"Poisoned" by Jennifer Donnelly

Poisoned (Oct. 20, 2020) by Jennifer Donnelly.

*This is a standalone novel.*

Once upon a time, Snow White Princess Charlotta-Sidonia Wilhelmina Sophia (Sophie) rode into the Darkwood with her stepmother’s huntsman. His anguish did not stop him from plunging his dagger into Sophie per the queen’s command and stealing the heart of the girl with lips “the color of ripe cherries, her skin as soft as new-fallen snow, her hair as dark as midnight.” But it’s not Queen Adelaide that wants Sophie’s heart, but the King of Crows. Who is he really? Because Corvus certainly isn’t his real name. She may find out if she makes it to the King of Crows’ castle, Nimmermehr. Making it alone may be impossible, not only because of the challenge of navigating the monsters roving near the castle, but because of her mechanical heart. It was crafted by one of the seven brothers, “each barely taller than a rain barrel.” They are the seven men of the woods. Their names are: Johann (scientist), Julius (herbalist), Joosts (carpenter), Jeremias (hunter), Josef (farmer), Jakob (blacksmith) and Schatzi (tailor). There was once an eighth (Jasper). The brothers live with Weber, a nut-brown spider a foot taller than them who cooks, and Tupfen, their housekeeper ladybug.

            Sophie knows the things people say about her: that she’s weak, incompetent and hopeless. That she’ll never make a worthy queen. Good thing she’s in love with Prince Haakon, right? Because he’ll surely be a strong ruler. The thing is, Haakon isn’t looking for her. Instead, Sophie discovers Will (a pauper) and, later, Arno Schmitt (a thief). She also comes across her people of the Greenlands in dire straits, from wounded veterans thrown out of the hospital by the queen to the already destitute being harassed and abused by the queen’s military. Sophie trusts so easily and has been led to believe that kindness is useless. The brothers will encourage otherwise. The girl who ends up with a scar on her chest, bite marks on her arms and the grime of wandering through the forest is not the Sophie of old. She’s someone meant to be queen.

            Do I like a feminist story? You bet, especially when that YA novel is filled with action, self-discovery, empowerment and magic, wrapped around a fairy tale retelling. Donnelly’s retelling is dynamic, but also thoughtful. The Darkwood, like the story, is lush but treacherous, the landscape dotted with familiar legends and horrors better left undisturbed.  That Sophie falls so quickly for Haakon makes me roll my eyes (and I’m not an eye-roller), but I understand that it’s part of her original naiveté. I don’t love that all of the characters appear to defer to Caucasian in this Germanic-ish landscape, but I also wouldn’t love if the author included, like, one token person of color, either. Overall, I enjoyed this fantasy story. It reminds us all that fear, pain and darkness can be overcome, or at least tempered, by courage, hope and love.

"Unravel the Dusk" by Elizabeth Lim

Unravel the Dusk (July 7, 2020) by Elizabeth Lim.

*This is the second novel in a duology.*

*No spoilers beyond what’s contained on the dust jacket.*

Glowing red eyes. Magic that is unbound but so powerful. Losing memories and identity. Maia Tamarin is becoming a demon. The process is slower for her, perhaps, because hers was a voluntary choice, but there’s no doubt that she’ll eventually succumb. She will be Sentur’na (“cutter of fate”). She’s proven she’s the best tailor in A’landi. She’s sewn Amana’s three magical gowns containing the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon and the blood of stars. But instead of bringing only triumph, those dresses are now both her salvation and her ruin. They are her body, mind and heart and are the source of the power in her demon’s amulet. To destroy them would free her of Bandur, but she would also die.

            It looks apparent that A’landi will fall to the twisted shansen, who’s so dependent on his demon, Gyiu’rak (a tiger demon), that he’s lost his humanity. Even if Emperor Khanujin had the largest army, none of them would stand a chance against Gyiu’rak and the ghosts she can call upon. If Maia can use her demon self as long as she is aware of both parts of herself (the demon and not), should she help save A’landi? Edan won’t want her to, but who else stands a chance against Gyiu’rak? Maia would rather Lady Sarnai and her Lord Xina lead if the emperor is unable, but Sarnai and Xina haven’t been spotted since Maia helped them escape (she also got them caught first, so). She’ll do what she can to protect Baba and Keton (her only living brother) and her friend Ammi (even when she forgets her name). She will fight for them until she loses her humanity … or dies.

