Into the Black Nowhere ~ Meg Gardiner review [@MegGardiner1 @DuttonBooks]

Into the Black Nowhere (UNSUB #2)
Dutton
January 30, 2018
355 pages
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** Contains spoilers for UNSUB (#1), the first book in this series - see my review here **

Inspired by real-life serial killer Ted Bundy, an exhilarating thriller in which FBI profiler Caitlin Hendrix faces off against a charming, merciless serial killer

In southern Texas, on Saturday nights, women are disappearing. One vanishes from a movie theater. Another is ripped from her car at a stoplight. Another vanishes from her home while checking on her baby. Rookie FBI agent Caitlin Hendrix, newly assigned to the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit, fears that a serial killer is roaming the dark roads outside Austin.

Caitlin and the FBI's serial crime unit discover the first victim's body in the woods. She's laid out in a bloodstained, white baby-doll nightgown. A second victim in a white nightie lies deeper in the forest's darkness. Both bodies are surrounded by Polaroid photos, stuck in the earth like headstones. Each photo pictures a woman in a white negligee, wrists slashed, suicide-style--posed like Snow White awaiting her prince's kiss.

To track the UNSUB, Caitlin must get inside his mind. How is he selecting these women? Working with a legendary FBI profiler, Caitlin searches for a homology--that elusive point where character and action come together. She profiles a confident, meticulous killer who convinces his victims to lower their guard until he can overpower and take them in plain sight. He then reduces them to objects in a twisted fantasy--dolls for him to possess, control, and ultimately destroy. Caitlin's profile leads the FBI to focus on one man: a charismatic, successful professional who easily gains people's trust. But with only circumstantial evidence linking him to the murders, the police allow him to escape. As Saturday night approaches, Caitlin and the FBI enter a desperate game of cat and mouse, racing to capture the cunning predator before he claims more victims.

Into the Black Nowhere was an even better read than UNSUB. We now know Caitlin and not only what happened to her in the first book, but how the Prophet impacted her life in the past, as well. With Caitlin now a part of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, it is her job to get into the minds of serial killers,  It is Caitlin's dream job, but it also required her to move across the country - from California to Quantico, Virginia - leaving Sean and making their relationship now a long distance one.

I liked that, while the story immediately throws Caitlin into a case, to working on profiling and catching a killer, she was definitely still the newbie. We saw how she had to prove herself, to feel things out. That bit of transition not only allows readers to become more familiar with the aspects of her work, but also felt more realistic.

The search for the killer - and then trying to prove whether or not a suspect is really the one to be watching - was intense, sometimes twisted and dark. Yet, it never felt rushed or like it was more dramatic than would actually be true simply for a thrilling read.

I loved that we also saw Caitlin's attempts to balance her personal life (her relationship with Sean, her friendship with Michelle) with not only her new job and the pressures and stressors it provided, but also the distance and absence of physical, face to face interactions. Knowing her better as a person away from being a profiler makes you more invested in her character - as a profiler and in her personal life.

The bits of the story that slowly crept up on you, until you realized just how much they may matter, has me very anxious to read Book 3, The Dark Corners of the Night.





Other Books You May Also Enjoy:  The Sleeping Doll (Kathryn Dance #1) by Jeffery Deaver and the Lucy Kincaid series by Allison Brennan

Manderley Forever: A Biography of Daphne du Maurier ~ Tatiana de Rosnay review [@tatianaderosnay @StMartinsPress]

Manderley Forever: A Biography of Daphne du Maurier
Sam Taylor, translator
St Martin's Press
April 18, 2017
340 pages
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The nonfiction debut from beloved international sensation and #1 New York Times bestselling author Tatiana de Rosnay: her bestselling biography of novelist Daphne du Maurier.

“It's impressive how Tatiana was able to recreate the personality of my mother, including her sense of humor. It is very well written and very moving. I’m sure my mother would have loved this book.” ― Tessa Montgomery d’Alamein, daughter of Daphné du Maurier, as told to Pauline Sommelet in Point de Vue

As a bilingual bestselling novelist with a mixed Franco-British bloodline and a host of eminent forebears, Tatiana de Rosnay is the perfect candidate to write a biography of Daphne du Maurier. As an eleven-year-old de Rosnay read and reread Rebecca, becoming a lifelong devotee of Du Maurier’s fiction. Now de Rosnay pays homage to the writer who influenced her so deeply, following Du Maurier from a shy seven-year-old, a rebellious sixteen-year-old, a twenty-something newlywed, and finally a cantankerous old lady. With a rhythm and intimacy to its prose characteristic of all de Rosnay’s works, Manderley Forever is a vividly compelling portrait and celebration of an intriguing, hugely popular and (at the time) critically underrated writer.

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."So beings Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca. It is probably one of the best known first lines of a book ever but I did ot know very much, at all, about the author. Written by Tatiana de Rosnay, the author of Sarah's Key and other novels, Manderley Forever is the first (at least according to the text) French biography of du Maurier.

This biography tells Daphne du Maurier's life story using the houses she lived in and loved. A fitting method considering Manderley has to be one of the best known hones, fictional or otherwise.

I loved finding out about Dapne's famous grandfather, her famous actor father, their family's relationship with J.M. Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies. It's always interesting to be able to fit pieces - and people - of history that you knew of separately, together. From her childhood relationships with her parents and sisters their governess and friends/society Daphne is expected to behave a certain way around, we learn a lot about the little girl, her love of storytelling, and distaste for conventional gender roles. It is especially interesting and thought provoking when we see how those same relationships transform (or sometimes, don't) as du Maurier ages.

Possibly in part because this book was originally published in French, likely just because its fact, there is a lot of focus on the du Maruier's connections and visits to France. Whether it's because of where the book was first published or not, I really appreciated those parts of the story, what it said about Daphne, her family's past and then their present/future.

