Into the Water, by Paula Hawkins | Suspense | Psychological Thriller | Murder | Book Review

Everybody Has a Secret

Some people will love this book. Others will hate it. A lot of people will be somewhere in between.

I thought this would be a difficult review to write.

The truth is this is one of the most straightforward books I've read in a long time. Some people are going to love it and some people are going to hate it, but for most people it will be "just okay." Its solid three-star rating on Goodreads is an accurate depiction of the enjoyment-factor behind this book. 

For the most part, it's "just okay."

When I started reading, my first thought was "this is a three-star book." Now bear in mind I start every book out at three stars and add or subtract stars as I go along, bearing in mind the current atmosphere of the writing, the story, and how much I am or am not enjoying the book. MOST books gain or lose a star in the first chapter or two. 

I enjoy most books I read, so most books go from three to five quickly, then deteriorate after that. But this one? This one was instantly a three-star book. I knew before I finished the first "part" that it would be a three-star book.

Turns out I was wrong, but I'll get into that in a moment.

One review I read said this book isn't a page turner, but the reviewer couldn't stop turning the pages. (I apologize, because although I know where I saw this review, I can no longer find it to quote it or credit it directly. If this was your review, please comment for credit!) That is EXACTLY how I felt about this book, at least in the beginning.

The basic premise of this book is this: Ten of the eleven narrative characters in the story has a secret they are keeping from at least most of the others. The eleventh is trying to reveal the secrets of the other ten. (If this sounds a little like Pretty Little Liars [the television series, not the book series, which I haven't read], I had the same thought.)

Each character holds a single component of the mystery. As the narrators reveal their secrets (slowly) to the reader, the reader can piece together the story of how the central character died. 

That is BASICALLY what this book is. It also claims to be about memory and how elastic memory can be. While this is ESSENTIALLY true, I wouldn't recommend this book to people who enjoy books centering about how flexible memory creates an alternate reality in the mind of the person remembering. This book isn't REALLY about that.

As I usually do, I want to talk to you about what you need to know before you commit to this book. The next section is safe to read if you wish to avoid spoilers, but will footnote an important spoiler appropriately. Please do NOT read the footnote if you do not wish to be spoiled but please DO read the footnote if the section referencing it pertains to you.

This book requires a content warning.* Please see the footnote for the content warning. I recommend reading the footnoted content warning if you are sensitive to reading triggering topics. I won't go into detail right here so those wishing not to be spoiled can enjoy the rest of this review. There are three content warnings listed below. Please skip them if you don't wish to read them! (I'll put them after a cut for those reading directly on my blog home page.)

There are -- I'm not exaggerating -- ELEVEN perspective characters in this book. It's a lot. Most of the critical reviews of this book address this point specifically. 

The perspectives alternate, which is common in novels in the 21st century. Some are in first person, some are in third. And one is -- again, I kid you not -- in second person.

A lot of people struggled with this. I thought it was FANTASTIC, and it is one of the reasons the book bumped from three stars to four stars for me. Because the book was narrated from each of these perspectives individually, it allowed secrets to be revealed slowly. I discovered, as the reader, what each character knew only when somebody else also discovered it, without any one of the characters taking a priority over the others.

There is a character guide at the beginning of the book. I've noticed several reviewers saying this doesn't exist, so it might not have been in previous versions of the novel, but for me there was a guide to the connections between characters, making it easy to follow who was who. I had NO trouble keeping up with how people connected to one another, even without this guide.

(But then again, I am a writer with hundreds [close to a thousand] of characters in my head, so I'm used to this kind of keep-up.)

The book leaves some unanswered questions. It's supposed to be that way, and I'm astonished how many people have questioned this on Goodreads. This is an author trick which leaves a lot to the imagination of the reader. Personally, I love it, but you may not. 

Not to worry -- in the end we DO know how the central character died, and why. It's the details which are left to the imagination of the reader, along with some other factors.

There are graphic depictions of sex in this book. One of the common questions I see asked on Goodreads is "is there sex in this book?" Yes, there is sex in this book. Some of it is fairly graphic. All of the graphic sex I can recall is heterosexual. I mention this because...

There are undertones of homosexual romance in this book. If you're part of the LGBT community, I hope you enjoy the way this flowed as much as I did, because it's subtle and normalized, for the most part. There is ONE slur in the book (a character refers to another character as a "dyke" in a derogatory sense), but it fit with the character and the scene it was in. For the most part, the subtle normalization of homosexual relationships excited me, as a member of the LGBT community myself.