            This novel, which wraps up The Blood of Stars duology, is fast-moving and character-driven with two strong female protagonists featured. There is a lot of action, but the YA novel isn’t without emotion. Quite the opposite, as Maia’s internal struggle as she consciously loses her humanity threatens to overwhelm her, while at other times it infuses her with the power to hold onto those she loves. I loved reading this duology with its cast of Asian characters and legends (e.g. the thousand origami paper cranes, the red thread of fate). Both novels in this duology highlight culture beautifully in its prose. The way Lim weaves each strand of the story together makes it a standout. I’m pleased to get this posted as AAPI Month comes to another end.

"Never Miss" by Melissa Koslin

Never Miss (May 4, 2021) by Melissa Koslin.*

How does a former CIA sniper who grew up in a family of assassins gets around? With multiple aliases, obviously. She’s Sarah Jeane Rogers. Or Elizabeth Jeane Jones. Sometimes Mary Jeane Smith. In reality, it’s Kadance Jeane Tolle that saves Lyndon Vaile from a sniper bullet at a storage facility. Lyndon holds three doctoral degrees plus has a master’s in cybersecurity and has been intensively researching Ebolavirus. His incendiary research indicates that Ebola is man-made. Kadance isn’t afraid of the danger that will come with helping Lyndon, but worries more that he’ll be disgusted when he learns that, “Assassination is the family business.” Kadance and Lyndon, oftentimes with Kadance’s Maine Coon, Mac (named for “…Mac computers, mac and cheese, and Mack trucks. Smart, orange, and big.”), dodge shadowy figures and fight them when necessary, while trying to discover who the mastermind is in order to stop a bioattack from becoming waterborne. The clock is ticking in a race they don’t want to lose.

            It’s my understanding that this is Koslin’s debut solo novel, and I enjoyed it. Sure, reading of characters being beautiful and handsome gets a bit old, but I can overlook that. I appreciate how Lyndon’s character has a strong sense of his Christian self as well as his science-minded self. Whereas Kadance has so long believed that, “Religion is just a way to control the masses” and throws at Lyndon that science “refutes the existence of God,” Lyndon tells her, “To make an assumption that God does not exist and did not cause the big bang is unscientific.” (Honestly, I’d like to hear him have a debate with “The Big Bang Theory’s” Dr. Sheldon Cooper! I expect Lyndon would be humbly victorious, and Sheldon’s sore loser reaction would be hilariously epic.)

            Koslin’s debut is action-packed and suspenseful. It seems to my unprofessional mind that Koslin put in the research to create this rollercoaster thrill-ride-of-a-novel, and I would definitely read her next suspense novel. “Never Miss” is strong in detail and persevering in faith (Lyndon).

            Favorite paragraph: “Humans are not perfect. Bad people will use whatever they can to get what they want. Throughout history, people have tried to steal the power of Christianity. It’s a horrible sin, but it’s the sin of those people. If someone stole your car and rammed it into a crowd of people, is that the car’s fault? Is that your fault? No, it’s the driver’s fault.” -- Lyndon replying to Kadance saying, “Christians have done some horrible things in the name of their God.” (p. 198)

            P.S. Mac is my favorite. One of my late great-aunts once had a Maine Coon named Buddy, and he was the best guard cat. I am REALLY glad that he never stuck his claws in my leg, though!

 

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"At Lighthouse Point" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

At Lighthouse Point (May 4, 2021) by Suzanne Woods Fisher.*

Two years and a fancy culinary school degree later, Blaine Grayson is returning to Three Sisters Island with her Parisian friend, Jean-Paul, in tow. Blaine is excited to enact plans to transform Camp Kicking Moose’s manor kitchen into a fine dining spot, but that excitement is shredded when she discovers that her oldest sister, Cam, and their dad, Paul, have completely remodeled the kitchen. And badly. No fine dining possible in that not-a-commercial kitchen. To heap on the disappointment, her best friend, Artie Lotosky, now a doctor, is giving her nothing but curt words and cold shoulders.

