accessible only by boat. They escaped there after Andrew, Lindsey’s ex-husband, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing a woman one night while drinking and driving. They have been carefully building their new lives. Lindsey now has a successful cleaning business with a few employees. She is finally feeling like her life is nearing normal. Sophie is a gifted artist and is finishing high school with plans to attend college.

Then strange things start happening shorty after Andrew’s release from prison. For example, Lindsey finds her keys and phone placed just so on her purse when she is at a client’s house cleaning. This is something she never does, but Andrew always berated her about losing them. How could Andrew have found her… and so quickly? Deep down Lindsey knew this day would come. Andrew is never going to let her go. She is his and he will go to any length to keep her. At least that is the logical conclusion given Andrew’s history.

Even though I figured out Andrew’s role or lack thereof as the case may be, I was still truly surprised by the ending. A great story and it was intense. If you love thrillers, you have to read this book and you will devour it.

Please note, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, through a Shelf Awareness giveaway.

 

Hidden Figures by Margot Shetterly

Title: Hidden Figures
Author: Margot Lee Shetterly
Pub. Date: 6-Dec-2016
Rating: 5 Stars

I so wanted to read this book before I saw the movie and I am so glad I did. The movie will never be able to cover the breadth and depth of this book. Ms. Shetterly did a fantastic job of telling the stories of these brilliant African-American women who worked so hard behind the scenes at the NACA during World War II then later at NASA. Kudos to her for finally shining the light on these women and their important contribution to our nation.

I am old enough to remember the Apollo missions and all I ever saw from the media was white men. I find it appalling that it took a World War, and the corresponding male labor shortage, for women of color, or women of any color, to even be considered for a job as a computer. Computer being the human kind before even the behemoth electronic kind that filled rooms. Then they were sequestered and segregated. As was pointed out in the book, “People of color had to work twice as hard for one half the pay.” Despite all the things against them, these amazing women rose to the challenge. They worked alongside the engineers (white men) and crunched numbers thus contributing to the war effort and later to the space race that culminated with putting a man on the moon.

In summary, Hidden Figures is a remarkable and amazing story and Ms. Shetterly told it so eloquently. I sometimes find non-fiction a little on the dry side; not so in this case, the story is very readable. Being a lover of useful, and not-so-useful knowledge, I loved the tidbits of historical/scientific information (the focus is on the individuals’ stories) that were scattered throughout the book.  I highly recommend this book to just about everyone, especially anyone who enjoys history, specifically womens’, and/or science.

Just so you know, I received a copy of this book for Christmas from my wonderful husband. Thank You!

The Age of the Horse: An Equine Journey through Human History by Susanna Forrest

Title: The Age of the Horse: An Equine Journey through Human History
Author: Susanna Forrest
Pub Date: 2-May-2017
Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Age of the Horse is a nonfiction work by Susanna Forrest. I found this book interesting and it is one of the best researched books I have read recently. However, it is very verbose. It was like reading a cross between a collection of stories, a PhD thesis and a text book. It made for a slow and arduous read. The publication date is May 2017; therefore, I know there will be more revisions. I can only hope that some serious editing will take place and the final product will have more readability. As it stands right now, my rating is 3.5.

As you can guess from the title, the focus of this book is a history of what the horse has been to mankind (there is a brief history given prior to man) through the years starting with the earliest human domestication. The book is broken up into seven sections beginning with the first section called Evolution and ending with War. Each section has lots of interesting facts and the author recounts some of her adventures, during her research, as it relates to each topic. Her research took her from horse auctions in the US to Schorfheide, Germany to see a small herd of Takhi. Since I am interested in sustainable farming, my favorite part was the discussion on the revival of draught horse farming outside of the Amish community.

My biggest take away from this book is how important the role of the horse truly has been in the history of mankind. Undoubtedly, we, as a species, would not have come so far without the aid of the horse.

Even though it was difficult to read, I liked it. After further editing, I can easily recommend (and give a higher rating) this book to anyone that likes histories, science or horses.

I received a free copy from the Atlantic Monthly Press, via Net Galley, in exchange for my honest review.