If you prefer NOT to engage with stories including homosexual romance, that is your prerogative, and I want you to know it exists within the context of this story so if you prefer not to read, you can make that decision to avoid rather than complain about its presence after reading the book.

I wound up loving this book. It kept me turning the pages, got my heart racing a few times, and the characters -- though terribly flawed and most of them in one way or another "bad people" -- were sympathetic for me. Others have described these characters as 100% irredeemable, all of them. For me, that wasn't the case. I loved their flaws, loved how real they were, and how far some of them would go to protect one another.

A lot of people are going to feel similarly to my initial reactions to this book, that it's just "okay." I respect that opinion because it's certainly valid and I went to that place initially myself.

This was also the first of Hawkins' books I've read. That's right; I've not read Girl on the Train. I will be reading it though, just as soon as I can get my hands on a copy. Into the Water made me want more by Hawkins. I'd consider that a win!

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase Into the Water from this page, I will receive a small compensation from Amazon.

The Orphan's Tale, by Pam Jenoff | Historical Fiction | World War II Europe | Book Review

Heartbreaking Historical Fiction

This book broke me.

It's been a good few days since I finished reading it, in part because I had to take some personal time once it was finished to come down from the trapeze. 

No, seriously. This book destroyed me. It didn't break me. No. It SHATTERED me. 

Alright, alright. I should tell you, first and foremost, that I love all things circus. This probably sounds ODD coming from someone who hasn't read Water for Elephants (in my Amazon cart right now!) or Night Circus (on my bookshelf!) yet, but the fact remains this book appealed to me because of its circus plot.

That is certainly MUCH of what HELD my interest throughout the experience reading The Orphan's Tale, by Pam Jenoff.

I loved this for two reasons. The first is that the circus created an amazing backdrop for the story and creates the cornerstone for the relationship between the two women, Noa and Astrid. The other is that it is historically relevant to the experience of Jews during occupied Europe during World War II.

This book, therefore, brought me gently back to World War II fiction (something I was needing anyway) by connecting me to it through my love of circus settings. It has been YEARS since I read World War II fiction at all. (And by YEARS I mean I was in middle school at the time.) The Orphan's Tale gave me a reason to pick up historical fiction again. It started a ball rolling I'm grateful to have rolling.

So here's what you need to know before you commit to reading this book.

First, the synopsis is meaningless.

I bought this book based on its circus setting because the synopsis was too weak to gain my interest. The book's inner flap describes this as a novel of two women, at first enemies and then unlikely friends, whose secrets threaten to tear their friendship apart.

That's not what this book is about. In fact, I'd venture so far as to say this synopsis is INACCURATE to describe this book. Not only are the secrets between Noa and Astrid minor in most cases, but they aren't FRIENDS in the sense of most chick-lit.

This REALLY isn't a story about a friendship. It's a story about a circus sheltering Jews during World War II when the Nazis were everywhere.

If you want to read a book which demonstrates how people passively allowed the atrocity of the Holocaust to take place, or if you wish to read a novel which demonstrates how ordinary people did extraordinary things, then this book may excite you. I've not read other books on this topic in a long time, and can make no comparison to popular novels such as The Nightingale, but I can speak to the merits of THIS book.

I loved the relationships between people and their situation more than the relationships between the characters in the book. How they interacted with the circus and with the war is remarkable and fascinating. This is what was most important to me.

You may also want to know this book contains a racial slur referring to a woman of Roma descent. Before you argue that this is simple historical accuracy, you have to understand the reader does NOT encounter a lot of supremacist talk against JEWISH PEOPLE (which would also have been historically accurate).

I believe this is a situation where the author may not be educated on the use of this term, but I would have preferred it to be omitted OR used to the story's advantage.

After all, the Romani people were also targeted during World War II.

Therefore, I also find myself concerned by the missed opportunity on the part of the author. She could have discussed the protection of the Romani woman in this story, or addressed HER fear of the Nazis, but this never came up. 

In my opinion, if a racial slur is used for historical authenticity, it's important it be placed in context, and I didn't feel it was in this story. Whether Jenoff realized "gypsy" is a slur or not is irrelevant. The use of the term felt contextually out of place with the rest of the story, and served as a missed opportunity to address the plight of the Roma people during this period of history.