It works surprisingly well that de Rosnay does not try to provide a modern context or interpretation to many occurrences, statements, writings, etc that readers are shown in the novel. Things are written in such a way that they speak for themselves and readers are able to draw their own inferences, have their own interpretations.

There is quite a bit of description of the plot of du Maurier's (and her grandfather's, as well) writings so if you are someone who has not read them (and wishes to) you may want to skim those passages.

Manderley Forever gives readers a very real, truly human look at the life of Daphne du Maurier, from her childhood playing Peter Pan with her sisters, to her walks along the beach in Cornwall with her dogs, from her marriage and children to her publishing successes and failures. Tatiana de Rosnay has written a biography that is both compelling and complete.

Action Presidents: Abraham Lincoln~ Fred Van Lente & Ryan Dunlavey [@HarperChildrens @fredvanlente]

Action President #2: Abraham Lincoln
Ryan Dunlavey, illustrator
HarperCollins
February 06, 2018
129 pages
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Where the history is real and the jokes are fake!

The second Action Presidents book is just as fun—and funny—as the first. Legendary lumberjack and paramount president Abraham Lincoln practically jumps off the page.

Wimpy Kid meets the Who Was… series in these hilarious new graphic novels from New York Times bestselling comic book author Fred Van Lente and award-winning cartoonist Ryan Dunlavey.

Did you know that Lincoln never went to college, and that he kept important documents in his famous top hat? Even the most reluctant reader won’t be able to put this graphic novel down, and they’ll learn about an American icon along the way.

U.S. history comes to life like never before! Historically accurate and highly entertaining, Action Presidents is perfect for curious minds. With timelines, maps, charts, and more, readers will keep learning until the last page.

The critics agree that the Action Presidents should not be missed. "A delightful, educational spin on history—and plenty of jokes," said School Library Journal of the first book in the series, George Washington. "Sheer joy," praised Booklist in a starred review.

The second installment of the Action Presidents series tells readers the story of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. The book does a great job - starting with the back cover - of letting you know, right away, that it includes information you, likely, do not already know.

The blending of things you probably did not already know about Lincoln - even small things like why he grew a beard - with the more known facts of his presidency with his early career really help readers to assemble a full picture of who Abraham Lincoln was. Both the public, political figure and the man he was in private.

There are smart descriptions of the whys, wheres and hows of not only the start of the Civil War, but its battles, strategies, leaders, victories and defeats (both Union and Confederate). The telling does keep the age of its intended readers in mind but doesn't gloss over things or try to sanitize them - something that seems especially important at present.

Readers, beyond the eight to twelve-year-old range, will like being able to learn more about both President Lincoln and the Civil War in a format other than a more in depth, denser nonfiction book.




Action Presidents #3: Theodore Roosevelt! will be released July 24th





finished copy received from publisher, for review consideration

Dive Smack ~ Demetra Brodsky review [@demetrabrodsky @torteen @StMartinsPress]

Dive Smack
Tor Teen
June 19, 2018
336 pages
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A 2018 JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION

Theo Mackey only remembers one thing for certain about the fire that destroyed his home: he lit the match.

Sure, it was an accident. But the blaze killed his mom and set his dad on a path to self-destruction. Everything else about that fateful night is full of gaping holes in Theo’s mind, for good reason. Maybe it’s better that way. As captain of the Ellis Hollow Diving Team, with straight A's and solid friends, he's only one semester away from securing a scholarship, and leaving his past behind.

But when a family history project gets assigned at school, new memories come rushing to the surface, memories that make him question what he really knows about his family, the night of the fire, and if he can trust anyone—including himself.

A dive - like those one by members of the a dive team - is the perfect reflection of how Dive Smack will make you feel: it is full of twists, turns and sometimes the unexpected, it's fast and can seem confusing from the outside, but can be amazing at the finish.

Not to mention just how wrong you know things can go in an instant.

There were times when I really did not know what was going to happen in the story. I wasn't sure what genre the book fit into, whether things were really happening the way they seemed to be - or if it was a trick on the mid of the character and/or readers.

You don't know why Theo doesn't know what happened the night his house burned and his mother died - and you aren't really sure if you want him (or readers) to discover the truth. Will it be more painful than what he's imagined? Than the not knowing?

I loved that Theo was the captain of his school's Dive Team. Not only were the diving definitions at the top of each chapter great little peeks into what might be to come, it really was the perfect sport/hobby/pastime/skill/talent/passion for both Theo and the story. The notion of control and what that meant for not only his diving but his life away from the pool; the real danger that not being completely present and cognizant could put him in, really amps up the tension and your desire for answers.

The secondary characters in the book were real fun while still playing important roles in the story. I loved Chip (with his lack of a filter), his mother (and the dog she'd so smartly trained), even GP and his less than stellar parenting style. At first I was not sure about Iris (she seemed more what Theo, or a general teenage boy, would want her to be than a real, actual teenage girl) but she definitely grew on me.

Everything, from the losses Theo experienced to his current living situation to his friendship with Chip to his not-stalking of a girl to his not-really-Uncle Phil to why he wants to dive so well to the school project he has to do, all made for this perfect confluence of factors and events for both the character and the story. Dive Smack,, its characters and its story were very original and creative and made for an incredibly entertaining read.

finished copy received from publisher, for review consdieration

Dread Nation ~ Justina Ireland review [@justinaireland @epicreads @harperteen @BalzerandBray]

Dread Nation (#1)
Balzer + Bray
April 03, 2018
455 pages
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Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

I love alternate history stories . . . butt I get a bit nervous when the thing they make 'alternate' about history is something we can all (or should all) agree was something good/positive/that needed to happen.

In Jane's America, slavery has ended but things are far from equal. The dead have risen, putting a stop to the War Between the Sates and leaving everyone with a whole new danger, a new enemy. TO keep people safe  the Native and Negro Reeducation Act, declares that Jane (and other African American and Native American children) will be trained to kill the dead. To protect white people. As is their place.