            With happy news from both of her older sisters and the appearance of their little-seen paternal grandfather, Walter Grayson, as a new summer season draws near, life is kicking. But while it may be kicking some into high gear to prepare for newborns or run a camp, Blaine is floundering. Sure, she helps Peg Legg get the Lunch Counter up and looking good again, but the dreams she had set for her return have all popped. Did she make a mistake returning to Maine and Camp Kicking Moose?

            Having read the first two novels in the Three Sisters Island trilogy, I knew I wanted to read this one. The sisters and their squabbles didn’t annoy me as in the previous books, though I still had moments of frustration with Cam and Maddie as if they were my own sisters (and I have zero sisters). I expect it’s because I got to read Blaine’s story and watch her grow from the “kid” her family treats her as to the adult she’s needed to become. This is my total opinion, always, but it is included in a fairly early chapter that Blaine was experiencing very serious emotional trouble when she was in Paris, and I appreciate that the author included that turmoil. Mental health is nothing to sweep under the rug, yet there is still too much stigma toward mental health. And it is hard – so hard – to be outgoing and resilient when there is such inner war. This trilogy-ending novel is lively and charming, certainly, but it’s also gritty and vulnerable. It tells a story of how dreams can adapt and how faith, family and friendship can all grow stronger. Walk with purpose and intention, faith, hope and love!

            Book One: On a Summer Tide

            Book Two: On a Coastal Breeze

 

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Rutabaga's Reads 2021: Part 4

I wanted this to be a compilation post containing two books, preferably three, but there haven’t been any other companion novels that have caught my eye since this one released almost a year ago. Fortunately, as Riordan is a favorite author of mine, I’m definitely not opposed to featuring this book as a solo.

Camp Jupiter Classified: A Probatio’s Journal (May 5, 2020) by Rick Riordan.

Welcome, new recruits. So you’ve survived your summoning by the wolf goddess, Lupa, by not dying a horrible, wolf-inflicted death during training to become a Roman soldier and have managed to arrive at Camp Jupiter and the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. Well done. You are now tasked to read this probatio’s journal. Claudia is the Fourth Cohort’s newest probatio (“the rank assigned to new members of the legion at Camp Jupiter”), and mysterious incidents start occurring soon after her arrival, such as only oatmeal for breakfast (Claudia’s favorite, but disgusting to the other campers). Or dead rats in the bathhouse. Or the fact that one of the twelve ancile’s is missing (an ancile is “an ornate and cello-shaped shield; one of twelve sacred shields kept in the Temple of Mars”). Is Claudia to blame? After all, Claudia is the great-granddaughter of Mercury, the god of thieves and tricksters (Greek form: Hermes). Read the journal, and Claudia will tell you the story. She’ll even discover who her mother is (hope she’s been paying attention in ID the Deity class).

            Marketed as a companion novel for The Trials of Apollo series, this is a slim volume of delight that only Rick Riordan can dole out. From a vengeful demigod to making ghost friends (Hello, Mamurius Veturius!) to not being attacked by Aurum and Argentum (Praetor Reyna’s metal dogs that will attack if they detect someone lying), it’s nothing new at Camp Jupiter. Just your usual, run-of-the-mill havoc. Even though Claudia doesn’t leave the camp, the story remains adventurous and fast-paced. Look sharp and don’t feed Aurum and Argentum too many jelly beans.

Trondhjem's Pie & Ice Cream UN-Social 2020

I never posted this poem last year, which is why I'm sharing it during National Poetry Month. Before 2020, there was never a year where my home church did not host its annual Pie & Ice Cream Social. I've been creating an annual poem for over a decade, and it didn't feel right not creating a poem simply because the pandemic prevented Trondhjem from having its annual Social. With no Social going on, I created an UN-Social poem instead. Enjoy!

Trondhjem’s Pie & Ice Cream UN-Social 2020

 

Where normally our Social would’ve been a go,

In this year of COVID, we’re automatically no-shows.

Like so many the world over, our plans ground to a halt.

Each cancelled event was like rubbing wounds with more salt.