The book is written in first person present tense from the alternating perspective of Noa and Astrid. This keeps the tension high, as the circus is in constant peril, the characters at risk of being discovered by the Nazis. This is a HUGE plus for me.

I recommend this book, and I hope you love it as much as I did. This is a novel which stayed with me long after I had finished reading it, and I still have dreams of the flying trapeze (which takes up a large portion of the story)! 

Please let me know what you thought of this one!

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase The Orphan's Tale from this page, I will receive a small compensation from Amazon.

With Love from the Inside by Angela Pisel | Family Drama | Legal Thriller | Book Review

A Roller Coaster from Start to Finish! 

This book made me FEEL things.

If you've ever been a mother, or if you've ever had a mother, this book will make you feel things, too. Some of them may be heartrending, others tragic, but this book will make you feel things. 

I loved this book. 

With that said, let me (as I like to do) go over what I feel you need to know about this book before you purchase it. Whenever I can, I like to help readers avoid purchasing books which will provide unexpected or unwanted surprises.

First, while not what I'd call "Christian fiction," the religious aspects of this book were a bit of a smack for me. It might help to note that my to-be-read shelf (the one in my home, as I don't keep one on Goodreads) includes Witch, by Lisa Lister, 78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack, and The Inner Sky, by Steven Forrest.

If you're not at all interested in religious undertones in your fiction, skip this one. While it's not exactly "in your face" it was a bit much FOR ME, and I tend to be pretty diplomatic about these things. (Heavens, I even read Christian fiction from time to time. As long as I know it's Christian fiction, I'm fine with that!)

Second, it's implausible. I'm having a difficult time believing a woman was sentenced to death for the murder of an infant. I probably SHOULD be able to believe it, but I watch true crime shows and read enough true crime novels to find this difficult to swallow. 

Because it is SO CONFUSING whether this novel is set in North or South Carolina, it's difficult to track down the information on death row convictions for the state in which the novel is set (but I think that would be important information. I WAS able to find the site where Pisel appears to have done her research on the female death row.

It strikes me this may have been the only research into females on death row in North Carolina the author did at all, and that astonishes me. The topic should have been more well-researched than that.

The final thing I think you need to know before committing to this book is the editing is odd. I wish, now, that I'd taken better notes with the book as I read it. (I'm terrible at this, by the way.) In one case, the author used an ENTIRELY WRONG word (one which sounded similar, but was NOT a homophone AND had an ENTIRELY different meaning).

Alright, so now you know what you NEED to know before you commit, I'd like to talk about the details, plus my feelings on this book. No worries! I don't include spoilers in my reviews. 

Like the past two books I've reviewed, it was written in alternating perspectives from Sophie (the daughter), and Grace (the mother). Sophie's parts are written in third person, and Grace's in first. 

It is crucial for me to mention this because there are some problems with the perspective I want to bring to light. 

Specifically that Grace's portions alternate between past and present tense and her first-person perspective is in itself a potential spoiler for a novel. If you've ever read a first-person novel from the perspective of someone whose life is in peril (and Grace's is, considering she's on death row for the murder of her infant son), you'll note most of them are written in PRESENT TENSE in order to avoid alerting the reader this character survives to tell the story.

Plus, you'll note my admonition on the editing, above. This is troubling for me as this book was published by G.P. Putnam's Sons (a division of Penguin Publishing) and it seems the editing should have been SUPERIOR. Watch out for this if you're accustomed to reading better edited books!

Some story lines hang out with loose endings. In the case of this book (and I won't spoil which loose ends aren't tied up), I feel like the sub-plots are mostly unnecessary. There are three major sub plots throughout this story. None of them resolve completely. Each of them has some gaping hole which doesn't get filled by the author. The reader is left to simply drop this sub-plot entirely as though it never happened. It's frustrating.

Not only that, but the sub-plots mostly bored me. I found all but one totally uninteresting, and they had little impact on the story as a whole, other than (perhaps) to make Sophie (who is altogether unlikeable as a character) more sympathetic to the reader. At least one of these sub-plots introduces what may be her only positive traits to the reader.

Also, without giving it away, I had suspected the ending purely based on the dust jacket. If you read deeply at all, the ending is wholly predictable.

So why did I love this book so much?