Here is the thing about a novel where character think that way (you know, that racial superiority is a thing and that it makes sense): It is a brilliant way of demonstrating the fallacy of that precise way of thinking. It is easy to see the wrongs when a story is set during the time of slavery in the Untied States, but the injustices can be less obvious when set afterwards.

In Dread Nation author Justina Ireland gives readers a time when slavery was gone, but the dichotomy of how whites and blacks (and 'Natives') is nearly as profound. Without technical slavery there as a backdrop, we are able to see (and hear) more of how the characters think, how they justify the inequality (and wow is a lot of it not only horrible, but also out there - which is worse because it wasn't out there to them).

That's not to say, though, that Dread Nation is only about the societal structure of Jane's America and full of sociopolitical lessons on race and equality. (There's also bits about gender, as well.) It is a fresh and unique sort of historical fiction, zombie book. Much as the 'why' was bad, the idea of the combat schools was pretty awesome.  I like that these people were so sure that they were 'superior' that their plan involved training the 'inferior' people in combat. Yeah.

I really loved how thoroughly different, yet still very similar and recognizable this alternate America was to what happened.

The characters are very well written. There are some that you really, really want to get shot or bitten or something, and others that you want to help defend (whether or not they need it). I appreciated how the relationships developed during the book and how we learned more about the characters and their history.

Knowing what I do now of how and where things are in Jane's time and of her past, and being truly invested in the characters, their stories, and their relationships, I very much want to read Book 2 and find out what happens. And how close - or how very far - things may get to real history.

Internet Famous ~ Danika Stone (earc) review [@danika_stone @SwoonReads]

Internet Famous
Swoon Reads
June 06, 2017
312 pages
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High school senior and internet sensation Madison Nakama seems to have it all: a happy family, good grades, and a massive online following for her pop-culture blog. But when her mother suddenly abandons the family, Madi finds herself struggling to keep up with all of her commitments.

Fandom to the rescue! As her online fans band together to help, an online/offline flirtation sparks with Laurent, a French exchange student. Their internet romance—played out in the comments section of her MadLibs blog—attracts the attention of an internet troll who threatens the separation of Madi’s real and online personas. With her carefully constructed life unraveling, Madi must uncover the hacker’s identity before he can do any more damage, or risk losing the people she loves the most… Laurent included.

Internet Famous was one of those books where I had forgotten much of the premise before I started the book (that or it was from Swoon Reads so I didn't really read all of what it was about) so a lot of the story was a surprise for me. A very pleasant surprise.

This is absolutely a very sweet and cute romance, but the other parts of the story - and Madi's life - really take the story to the next level. The different dynamics at play in Madi's family were unexpected but something I was all to glad to see.

"Difficult sibling dynamics are rarely explored in teen films, and this was one of many happy surprises from this rewatch." (pg 253)

Switch up a few words in Madi's statement (films to books, rewatch to read) and you have my feelings about this novel. Madi and Sarah's relationship was not your typical, teenage sisters relationship and the responsibilities Madi had to shoulder put her in more of a parental role sometimes. I really appreciated that we not only got to see her struggle with all of that, but that it was addressed by the characters, as well. The girls' relationships with their mother and father could also be strained and tricky. These extra layers of stress made Madi, her life and her story fuller.

One of the problems Madi encounters did not garner as much sympathy from me as, maybe, it was supposed to . .. I felt bad for her but also did not think she was wrongly penalized.

Madi's blog, MadLibs was fun and something different for a character. I liked how, while it was her escape, it had also impacted her daily life - and then was impacted by it, too.

I began reading Internet Famous expecting a cute, fun, if somewhat fluffy romance. It was definitely cute and fun (and sweet and romantic and goofy) but it was not fluffy. There was an unexpected depth to the story and Madi's character that rally impressed me. I will be reading the author's previous novel All the Feels (which includes some of the same fictional fandom) and anything upcoming.









digital review copy received from the publisher, via NetGalley

Hamilton & Peggy! ~ L.M. Elliott review [@L_M_Elliott @KatherineTegen ‏@epicreads @KTegenBooks]

Hamilton and Peggy!: A Revolutionary Friendship
Katherine Tegen Books
February 13, 2018
448 pages
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The ebook of Hamilton and Peggy! is currently only $1.99, so hurry up and buy it! (Kindle / Nook)

For fans of the extraordinary Broadway musical Hamilton, New York Times bestselling author L. M. Elliott delivers a richly detailed historical novel about the lively Peggy Schuyler and her devoted friendship to Alexander Hamilton during the drama of the American Revolution.

Revolutionary. Friend. Lover. Sister.

Peggy Schuyler has always felt like she’s existed in the shadows of her beloved sisters: the fiery, intelligent Angelica and the beautiful, sweet Eliza. The three of them have a magnetic pull—they are stronger together than they are alone. But it’s in the throes of a chaotic war that Peggy finds herself a central figure amid Loyalists and Patriots, spies and traitors, and friends and family. Charming, quick-witted, and clever beyond compare, Peggy is determined to use her talents to make her own mark on the Revolutionary War.

When a flirtatious aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton, writes an eloquent letter to Peggy asking for her help in wooing the earnest Eliza, Peggy finds herself unable to deny such an impassioned plea. A fast friendship forms between the two, but Alexander is caught in the same war as her father, General Philip Schuyler, and the danger to all their lives is real. Everything is a battlefield—from the front lines to their carefully coded letters—and Peggy must put herself in harm’s way to protect the people she loves. But will her bravery and intelligence be enough to keep them all safe?

It has been far too long since the last time I read a truly captivating historical fiction YA novel - something that Hamilton and Peggy! absolutely was.

Aside from some of those Dear America books I read in middle school, I have read remarkable little about the American Revolution. Most of what I know about it probably from history class and a few TV documentary type shows. It was really interesting and enlightening to read something that showed me the people behind some of those Names I knew factually.

I really, really loved how L.M. Elliott showed us Peggy Schuyler through a modern eye but still in keeping with the time period and what is known about her, her family, the time, etc.