 

No Social meant zero mouthwatering baked goods to buy.

No lefse, kolaches or doughnuts, so release a sad sigh.

No Social meant no Silent Auction upstairs.

No bidding war to jump into as you gave gleeful glares.

 

No Social meant a year off from raffling a quilt.

We felt the loss of not seeing what our neighbors baked, made and built.

No Social meant a year of Linda’s sloppy joes gone by

And an empty counter showcasing nary a pie.

 

I truly hope that next year will be so much better

And that, right now, we’re doing our part, following things to the letter.

The social distancing, the masks; we’re tired of it all.

Stay healthy. Stay safe, and I hope our Social’s back next fall!

 

--LK

11/2020

National Poetry Month 2021

Photo by cottonbro via Pexels

                
National Poetry Month 2021

Happy National Poetry Month! I’m here with a new rhyme,

But what should I write, because it’s still a strange time?

Should I go serious and write of people unsung

Or when I laugh-coughed so hard that I expelled a lung?

 

That’s untrue, I told a fib, for both lungs are intact.

My coughing tirade happened at home, and that is a fact!

I don’t even recall which part had me laughing so,

But the book’s by someone on the SNL show.

 

There’s my three-year-old nephew, who’s quite the dinosaur fan,

I laugh every time that he says, “Oh, man!”

There’s my parents’ dog, Ellie, she collects tennis balls with pride.

When I saw a picture I took, I laughed so hard that I cried.

 

It seems apparent that laughter is this poem’s theme.

Perhaps my cover photo should have been a funny meme.

Whether I’m up or I’m down, I include laughter in my life.

It keeps me floating through most and bolsters me through strife.

 

What brings you laughter? Banishes the dark?

The joy of family, cat cuddles or a dog’s playful bark?

Do you trend towards dark humor, skulls or bats?

Me? I’ll continue to hang with my “A-B-C” cats.

Rutabaga's Reads 2021: Part 3

Just yesterday, I posted my first YA compilation of 2021. Here is my first inspirational fiction post for the year.

Acceptable Risk (Aug. 4, 2020) by Lynette Eason.

*This is the second novel in a series.*

Serving in Afghanistan, Sarah (given name Rochelle) Denning is a military journalist with the Army, and she’s been taken hostage with multiple teenage girls. While she fears for the girls she’s surrounded by and the impending plan of selling them as Taliban brides, she also doesn’t want their kidnappers to find out she’s an American and especially that she’s the daughter of Lieutenant General Lewis Denning. Not that she expects Lewis to care anything for her since he disinherited her for joining the military. However, her dad does care, and he enlists former Army Ranger Gavin Black to not only rescue the group, but keep Sarah safe back on home soil. Home soil isn’t where Sarah wants to be, and she’s livid when she discovers that she’s been discharged after a false psychiatric evaluation initiated by her own father. She’s charging forward like an angry rhinoceros, but is halted in her tracks when she learns that her younger brother (not FBI Special Agent Caden Denning, who’s her older brother) has committed suicide. Dustin had been improving by long strides, even Caden agrees. With the help of Caden and Gavin, Sarah’s in investigative journalist mode and is hungry to discover the truth surrounding Dustin’s death. The discovery would be career-ending for some and career-gaining for Sarah … if she can avoid death herself. Is the truth she strives to uncover an acceptable risk?

            Can you handle the truth? Investigative journalism is not an arena I have a knack for, and that is a truth I can handle. Sarah’s investigative skills display her perseverance, but she isn’t lofty in the knowledge of her abilities, which I appreciate. Confidence is respectable, but arrogance is not. I could go without the “romance” angle, but since the story is marketed as inspirational, romantic suspense, it is to be expected and doesn’t overall take away from the speedy narrative. Adding in Eason’s mixture of familial love, betrayal, greed and danger with a sprinkling of faith makes for a tight story from beginning to end. Eason is a force when it comes to inspirational suspense, and I don’t plan to quit reading her stories. Ever!

            Book One: Danger Never Sleeps: Collateral Damage

On Wings of Devotion (Jan. 7, 2020) by Roseanna M. White.