It touched on issues I can understand and relate to. It made me feel things I hadn't felt in a long time. It brought emotions I had refused to feel to the surface and forced me to deal with those feelings in a healthy manner.

I loved it because it made me not only cry, but WEEP. I loved it because of the emotional tone and quality of this book, and because of how deeply it touched me. I loved this book. I did. 

I think a lot of others will love this book as well, if they can tolerate the negatives and overlook those for the good in the novel. I hope you'll give it a try!

What did you think of With Love from the Inside, by Angela Pisel?

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a book through this page, I will receive a small commission from Amazon.

Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent | Thriller | Psychological Backdrop | Book Review

The Book That Spoils Itself

I am at a loss for words.

I am SO CONFUSED, having finished this book and taken some time to process, that I don't know how to review it. 

I think I'll start with what you absolutely need to take away from this review. If you stop reading right now, I want you to know one CRUCIAL detail about the book.

If you read the synopsis of the story (on the dust jacket or on Amazon), you have the most important details. There's no thrill to this story. None. None AT ALL. That's because from the very first sentence, you know who committed the murder and who they killed.

Dust jacket reviews purport that the mystery is in WHY the killer murdered the victim, but the reader discovers this information so early in the story, and it's so easily deduced before that point, that there is no real thrill, no suspense, no wondering.

I want you to know this FIRST, because if you're looking for an exciting thriller, you can skip this one right now. This book literally spoils the suspense for itself.

The other thing you HAVE to know before investing in this book is that the ending is, well, ODD. I'd hate to spoil it for you, so I won't say more than that up here. Feel free to jump to the end to read about why the ending bothered me so much.

I've taken to looking for book recommendations on Pinterest of all places. I'm one of those people who judge a book by its cover, and Pinterest is a wealth of cover art, often linked to further information on the book it covers.

I bought this book (the day it was released, no less!) for the sake of its cover, and because it promised to be a psychological thriller. 

The cover is brilliant, isn't it? I imagined a story of the body of a murdered victim being uncovered slowly but surely, or the dirt over her grave being washed away to reveal the horror of her death. Because we know immediately who the killer and the victim are, I expected SOME kind of suspense surrounding the discovery of the murder.

Only there wasn't any suspense. The book simply DID NOT DELIVER on its promise.

I could have gotten behind this book if I wanted the killer to be discovered. I could have gotten behind it if I battled suspense because I hoped the killer would NOT be discovered. 

I felt neither as this book went on. 

It's hard to explain WHY I couldn't invest in justice for Annie Doyle. I cared about her, and it was hard NOT to care about the family torn apart by her disappearance. I cared about the family of the killer (though admittedly not the killers themselves). I just couldn't bring myself to care whether the murder was solved, and that alone was problematic.

One potential reason for this problem is the book was told in alternating perspectives among three different narrators: Lydia Fitzsimons, Laurence Fitzsimons, and Annie Doyle's sister Karen. It's hard to "choose a side" when you can see the playing field from all angles. While the actions of one of these characters are entirely deplorable, discovery affects another so deeply it's hard to decide whether to root for the bad guy or for the victim's family.

You, of course, may find the experience different from mine. It's altogether possible you'll find one of these characters particularly appealing.

It wouldn't surprise me, in fact. The character development in this story is superb, and the characters (primary, secondary, tertiary, and even ancillary) unfold slowly and beautifully, like a flower blossoming. Each is fully realized, believable, and terrifyingly like someone you probably already know.

This is a DEEPLY psychological book.

And, well, I like that. Actually, I like that a LOT.

This book WILL creep up on you. Slowly. (Too slowly for some people. ALMOST too slowly for me, to be honest with you.)

I liked it, but I didn't love it. It moves too slowly, and at least one of the three main characters appears to change suddenly. On reflection, I feel this is not a change so much as it's a revelation of the person they were from the beginning. (I'm using gender-neutral pronouns to avoid spoiling WHICH character in the beginning.)

The ending shocked me. If you want to talk about an awesome twist ending, I did not see that coming. Not even for an instant. It blew me away.

Unfortunately, it also felt rushed, sudden, and startling. This is a book which builds like a crescendo, and ends with a deafening crash. For some, this will be a "crash and burn" scenario. For others, it will be a shocking, thrilling end to an otherwise mediocre book.

For me, I found it exciting when I read it, but with a bit of distance, I'm left disappointed. Nugent could have done better.