"...Would consider any man "a poor thing," who seeks to entertain and garner the friendship of other men by gossiping and criticizing women." (pg 304)

As her author bio for the book says, this story combined "her passions for research, American history, theater, ad early feminism." Pairing the hopes and desires of Peggy (and several other female characters) with the fight for American independence was very well done; it is a logical pairing.

That the men were working so hard for independence, for freedom and the ability to make their own choices while still subjugating women and owning slaves is confounding, to say the least, when you think about it. But I am happy that the author did not ignore either fact, it really helps you to recognize how frustrated - and later, disappointed - some must have been when 'freedom' was won.

Peggy -and really the entire Schuyler family are people I am sorry I did not previously know more about. Her story and how it fits with that of Alexander Hamilton (whether you know it from the musical or reading or just what was mentioned in school) really beings the Revolution to life.

Hamilton and Peggy! is a fantastic YA historical fiction. The author does a great job using both historical fact and a bit of (reasoned, logical) imagining to allow us to meet Peggy and, through her, learn about some of the less often portrayed elements of the period and the war.








finished copy received, for review consideration, from publisher

Piglettes by Clémentine Beauvais (earc) review [@PushkinPress]

Piglettes
Pushkin Children's Books
August 08, 2017
288 pages
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A wickedly funny and life-affirming coming-of-age roadtrip story - winner of France's biggest prize for teen and YA fiction.

Awarded the Gold, Silver and Bronze trotters after a vote by their classmates on Facebook, Mireille, Astrid and Hakima are officially the three ugliest girls in their school, but does that mean they're going to sit around crying about it?

Well... yes, a bit, but not for long! Climbing aboard their bikes, the trio set off on a summer roadtrip to Paris, their goal: a garden party with the French president. As news of their trip spreads they become stars of social media and television. With the eyes of the nation upon them the girls find fame, friendship and happiness, and still have time to consume an enormous amount of food along the way.

Originally published in 2015 as Les Petites Reines in France, the English version, Piglettes was translated by the author.

Mireille, Astrid and Hakima are ugly. So sayeth the annual vote by their classmates on Facebook, at least. Mireille, for one, absolutely agrees and insists it no longer bothers her, that it's something she accepted. The other two girls have not quite reached that point (if they ever will or, you know, should).

Mireille's self deprecating and often (really) dark sense of humor was very funny, but at times it was hard to know if it was really how she saw things, or the protective barrier she'd built for herself. And if it was funny or just sad. ("I think you made the wrong choice. In retrospect, I mean. Seeing what I turned out to be like, personally, I'd have aborted myself." [pg 179])

The more the story progressed and the more we got to know the three girls, the more I appreciated that we weren't going to get that She's All That makeover scene. These are three girls who are not physically attractive. But you know what? So what. Their physical appearance is only that, it isn't reflective of their knowledge or their ambition or what they can achieve. It's not who they are.

Piglette's characters takes its characters on a great journey, both literally and metaphorically. I loved that what they learn and how they grow was simply a part of the story and that you often did not realize it was happening, at the moment. (We weren't given little asides pointing out what X character had just realized or learnt.) It was all very natural and made for a great read.

I do not think I will ever forget Mireille or the other characters and their trip to Paris (with all of its food and drink and history). This was a funny, smart, touching read and I also think it's fantastic that the author is also the translator!







review copy received, thanks to publisher, via NetGalley

The Chalk Man ~ CJ Tudor (earc) review [@CrownPublishing @cjtudor]

The Chalk Man
Crown Publishing Group
January 09, 2018
280 pages
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In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code: little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same.

In 2016, Eddie is fully grown and thinks he's put his past behind him, but then he gets a letter in the mail containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank--until one of them turns up dead. That's when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago.

According to the author's biography on Goodreads, C.J. Tudor's The Chalk Man, "was inspired by a tub of chalks a friend bought for her daughter’s second birthday.: That has to be the best and most unexpected way for this story to have begun.

The Chalk Man is creepy and unnerving and mysterious and startling, an all-together great read. That the 1986 portions of the novel revolve around a twelve-year-old boy, his group of friends and their lives is fantastic. Not only does the author do a fantastic job really inhabiting the time and the characters, but the boys, their age, the year, and everything happening to them make them the perfect ones for what happens - and what they do.

The current parts of the story, set in 2016, are surprising for their own reasons. Readers know some of the outcome before really knowing what it was that led to it. It causes you to second guess characters and their actions - and really increases the tension and need to know what all happened. Most surprising of all, though, is probably where and how Eddie and his friends are, thirty years later. It is not what I would have expected if presented with only the 1986 story, but it all ends up making sense.

The writing was superb, as well. Not only were things revealed at just the right time, in just the right way, but little clues were slipped in, often going unnoticed and there were more than a few false leads, too. The actual writing, the phrasing, the metaphors, emotions, etc was really, really good.

There were more twists, turns, curves and speed bumps on the path to the end of this book than I anticipated. Everyone had their secrets - from their family, from their friends, from the town, even from themselves. The Chalk Man really illustrates just how weird, twisted, hypocritical, confused, misguided or downright dangerous seemingly nice, normal, upstanding people can be beneath what they let everyone see.

This story keeps readers guessing and continues to startle - and, often, shock - with its revelations. Some are things you want to have found out while others you may wish not to know. As one fo the characters says,"Sometimes . . . it's better not to know all the answers."

Well that and, "Secrets are like arseholes. We all have them. It's just that some are dirtier than others."

I hope there will be much more from author C.J. Tudor in the future.








digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

The Lost Season of Love & Snow ~ Jennifer Laam (erac) review [@jenlaam @StMartinsPress]

The Lost Season of Love and Snow
St Martin's Griffin
January 02, 2018
352 pages
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The unforgettable story of Alexander Pushkin’s beautiful wife, Natalya, a woman much admired at Court, and how she became reviled as the villain of St. Petersburg.