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

Title: The Roanoke Girls
Author: Amy Engel
Pub Date: 7-Mar-2017
Rating: 4 Stars

The Roanoke Girls is a shocking tale, by Amy Engel, about a girl struggling with a closely held family secret. Forewarning, the dark family secret is hinted at very quickly. Yet, when it was revealed, I still found it very disturbing and revolting. The story, thou despicable at times, felt real. People and families alike have secrets just usually not of this magnitude.  I liked the main character of Lane a lot. She was so flawed and it worked so well for this story. Unfortunately, the supporting characters were somewhat lacking in depth.

The book shifts between the present and the past. In the present, Lane Roanoke receives a phone call from her Grandfather with the news that Allegra, her cousin, is missing and convinces her to return to Kansas. Lane returns with the intention of helping find her. As Lane proceeds with her search we get snippets of what happened the one and only summer she spent at Roanoke after her mother committed suicide.  Gradually the past is revealed and all the secrets that she has tried to bury comes to the forefront. The question is will they continue to haunt her or will she find some closure with her past so she can move on?

Dispute the dark nature of the story, I had a hard time putting the book down even when it was well past my bedtime.  The author did an outstanding job of walking that fine line between utterly revolting and totally compelling.

I received a copy of this book from Crown Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia

Title: Everything You Want Me to Be
Author: Mindy Mejia
Pub Date: 3-Jan-2017
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Everything You Want Me to Be is the tale of the murder of high school senior Hattie Huffman. The story is told from three points’ of view, Hattie’s, Del’s (the local sheriff and family friend) and Peter’s (Hattie’s high school English teacher).  There are a few twists in the story but the real zinger is saved for the end. There were some things that I found very predictable about the story and that is the reason I could not give this one a five star rating (my rating is 4.5 stars). Ultimately Hattie’s character is what made the story for me.  She is such a typical teenager and this added an extra level of believability.

Hattie is typical in that she is so naive. She thinks she understands the world and that she plays her parts in life just as well as she plays her role as Macbeth in the school play. How can one be so dumb at 50ish yet so brilliant at 17/18? So like a teenager!

Hattie wants to be accepted so badly that she is willing to throw her own identify away in order to please those around her. Now that Hattie is reaching maturity she is struggling with finding herself. Despite this identity crisis of sorts, Hattie is an outstanding student and a budding actress. On the surface all seems well in Hattie’s world…. until her murder that is.

Now Del must find the murderer and fast. He has promised. As he digs deeper, he discovers that Hattie may not be the person everyone thought she was.

Despite the predictability, it is still a very good story. Reads of YA and thrillers alike will enjoy.  I suspect most will gasp with surprise at the ending.

I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

 

Dandelion Dead by Chrystle Fiedler

Title: Dandelion Dead Author: Chrystle Fiedler Pub Date: 27-Sep-2016 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: Dandelion Dead
Author: Chrystle Fiedler
Pub Date: 27-Sep-2016
Rating: 5 Stars

Dandelion Dead, by Chrystle Fiedler, is the fourth book in the Natural Remedies series. Even though this is the fourth book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone book. Ms. Fiedler did an excellent job of giving the reader enough background information on the characters so you do not miss out on anything happening in the story.

Willow McQuade wears many hats, owner of Nature’s Way Market and Café, holistic doctor, animal rescuer and part time sleuth. It all starts when Willow is catering an event for Pure, a local winery, run by her ex-boyfriend Simon. All is going well, at least on the surface, until during the party the body of Amy Lord is found and it is discovered that she died from ingesting poison hemlock. Amy is the sister-in-law to Simon’s business partner David. The leading suspect in the case is Willow’s assistant Lily and the police are convinced they have their killer since Amy had both motive, opportunity and the knowledge of poisonous plants.

With the police refusing to look for another suspect, the trio of Willow, Simon and Willow’s boyfriend Jackson team up to put their amateur sleuth skills to work. What they uncover is a tangled web of lies, jealousy and deceit. They suspect that David was the real target and not Amy. As they try to unravel the mystery of Amy’s death there are additional attempts on David’s life confirming their theory and spurring them on to discover who the real killer is.

There are several interesting twists that made the story very compelling. The back stories of the characters were very thoughtful done and gave the story a real believability. The pace of the story was good and I particularly liked how all the lives of the characters were intertwined. All in all, this book is a great cozy mystery. I really loved all the herbal lore and remedies in the story. The author’s love of herbs and holistic remedies really shows in this book.