Mostly this one just DISAPPOINTED me, and I cannot recommend the hardcover at this price point. 

This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase the book reviewed from this blog, I will receive a small commission from the purchase.

The Mermaid's Daughter, by Ann Claycomb | Little Mermaid Spinoff | F/F Love Story | Book Review

A Love Story in Three Acts

Oh. My. Goodness.

Where do I even START? 

Okay, okay. How about here? I loved this book. In fact, this book was enough to pull me out of a major reading slump following a series of disappointing books I felt compelled to read (because that's just how I am). 

This book is the reason I bought books again.

Let me reiterate that. This book is the reason I have a to-be-read shelf AT ALL.

First of all, I've discovered I love these sorts of re-imaginings of classic fairy tales. There is something intriguing about taking a classic story and transplanting it into modern times. I'm ESPECIALLY thrilled when that story is intended for ADULT (rather than YOUNG adult) audiences (not because I dislike young adult fiction in general, but because I find books written for younger audiences often lack the rich prose of literary fiction).

It was the language that hooked me. (See what I did there? Haha, fish puns.)

Surely I would have continued reading had the language NOT been so compelling and rich (that first chapter is a hard sell, let me tell you) but it was the language which impressed me. It's a rare thing to meet a book in which the language is so provocative but in which it doesn't completely take over and bog down the narrative. (No doubt you've read at least one fantasy novel in which the description and world building was so extensive it was difficult to follow the story line or the characters. If not, pick up any novel by Anne Rice or see my review of The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco.)

The Mermaid's Daughter starts strong with an introduction to the first act: Soprano Kathleen's love affair with the Opera. Her voice is stunning, remarkable, something special, even among students of opera. She is destined for tragic ingenue roles, to die a thousand deaths on the stage. Kathleen must embrace these roles in spite of her own tragic past.

Next, the reader is introduced to the second act: Kathleen's love for her girlfriend, Harry (Harriet), a Mezzo at the same school (and more deserving of a special place with instructor Ruzena than the student selected for instruction). It is Harry who takes care of Kathleen when the mysterious pain in her feet or mouth become too much to bear, Harry who consoles Kathleen, who encourages her, who supports her.

Not long after, you will learn of the third act: Kathleen's tremendous love for the sea. It is the sea which provides the most comfort from the stabbing pain in her feet, the pain which plagues her mouth. She longs for the ocean, for the salty water which claimed her mother when she was only a baby in Ireland.

These are Kathleen's three great loves. A love story, in three acts.

I could wax lyrical like this for any length of time, but you could get this easily enough from the back of the book, and that's not REALLY what you're here for. 

Let me tell you what I loved about this book.

I loved (LOVED!) the way the fantasy blended seamlessly with the modern world. I'm a sucker for the type of story in which the supernatural exists quietly alongside the natural without interference by science or politics. (Let's just say the Sookie Stackhouse novels did NOTHING for me.) It's always intriguing for me when one of those very supernatural creatures considers themself to BE human.

The fantasy elements are unveiled from the start, but the main character comes to understand them slowly, which I loved. What seems impossible in the beginning is unveiled later in the novel.

But, I'll admit, it's unveiled a bit too quickly, somewhat haphazardly, as though the author was in a rush now that she'd written nearly half a novel without revealing all the information.

I would PERSONALLY have enjoyed this book more (and yes, I DID love it. LOVE it!) had the author taken her time, introduced more of these elements to the story earlier, and allowed the reader to savor Kathleen's emergence, her growing understanding of what she was. Instead, it happened ALL AT ONCE in this book, leaving me feeling frustrated, and a bit disappointed.

This has led me to a general confusion surrounding this book. I loved the language (I did!), and in spite of her whiney, needy, UNPLEASANT personality and behavior, I enjoyed Kathleen. I loved the story as well, though this has left me with another issue in reviewing.

I both love it and accept its faults. There were some things missing, and some things which bogged down the narrative.

What was missing? All that history! This is a story which goes back for GENERATIONS, for more than 400 pages and the only story we walk away UNDERSTANDING is Kathleen's. Yet how can we understand her story if we don't understand the women who came before her? 

There is SUCH a missed opportunity here. I hope Ms. Claycomb will read this and take it to heart for her future endeavors. Each of these love stories was unique and in its way could have contributed to the story, bolstered it, proven it through the generations. These stories were RELEVANT to Kathleen's experience, and the story of the original Little Mermaid. 