At the age of sixteen, Natalya Goncharova is stunningly beautiful and intellectually curious. But while she finds joy in French translations and a history of Russian poetry, her family is more concerned with her marriage prospects. It is only fitting that during the Christmas of 1828 at her first public ball in her hometown of Moscow she attracts the romantic attention of Russia’s most lauded rebel poet: Alexander Pushkin.

Enchanted at first sight, Natalya is already a devoted reader of Alexander’s serialized novel in verse, Evgeny Onegin. The most recently published chapter ends in a duel, and she is dying to learn what happens next. Finding herself deeply attracted to Alexander’s intensity and joie de vivre, Natalya hopes to see him again as soon as possible.

What follows is a courtship and later marriage full of equal parts passion and domestic bliss but also destructive jealousies. When vicious court gossip leads to Alexander dying from injuries earned defending his honor as well as Natalya’s in a duel, Natalya finds herself reviled for her alleged role in his death.

With beautiful writing and understanding, Jennifer Laam, and her compelling new novel, The Lost Season of Love and Snow, help Natalya tell her side of the story—the story of her greatest love and her inner struggle to create a fulfilling life despite the dangerous intrigues of a glamorous imperial Court.

The Lost Season of Love and Snow proved to not only be an enjoyable novel but also a wonderful discovery of both a time period and people I knew very little about. Most of what I have read - both fiction and nonfiction - set in Russia took place about a century after Natalya's story. In the early nineteenth century, there was still fear of the  Tsar but so, at least among Natalya and her family's social circles, of appearing seditious.

I did not already know really anything about Pushkin, so seeing him through Natalya's eyes as well as through her family's and society's was both informative and intriguing. The author does a great job with Natalya's character and showing us how much stock is put in her beauty and how much it's depended upon to help her family's future. We also see how Natalya would rather be valued for her mind than her face.

This makes her courtship with Alexander Pushkin both that much more believeable and that much sweeter. I appreciated that the author seemed to hold to what would have been historically relevant - both Pushikin's past associations and his future income potential.

I also loved that we got what seemed like a very real glimpse into society at that time: the balls, the relationships, the Tsar's influence and presence, etc. We see how much of the upper class spoke French (which, side note, I still think the articles in French vs Russian would be tricky) and how flirting (or coquette) was so commonplace. All of this: the balls, playing the coquette, Pushkin's past, his current/future writings, and how women were viewed at the time are crucial parts of Alexander and Natalya's story.

Author Jennifer Laam does a brilliant job giving us a story that is true to it's historical setting and that mindset while viewing her characters (particularly Natalya)  and their words and actions with a modern eye. It was truly a pleasure to discover more about Russia in the nineteenth century and Alexander Pushikin but even more so his romance with Natalya, their life together, and how the time viewed her and where or how that might not be accurate. I really look forward to reading more of Laam's work.





digital review copy received from publisher via NetGalley

This Darkness Mine ~ Mindy McGinnis review [@MindyMcGinnis @KatherineTegen @HarperTeen]

This Darkness Mine
Katherine Tegen Books
October 10, 2017
352 pages
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*This novel is one of those that I suggest maybe not reading the description before you read the book. So, if that is something you ever do - or will do - skip over what this one's about.*

Sasha Stone knows her place—first-chair clarinet, top of her class, and at the side of her oxford-wearing boyfriend. She’s worked her entire life to ensure that her path to Oberlin Conservatory as a star musician is perfectly paved.

But suddenly there’s a fork in the road, in the shape of Isaac Harver. Her body shifts toward him when he walks by, her skin misses his touch even though she’s never known it, and she relishes the smell of him—smoke, beer, and trouble—all the things she’s avoided to get where she is. Even worse, every time he’s near Sasha, her heart stops, literally. Why does he know her so well—too well—and she doesn’t know him at all?

Sasha discovers that her by-the-book life began by ending another’s: the twin sister she absorbed in the womb. But that doesn’t explain the gaps of missing time in her practice schedule or the memories she has of things she certainly never did with Isaac. As Sasha loses her much-cherished control, her life—and heart—become more entangled with Isaac. Armed with the knowledge that her heart might not be hers alone, Sasha must decide what she’s willing to do—and who she’s willing to hurt—to take it back.

Edgar Award–winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a dark and gripping psychological thriller about a girl at war with herself, and what it really means to be good or bad.

Safe to say that was not where I was expecting the book to go - either for the story or for the character. True, I did not read the description before I started the book (it was by Mindy McGinnis and that was enough for me to want to read it) but I am glad I did not know what the book was supposed to be about. This story had me wondering, "What is going on?" at almost every turn but I truly loved discovering what was coming as it happened,. The not knowing what to expect was fantastic.

Even as the story grew darker and stranger and more startling, it somehow still made sense and felt very real. What happened and how it did were things I never would have expected or guessed (even if you given some sort of multiple choice test type option) but it all still fit.   I won't say it was logical, per se, but weirdly . . . it was?

This Darkness Mine is a weird, almost confusing at times, twisty, turny, dark and thrilling tale that truly did surprise me. There were times I was not even sure what genre the story would end up being so I really did not know what to expect. The only thing I knew for sure, the whole time, was that I had to keep reading it.

(I also need to mention how much I loved some of the characters. They were part of what made me not sure what genre the book would ultimately be - or made me want it to be something else. It is really noteworthy even in a dark, twisty, psychological thriller like this, I found some of the characters really sweet or really odd or really whatever. It was not just about Sasha, there were some brilliant characters in this novel.)

Two Nights ~ Kathy Reichs (earc) review [@KathyReichs @penguinrandom]

Two Nights
Bantam
July 11, 2017
336 pages
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Meet Sunday Night, a woman with physical and psychological scars, and a killer instinct...

Sunnie has spent years running from her past, burying secrets and building a life in which she needs no one and feels nothing. But a girl has gone missing, lost in the chaos of a bomb explosion, and the family needs Sunnie's help.