*This is the second novel in a trilogy.*

Black Heart isn’t the monster the media and a distraught widow have made Major Phillip Camden to be, and nurse Arabelle (Ara) Denler knows it as deeply as the roots of her faith. Phillip is a man hurting, a man in need of mercy, a man who doesn’t expect to live, which is why he does not seek out friends or close relationships in or outside of Room 40, where he is a codebreaker (he is stuck with Lieutenant Drake Elton and Margot De Wilde as friends, though). His path unexpectedly crosses Ara’s in an event that is devastating to Ara’s planned future, but it’s the start of Ara encouraging Phillip on a path to healing. It is hard to move forward positively with the ongoing threats from Mrs. Lewis and an old acquaintance (Diellza Mettler) intent on using him in a nefarious plot. Ara’s struggle is that she’s never felt like enough, for the men in her life seem to always leave her. She figures she’ll not marry for love (because she does not perceive herself as physically beautiful), but for the inheritance she has, which is a very lonely thought to have. Ara remains convinced, though, that Phillip Camden’s heart is far from black. Does that mean that his heart can love?

            Like all the other books by White that I’ve read, I highly enjoyed this second story in The Codebreakers. Arabelle is a woman that, while professionally trained as a nurse and working as one, has her heart set on marrying and having a family. She is confident in that conviction, and since it is her choice, I see nothing wrong with it. (I’d have a far different opinion if she felt coerced into future motherhood, which is what Margot (from this book’s predecessor) does not want, and fortunately, Drake understands that.) What makes my heart hurt is that she thinks she’ll only be valued based on her inheritance, as Ara has convinced herself that her outward appearance is lacking. It’s partially because I live in a world where body positivity is encouraged, but mostly, it’s because I have had this internal struggle in years past, and I know I’m not alone, that I understand this infernal type of inner war. Sometimes those doubts still surface, and it is a lot of work to not be down on one’s physical appearance. And to watch Phillip is powerful, too. He’s a man broken to a man leaning on fragile hope before he accepts the Lord. He goes through a lot of darkness to become the man he is on the other side. There are trials, there is darkness and there is heartbreak, but there is also devotion and hope and faith.

            Book 1: The Number of Love

The Stone Wall (Sept. 8, 2020) by Beverly Lewis.

*This is a standalone novel.*

A direct descendant of the founder of the Beachy Amish church, 20-year-old Anna Beachy feels she is at a crossroads. It’s been a year, but she’s still stinging since she lost her beau to the world, and it’s clear she feels unsettled in the small Beachy Amish settlement in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania. When a letter arrives from her Mamm’s Old Order Amish cousins, Glen and Sadie Flaud, of Strasburg (in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County), with information about a job opening for a tour guide at the Mennonite Information Center, Anna jumps at the opportunity, though with humility and thoughtfulness. Despite Anna’s Beachy Amish upbringing (with allowances such as driving a car), she acclimates with ease into the Old Order ways, including the lack of electricity. And with a change in scenery and lifestyle come two potential beaus: one a Mennonite tour guide named Martin Nolt and the other a young widower named Gabe Allgyer. Gabe runs Peaceful Meadows Horse Retreat, where there are horseback riding therapy programs. Participants include Gabe’s adorable five-year-old daughter, Emmie, who became mute when her mom passed away two years prior. Anna is drawn to volunteer at the retreat and connect to little Emmie. But how will Anna balance the two relationships as each seems to grow in significance? Especially when one relationship would surely upset her Beachy Amish parents?

            No matter the conflict within a story by Beverly Lewis, she always manages to make the story, as a whole, calming and understated, which actually makes them all the more indomitable and timeless, no matter the decade the story takes place or the lifestyle differences between the Old Order Amish or me and my array of modern-day conveniences. The plotline for this story showcases an interesting divide – amongst Old Order and Beachy Amish – which many people may be unaware of, and Lewis weaves a potentially poignant connection with Anna and her Mammi Eliza (her grandmother), who’s lucid days and even moments have mostly been stolen by Alzheimer’s. Lewis doesn’t ignore that sadness and loss are involved in any life, but she naturally mingles in faith and love. She isn’t writing epic fiction, but her ability to continually produce captivating novels about the Amish is epic!