I felt some of these stories were skirted instead of addressed the way they deserved to be addressed, and I was disappointed.

(The way Claycomb tied the story to Hans Christian Andersen was fascinating, and I appreciated that part of the story. It gave the narrative some credence.)

I also enjoyed the alternating perspectives. I'm partial to this style of writing because each person exists differently in the minds of others, and it was fascinating to see the way Harry felt about Kathleen vs. how Kathleen felt about herself. 

On the other hand, I would have been satisfied with these TWO alternating perspectives, and often felt Robin's parts of the story (told in the third person perspective instead of the first person perspective of the two leading females) could have been omitted and the story wouldn't have lost anything.

I'd have much preferred the absence of Robin's Composer's Notes in exchange for more development of the previous generations of mermaids.

The ending of the novel was beautiful and tragic, but also wholly predictable. It didn't let me down (though as I have said, I enjoy those twists and turns in a story!), but I feel you should know, as MY reader, that you may be able to anticipate the ending of this novel, and therefore could be disappointed by it.

This book has been difficult to review precisely BECAUSE I loved it so. I try to be realistic, even about the books I love the most, but often by the time I'm finished writing a critical review, I find myself confused. WHY do I love this book so much?

Sometimes I think the reasons why defy explanation. 

I loved this book. That's enough for me.

This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase the book reviewed from this blog, I will receive a small commission from the purchase. 

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See (Book Review)

Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Author: Lisa See
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Library Binding
Pages: 254
Publication Date: 6/28/2004
Publisher: Random House

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★☆

Lily is haunted by memories–of who she once was, and of a person, long gone, who defined her existence. She has nothing but time now, as she recounts the tale of Snow Flower, and asks the gods for forgiveness.

In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu (“women’s writing”). Some girls were paired with laotongs, “old sames,” in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become “old sames” at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.

My friend and I saw the trailer for the movie version of this book, and I instantly said to myself "I want to read that" while she said at the same time "I want to see that." 

Ironically, she read the book first, after checking it out from the library, and I borrowed it from her to read once she was finished. We still haven't watched the movie yet.

The book did not, for me, live up to the promise of the movie trailer. I have the sense, after having skimmed some reviews of the movie, that this could be because the movie itself doesn't live up to the promise of the book, or even of its own trailer.

I wanted to love this book. In the end, I think that I did love this book. It's just that it took me a long time to get to that point. I'm not a fan of books that take me a long time to finish them. 

My experience with this book was unusual. When I was reading it, I didn't want to put it down. I was entirely immersed in the world of nineteenth-century China. When I wasn't reading it, I wasn't compelled to pick it up. There just wasn't enough movement in the story to make me interested.

I admit that this could be a side effect of reading a lot of young adult fiction for a long time. This is precisely the sort of book I ought to love.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, by Stephanie Oakes (Book Review)

Title: The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly
Author: Stephanie Oakes
Genres: Suspense, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 400 Pages
Publication Date: 11/01/2016
Publisher: Speak

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★☆

A hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in yourself. Finalist for the Morris Award.

The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust. And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too.

Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it's clear that Minnow knows something—but she's not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.

Gorgeously written, breathlessly page-turning and sprinkled with moments of unexpected humor, this harrowing debut is perfect for readers of Emily Murdoch's If You Find Me and Nova Ren Suma's The Walls Around Us, as well as for fans of Orange is the New Black.

This book was so good. 

It has all of the components of a book that I ought to be slapping straight onto my immediate "favorites." 

I'll start by telling you what those things are, then I'll get a bit more personal.

But first, a trigger warning. If you plan on purchasing this book, please note that it contains a lot of potential triggers. It probably stands out as having that potential, as the book is religious in nature to begin with, but I also want my readers to be aware that this book contains graphic depictions of horrific physical violence and terrible, awful racism.

This book also has many excellent qualities that will have me recommending it for the next year. I'm quite sure that this is going to be on my list of best books that I've read in 2017.

Engaged in Danger, by Barbara Venkataraman (Book Review)

Title: Engaged in Danger
Author: Barbara Ventkataraman
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Format: Kindle Edition
Pages: 263 (Print)
Publication Date: 09/11/2015
Publisher: Amazon Digital Servies

Goodreads | Amazon

★★★★☆

Finally, life is good for reluctant family law attorney, Jamie Quinn--her father may get his visa soon, her boyfriend is the bomb, and her law practice is growing like crazy--but when she agrees to take on a high-profile divorce case, everything falls apart. What looked like an opportunity to work with her friend Grace and make some serious bucks has turned into a deadly game, one that could destroy their friendship and tear their town apart. Why couldn't Jamie just leave well enough alone?