Is the girl dead? Did someone take her? If she is out there, why doesn't she want to be found? It's time for Sunnie to face her own demons because they just might lead her to the truth about what really happened all those years ago.

So first thing: Sunday Night? Yes, it sounds like a very cheesy name but do not judge Two Nights on that - really, please, please don't.  There is a reason that is her name (it'd be spoilery to explain) and it works. Plus, Sunday can be Sunnie, to.

I really enjoyed Sunday's character. There was something about her that felt more like the male characters I have read in mystery/thriller/crime novels. I still am not sure if it was her personality or if it was because she did not fall into any of the slots we think of for female cops/investigators. She isn't married, she isn't dating or looking to, she doesn't have kids, there isn't a close (or strained but there) relationship with her parents, she doesn't have pets. (Or doesn't exactly have a pet.) 

We don't know a lot about her past - only things that are alluded to, that she had some bad, rough, violent, painful experiences. That past plays a lot into how she works now and how determined she can be. I liked not knowing how far she would go and what lines Sunnie would cross. It also made me want to know just what had happened. Sunnie is a fantastic, unique, complex character that was so much fun to read about.

The way Two Nights and Sunnie's quest to find the girl unfolded was full of some real shocks and great locations. More than once I was very surprised by a character or who they were or their role in the story. The author seemed to do a great job really putting Sunnie in each location, in a way that felt like you were there and not that she had looked things up on Google Maps. (Both of those things - the character surprises and locations - did end up leaving me unsure about one aspect based on my personal knowledge but it isn't something you would otherwise question.)

Two Nights is a satisfying mystery with a fresh, unique character. I am sorry we won't see more of Sunday Night but I liked how Two Nights ended.

digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

Lie to Me ~ JT Ellison (earc) review [@thrillerchick @MIRAEditors ‏ @HarlequinBooks]

Lie to Me
Mira Books
September 05, 2017
426 pages
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They built a life on lies

Sutton and Ethan Montclair’s idyllic life is not as it appears. The couple seems made for each other, but the truth is ugly. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her.

Ethan finds himself the target of vicious gossip as friends, family and the media speculate on what really happened to Sutton Montclair. As the police investigate, the lies the couple have been spinning for years quickly unravel. Is Ethan a killer? Is he being set up? Did Sutton hate him enough to kill the child she never wanted and then herself? The path to the answers is full of twists that will leave the reader breathless.

J.T. Ellison's Lie to Me leaves readers unsure of who - if anyone - they can trust . The way the story is told from who is narrating it to the jumps between the past and present not only add to the uncertainty of just what is really the truth but serve to increase the tension, as well. It is hard to even be sure which characters you like because no one seems to have quite the same view of anyone else. This person thinks that person is nice and sweet and naive while this second person thinks they're calculating and manipulative.

Some may be lying, some may be trying to implicate (or exonerate) someone else, but some are also telling the truth as they see it. In Lie to Me the author does a fantastic job using all of the different sides of her characters - the different parts of themselves they share with different people - as well as the different way people see each other; the things one person notices and latches on to versus what a different person focuses on.  It makes the characters that much more believable and easier to relate to - while also leaving you less sure of, well, anything.

The narration changes made the story even better. Those different first person insights really show us what the characters is thinking, as opposed to what another narrator attributed to them.

Lie to Me was a thriller that kept me guessing right up to the very last sentence and was full of multifaceted characters and complicated histories. This novel really used all of who each character was, their pasts, their secrets, their hopes and their fears, their relationships with each other to build a mystery that is satisfying and unexpected.







digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

We Can't Be Friends ~ Cyndy Etler (earc) review [@SourcebooksFire @cdetler]

We Can't Be Friends: A True Story
Sourcebooks Fire
October 03, 2017
304 pages
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The companion to The Dead Inside, "[An] unnerving and heartrending memoir" (Publishers Weekly)

This is the story of my return to high school. This is the true story of how I didn't die.

High school sucks for a lot of people. High school extra sucks when you believe, deep in your soul, that every kid in the school is out to get you. I wasn't popular before I got locked up in Straight Inc., the notorious "tough love" program for troubled teens. So it's not like I was walking around thinking everyone liked me.

But when you're psychologically beaten for sixteen months, you start to absorb the lessons. The lessons in Straight were: You are evil. Your peers are evil. Everything is evil except Straight, Inc.

Before long, you're a true believer.

And when you're finally released, sent back into the world, you crave safety. Crave being back in the warehouse. And if you can't be there, you'd rather be dead.

 “This is what happened to my mind and my heart and my soul and my relationship with humanity.”

-Cyndy Etler (Mooresville Weekly article, May 31, 2013*)

Everything that you wanted to hope was going to be okay or fixed or normal after the ending of The Dead Inside for Cyndy Etler's life? We Can't Be Friends shows you just how much it is not.

The present tense narration continues in this follow-up/companion to The Dead Inside. Reading it as if it is currently happening, not something from years ago (even as you know it's in 1989/1990) makes everything that much more real. What's happening is something Cyndy - and you as the reader - are experiencing. You feel one less step removed from things.

So, so many times I wanted to ask the people in her life if they really, truly believed what they were saying, what they seemed to think of Cyndy. If they actually thought it was appropriate or remotely logical.  (Though there was one adult I did want to thank or hug or something.)

I appreciated that the author didn't try to just tie a big bow on things and pretend it was all neat and tidy once she left Straight. There is no way to spend sixteen months - especially not as young as the author was - under those circumstances, with that kind of daily treatment and not have it mess with your head. This memoir is incredibly honest and we see all the stupid, misunderstood, painful, confused, naive and needy things she does.

I understood Cyndy's mother even less here than I did in The Dead Inside. Cyndy could have a horribly low opinion of herself, but when people have spent sixteen months convincing you you're 'a druggie whore' and that you're always one step away from slipping back into addiction, it's kind of hard to think you're great. We Can't Be Friends shows you just how much Straight Inc harmed Cyndy Etler (and so many others) but also how much of a difference a few people (or birds, even) can make.