Anyone who loves mysteries is bound to fall in love with this one. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Gilded Cage by Vic James

Title: Gilded Cage Author: Vic James Pub Date: 14-02-2017 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: Gilded Cage
Author: Vic James
Pub Date: 14-02-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

I was hooked by the end of the first page. I loved, loved, loved how this book pulled me in to the world. In fact, I loved most everything about this book. The settings, the characters, the plot are all well thought out. Be prepared, this book was rather dark and very Machiavellian and in some ways reminded me of Game of Thrones. That said, the story was fresh and I loved that the setting was in the UK and not some totally made up world. The flow and speed of the story was really great and there were several twists that I did not see coming. I always love when a good book can surprise me and that does not happen very often.

The UK described in the book is ruled by the Equals, the aristocrats, who weld magic that is called “Skill”. The commoners or “Un-Skilled” are required to spend ten years of their lives as slaves with no rights and they are considered chattel. The story revolves around two families, the Hadley family, who are commoners, and the Jardine family who are the most powerful “Skilled” family.

The Hadley’s plan is to do their slave days as a family and they have been assigned to the Jardine’s estate of Kyneston. From the start their plans go array, when the car comes to pick them up the Hadley’s, soon to be seventeen year old, son Luke is not assigned to the estate, but to the slave town of Millmoor. Millmoor is a notoriously brutal factory town where the work is long and hard and many do not survive. As a slave Luke has no rights; therefore, he must go on to Millmoor and hope his family can correct this error. What ensues is nothing short of tragic.

The Guiled Cage is the start of a great new trilogy. I predict that it will be the next big epic YA fantasy series and I can’t wait to read the second installment.

Disclosure: I received an ARC copy from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for me honest review.

Winter Park by Graham Guest

Title: Winter Park Author: Graham Guest Pub Date: 4-Mar-2016 Rating: 3.7 Stars
Title: Winter Park
Author: Graham Guest
Pub Date: 4-Mar-2016
Rating: 3.7 Stars

Winter Park, the debut novel by Graham Guest, is an unusual read. In fact, I have never read anything like it. I think that is what intrigued me most about the novel. I found the plot a little lacking; yet, what Mr. Guest does do well is interject a mix of thought provoking ideas with an absurd sense of irony that really worked. Due to the lack of grammar, the prose can be difficult at times to follow and the characters are nothing short of bizarre.

The story starts with a young Philosophy PhD student, Eric Swanson, on spring break headed to Winter Park, CO to a reunion of sorts with friends he left behind. What ensues is a drug/drunken calamity that ends in murder. Part I abruptly ends when Eric wakes up from his stupor and recalls what happened.

In Part II, the reader is then whisked away to a rehabilitation camp in Texas called The Dude Ranch. The camp is run by a strange group of people. Eric has now metamorphosed into a paraplegic as a result of the trauma in Part I. He is then given an alias, as everyone is, of Wayne Ford and is paired with Harris Birdsong. Harris is a savant of sorts in that he has memorized the whole dictionary but appears to function on a social level of a young child. The story from this point is mainly a continuous stream of Harris’s thoughts. Without a doubt, the intent here is to recall the idiom “out of the mouth of babes”.

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak

Title: The Impossible Fortress Author: Jason Rekulak Pub Date: 7-Jan-2017 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: The Impossible Fortress
Author: Jason Rekulak
Pub Date: 7-Feb-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

Vanna White in Playboy that is how it all started. All Billy and his friends, Alf and Clark, wanted was to get their hands on a copy. Simple… not at all. You have to be eighteen to purchase Playboy and they are always kept behind the counter at Zelinsky’s store. After several failed attempts to lay hands on the coveted prize, they hatch a plan to steal a copy. All they need is the code to the security alarm. The plan involves Billy cozying up to Mary, the shop owner’s computer nerd daughter, and getting it from her. Billy, a computer geek himself, ends up falling for Mary. What is a guy to do? Betray his friends or betray Mary?

Oh, the nostalgia! The Impossible Fortress, by Jason Rekulak, brought back a lot of memories for me. The story was great and I kept rooting for Billy even though I could see he was heading for trouble. The characters were flawed but in a good way. The story was paced well so you never got bored and it did not feel rushed either. Great coming-of-age story and thoroughly enjoyable!

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.