Let me start by saying that not that long back, I reviewed the Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection. You need to know before I say anything else, that I absolutely love this series. I've been in communication with the author and feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity to get to know this series.

This book hit for me in a time when cozy mysteries have been falling flat. I've read a number of them in the past two years where the events of the story don't follow a logical pattern, the mystery is either impossible or too easy for the reader to solve, and the characters are flat rather than fun.

Jamie Quinn brings us back to a time when cozy mysteries were everything they were supposed to be. So let me talk about the things that are great about this book, since I can't find fault with this novel at all, really (seriously, it's a 4.5 star book for me but I always round down on those so that the 5-star books really stand out).

The Bone Witch, by Rin Chupeco (Book Review)

Title: The Bone Witch
Author: Rin Chupeco
Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Amish
Format: Protected PDF via Netgalley
Pages: 432 (in print)
Publication Date: 03/7/2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

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★★☆☆☆

In the captivating start to a new, darkly lyrical fantasy series for readers of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir, Tea can raise the dead, but resurrection comes at a price...

Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there's anything I've learned from him in the years since, it's that the dead hide truths as well as the living.

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha―one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles...and make a powerful choice.

Memoirs of a Geisha meets The Name of the Wind in this brilliant new fantasy series by Rin Chupeco!

Well. Where do I start? 

This is going to be a tough review, in a number of ways.

I want to start out by being as fair as I possibly can about this review, so I'll start out with telling you the most important thing: I didn't like this book. You need to know that going forward, because it's important to me to be as constructive as possible and to provide my readers with information about the reasons that I did and did not enjoy a novel.

So out of fairness to the author, I want to say this: I have not been a fan of fantasy novels for quite a number of years, and this book might actually have changed that. 

Surprising, considering that I didn't like the book.

Let me give you a few other positives about this book (for me, anyway). The leading character (a witch-come-geisha known [called an asha] known as Tea) is a woman of color. Excellent representation in a fantasy novel. One of her friends, who works in one of the shops, is a cross-dressing adolescent whose story I won't spoil for you.

So in terms of representation, this book has done an excellent job of providing adequate representation of these marginalized groups. I like that. It felt good, and it wasn't forced. I like it even more that it was noticeable without being forced.

These are good things that I think might appeal to a young adult audience. 

Unfortunately, for me there were just too many things I hated about this book.

The Hallowed Ones, by Laura Bickle (Book Review)

Title: The Hallowed Ones
Author: Laura Bickle
Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Amish
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 9/25/2012
Publisher: HMH

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★★★★☆

Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the "Outside" abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can't leave him to die. She smuggles him into her family's barn-at what cost to her community? The suspense of this vividly told, truly horrific thriller will keep the pages turning.

I'm excited to talk to you about my first book of 2017: The Hallowed Ones, by Laura Bickle.

In reviewing this book, I'd like to start at the end because I feel that it's an important point that there is a sequel to this book and the ending of The Hallowed Ones left me wishing that I already had a copy of The Outside already available to read. 

(I don't, and I won't be able to purchase it until the end of January, during which time I plan to squirm until I can get my hands on it!) 

Since without a doubt some of my readers would prefer not to purchase a book that leaves off on a "cliffhanger," I felt that this should be mentioned at the beginning of the review. 

If that's not your thing, you might want to skip this book because the action picks up fast at the end of the novel, leading into an impressive climax and leaving me salivating for more.

So then, let me tell you about this book. I was thrilled to receive this book among my gifts for Christmas last year, and I began to read it Christmas night. This is exactly the sort of book that I love: Something dark and creepy in the night that the protagonist must fight off in order to save the day. I love a book that sends shivers down my spine and if it gives me nightmares, all the better.

The concept of the book was unique. Bickle takes the Amish setting that so many readers have come to love from Christian romance authors and turns Amish fiction on its head by introducing the end of the world. When I first picked the book up, I was expecting zombies, but what I got was more akin to I am Legend, by Richard Matheson.

Bickle managed to make vampires scary again.