I applaud the author for giving us two such honest, real memoirs. She doesn't shy away from things that might make her look 'bad' and it means we really get the full story, as painful, heartbraking, ahd hopefully, ultimately, hopeful as it is.






*the author originally published her memoir Straightling in 2012


digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

Dear World ~ Bana Alabed (earc) review [@AlabedBana @SimonSchuster]

Dear World: A Syrian Girl’s Story of War and Plea for Peace
Simon & Schuster
October 03, 2017
224 pages
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“A story of love and courage amid brutality and terror, this is the testimony of a child who has endured the unthinkable.” —J.K. Rowling

“I’m very afraid I will die tonight.” —Bana Alabed, Twitter, October 2, 2016
“Stop killing us.” —Bana Alabed, Twitter, October 6, 2016
“I just want to live without fear.” —Bana Alabed, Twitter, October 12, 2016


When seven-year-old Bana Alabed took to Twitter to describe the horrors she and her family were experiencing in war-torn Syria, her heartrending messages touched the world and gave a voice to millions of innocent children.

Bana’s happy childhood was abruptly upended by civil war when she was only three years old. Over the next four years, she knew nothing but bombing, destruction, and fear. Her harrowing ordeal culminated in a brutal siege where she, her parents, and two younger brothers were trapped in Aleppo, with little access to food, water, medicine, or other necessities.

Facing death as bombs relentlessly fell around them—one of which completely destroyed their home—Bana and her family embarked on a perilous escape to Turkey.

In Bana’s own words, and featuring short, affecting chapters by her mother, Fatemah, Dear World is not just a gripping account of a family endangered by war; it offers a uniquely intimate, child’s perspective on one of the biggest humanitarian crises in history. Bana has lost her best friend, her school, her home, and her homeland. But she has not lost her hope—for herself and for other children around the world who are victims and refugees of war and deserve better lives.

Dear World is a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit, the unconquerable courage of a child, and the abiding power of hope. It is a story that will leave you changed.

Bana Alabed's Dear World does what all of the news reports and articles cannot really do: it shows you what life in Syria was like before the before the war. And how the war impacted people. Not the grand, big picture idea of 'the Syrian people,' but their family, their friends, their neighborhood. It allows you to see things on a more human, individual level.

Of course, many pieces of  life in Syria were different than in the United States or England or France or wherever but reading how Bnaa liked to go to the pool with her father or about their family's bedtime routine shows how much was the same, too.

I really liked that while most of the story was told by Bana, there were sections from her mother, as well. Having that adult perspective on some of the same matters put some things into a different light or allowed you to really see the child's interpretation versus the parent's, the mother's.

There is something unbelievably honest about how children see the world - even those things that they should never have to see. That absolute honesty, the way that Bana's telling of what she experienced, what happened to people in Syria, what her family endured and how it isn't rephrased or muted (nor does it seem overdone or trying to shock) makes things resonate that much more. It makes it all that much harder to read and to grasp that those things could actually have happened.

This is a book you are not likely to forget. It shows us what life in Syria, for one family, was like before the bombings, before the war. And it shows us what life was like during those bombings, how, in particular, one young girls' life was impacted.


"I hope you like my book. I hope it makes you want to help people."
-Dear World Author's Note






digital review copy received via NetGalley, from publisher

The Innocence Treatment ~ Ari B Goelman (earc) review [@agoelman @FierceReads @MacKidsBooks]

The Innocence Treatment
Roaring Brook Press
October 17, 2017
304 pages
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You may believe the government protects you, but only one girl knows how they use you.

Lauren has a disorder that makes her believe everything her friends tell her--and she believes everyone is her friend. Her innocence puts her at constant risk, so when she gets the opportunity to have an operation to correct her condition, she seizes it. But after the surgery, Lauren is changed. Is she a paranoid lunatic with violent tendencies? Or a clear-eyed observer of the world who does what needs to be done?

Told in journal entries and therapy session transcripts, The Innocence Treatment is a collection of Lauren's papers, annotated by her sister long after the events of the novel. A compelling YA debut thriller that is part speculative fiction and part shocking tell-all of genetic engineering and government secrets, Lauren's story is ultimately an electrifying, propulsive, and spine-tingling read.

Sixteen-year-old Lauren Fielding lives in ta United States, in 2031, that is a mix of 1984 and The Program; The Department 'keeps everyone safe' and speaking out against them is far from a good idea. It may even be illegal.

As some struggle to accept the Emergency Act, the Department and all they mean for life, others are thankful for the safety and stability. And Lauren? She believes whatever anyone tells her - about the world, about how they feel, about anything. She takes everyone and everything at face value. If you say you're fine, she truly believes you are fine.

Her disorder makes her miss a lot and can be confusing (even watching movies or reading novels isn't enjoyable for her) So when the chance to 'fix' her presents itself< Lauren's thrilled.

Only, she's not a 'normal' person after the surgery, either.

Things get complicated and consing in all new ways and Lauren wonders what's better the ignroance she had or the paranoia she now has.

The Innocence Treatment is a fantastic near future YA thriller. Lauren and her story are the perfect way to present that world to us.  Not only do we get the 'new' paranoid Lauren but though her new understanding, her reinterpretation of past events we really see what 2031 is like, what the Department is like. Beyond that, we also get some great questions about life and knowledge and generally being human. In her struggle with her new self, Lauren wonders and works through things that many will be able to identify with.

I loved that the entire novel is presented as a nonfiction book published in 2041, from the Editor's Note at the beginning all the way through to the end. With this format we get Lauren's journal entries, but also notes (both from her doctor and in footnotes) that give you enough of what's coming for Lauren to up the anxiety and stress level (and the mystery) but not ruin any of the story.

Goelman's imagining of 2031 made for a great read with great social commentary and questions about what to value in life, what's important ("Why is that Dr Corbin? Why would I rather be unhappy than stupid? . .. What does it matter if other people thought I was stupid, as long as I was happy?" -pg 72).  Though, it's not a 2031 I want to see come to fruition.








digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

October is the Coldest Month ~ Christoffer Carlsson (earc) review [@ccarlssons @ScribeUKbooks @rwillsonbroyles]

October is the Coldest Month
translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles
Scribe UK
June 08, 2017
192 pages
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Vega Gillberg is 16 years old when the police come knocking on the door looking for her older brother, Jakob.

Vega hasn’t heard from him in days, but she has to find him before the police do. Jakob was involved in a terrible crime. What no one knows is that Vega was there, too.

In the rural Swedish community where the Gillbergs live, life is tough, the people are even tougher, and old feuds never die. As Vega sets out to find her brother, she must survive a series of threatening encounters in a deadly landscape. As if that wasn’t enough, she’s dealing with the longing she feels for a boy that she has sworn to forget, and the mixed-up feelings she has for her brother’s best friend.

During a damp, raw week in October, the door to the adult world swings open, and Vega realises that once she has crossed the threshold there is no turning back.

"The story would refer to Varvet as the 'remote Småland countryside'. It was weird--just because they were far away, we were the remote ones. Even though we were close to the action." *


I really enjoyed October is the Coldest Month: the story, the writing, the characters, the tone. This novel was originally published in Swedish and it felt very different from something set in England or the US - or even set in Sweden but written in English. For lack of a better way to say it (and I have tried to find one) it felt very Scandinavian.

Even as dark or criminal or dangerous or confusing (or a mix of all of the above) were happening, it did not feel as intense or fast paced as other stories I have read. I loved that Vega walked or rode her bike everywhere, that she lived by a giant, old, intimidating forest. I also loved her complicated, confusing relationships with her family members.

"In Varvet, you inherit your house, you way of life, your loyalties.History is your blood whether you want it there or no."*

Both the characters and their lives were very easy to relate to, though. Varvet is a town it is easy to get stuck in; to stay in your whole life. Whether you want to or not. Vega's description of what happens there, of who the people are and why they are there made it sound like a lot of American small towns.  It also feels like the perfect setting for her family: the absence of her father, the way her mother acts, what he uncle does, why he's back in Varvet, where her brother lives, etc. The author gave us the perfect setting and characters who, flaws, good intentions, not-so-good intentions, fit in could really only, all, live there.

As this is a translated work it's hard to know just how much of the writing (phrasing, word choice, etc) is the author and how much is the translator but it was great. Any book that can compare things to soon-to-be-decapitated Barbie heads and to buffalo and have them both work is something pretty special.

Vega and her entries into the adult world, the crime and what trying to figure it out reveals to Vega, Varvet and how living there shapes the characters, the tone and atmosphere of this story which were different and wonderful, and the fantastic writing all makes this a book you should read. I hope more of this author's works are translated into English.






*Quote is from arc and I could not find the section in any of the previews of the finished book online. If you have a finished copy and my quote is incorrect, let me know. (Or if you know a page number.)





digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

Friend Request ~ Laura Marshall (earc) review [@laurajm8 @GrandCentralPub]

Friend Request
Grand Central Publishing
September 05, 2017
384 pages
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A paranoid single mom is forced to confront the unthinkable act she committed as a desperate teenager in this addictive thriller with a social media twist.

Maria Weston wants to be friends. But Maria Weston is dead. Isn't she?


1989. When Louise first notices the new girl who has mysteriously transferred late into their senior year, Maria seems to be everything the girls Louise hangs out with aren't. Authentic. Funny. Brash. Within just a few days, Maria and Louise are on their way to becoming fast friends.

2016. Louise receives a heart-stopping email: Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook. Long-buried memories quickly rise to the surface: those first days of their budding friendship; cruel decisions made and dark secrets kept; the night that would change all their lives forever.

Louise has always known that if the truth ever came out, she could stand to lose everything. Her job. Her son. Her freedom. Maria's sudden reappearance threatens it all, and forces Louise to reconnect with everyone she'd severed ties with to escape the past. But as she tries to piece together exactly what happened that night, Louise discovers there's more to the story than she ever knew. To keep her secret, Louise must first uncover the whole truth, before what's known to Maria--or whoever's pretending to be her--is known to all.

I loved how many times I was wrong about what was happening  (or had happened) in Friend Request -- either  just a little bit off or absolutely, completely incorrect. In her debut novel, author Laura Marshall does a great job building a mystery and leading readers astray before, ultimately giving us a satisfying ending.

The story alternates between 1090 and 2016, between Louise's last year of school and her current life as the divorced mother of a four-year-old son. Most of the past sections of the novel (in 1989( are in the past tense while most of the present day is in present tense, it really pulls readers more into the tale and helps differentiate between past and present. It separates the two timelines well.

There were small vignettes between some chapters and I very much enjoyed that they were in the third person and that you did not know, for sure, which character is the 'her.' Not knowing who these thoughts and facts belong to means you don't know quite a few things about the direction of the story, either. It's fantastic.

The author does a great job mixing Louise's daily life - caring for Henry, all that's required of her now without a partner, her work as an interior designer - with not only the old guilt reawakened by the message from Maria, but the new confusion, fear, and (new, additional) guilt that the message cause. You see Louise struggling to hold onto her life - whether it was all that great or not -- but also to, maybe, finally, cope with what she did all those years ago.

There are times Louise is frustrating, more than once that you (and often she) will wish she could have made a different decision, and plenty of times you will question the motives or intentions of others but it all, somehow, ends up making perfect sense. You do not see things coming - or you see ones that aren't really - but nothing makes you side eye the characters or story when it all comes together.

Friend Request was a satisfying, thrilling mystery full of twists, turns and surprises that portrayed both teenage Louise and divorced, forty-something-year-old mother Louise realistically. (Though it may make you think any Facebook activity.) Laura Marshall is an author I hope to read more form in the future.









digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley