The Last Song – Eva Wiseman

Publisher: Tundra Books
Released: April 10th, 2012
Genre: YA historical fiction
Review copy from publisher

Spain had been one of the world’s most tolerant societies for eight hundred years, but that way of life was wiped out by the Inquisition. Isabel’s family feels safe from the terrors, torture, and burnings. After all, her father is a respected physician in the court of Ferdinand and Isabella. Isabel was raised as a Catholic and doesn’t know that her family’s Jewish roots may be a death sentence. When her father is arrested by Torquemada, the Grand Inquisitor, she makes a desperate plan to save his life – and her own.

From Tundra Books website.

I admittedly don’t read a lot of historical fiction. I generally really enjoy it when I do, but it’s not a genre I gravitate to. But to me, The Last Song was almost hist-fict lite. I would have liked to have seen a lot more detail about the time period. I felt that the author brushed over some things that could have enriched the story more. Despite the nature of the plot and the time frame that the book takes place, it was a fairly happy novel and I’m not sure that tone did the writing or the characters justice.

It was an enjoyable book, don’t get me wrong. But I found that at times it almost bordered on fluffy. Like I said, I would have liked to have seen some more depth to the plot and the characters.

I think that die-hard fans of hist-fict may find The Last Song a bit light for them. But, I think this is an excellent book for those who want to get into the genre but don’t want to start with anything really long or really heavy in tone.

The Virgin Cure – Ami McKay

Warning: This will be a gushy review with the overuse of the word “love” and too many exclamation marks. 

I loved Ami’s first book, The Birth House. LOVED IT. So when I had the chance to get my grubbies on an ARC of her second book, The Virgin Cure, I giddily accepted.

OMG this book!!!!!! I think I actually loved it a teensy bit more than The Birth House. I always say I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction, but when it’s written as well as and with as much love as Ami’s books, then I freaking love it!

Moth. What can I say about Moth. What an amazing character. She’s dealt the shit end of the stick and she never dips into whining or feeling really bad for herself. Instead, she makes the best out of her situation or tries to change things. She’s only 12 but she’s one of the strongest characters I’ve ever read. I just loved her.

Moth isn’t the only strong female character in The Virgin Cure. Actually, come to think of it, ALL the female characters were strong. But I really loved Sadie, the female doctor that tends to the poor, including Moth. Sadie was the inspiration for The Virgin Cure, and even though she isn’t the main character, her presence is felt throughout the book.  She really rounds out Moth’s story and adds another point of view and dimension to the book.

The research that went into The Virgin Cure is mind-boggling. Like The Birth House, Ami gives readers a clear picture of the time period. I actually felt like I was there with Moth in the turn of the century NY. And I loved how Ami laid out some of that information in side bars. It was just really, really cool.

I loved The Virgin Cure. From the beginning right to the end I was drawn into Moth’s story. Ami has written a beautiful book that is guaranteed to be a huge hit.

Thanks Random House Canada for the review copy.

That Boy Red by Rachna Gilmore

Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Released: April 4th, 2011
Genre: MG historical
For review from publisher.

It’s the Depression, but Red’s family is managing better than most on their Prince Edward Island farm. Hard working and resourceful, they have enough to eat and to help others, even if at times they are mocked by their neighbours for putting education ahead of farm work. Eleven-year-old Red has plenty of chores around the farm, and the days can be long, but he still gets the odd break to go swimming or fishing, provided his homework is done. Red’s older sister, Ellen, teaches at the local school, and if Red doesn’t shine, she will not only punish him, but also make sure their parents hear about it.

But then Red’s father’s hand is seriously injured and the family’s situation looks dire. Red steps up to the challenge, finishing the tobacco boxes that his father makes and helping shovel out a train stuck in the snow. Stubborn and even pigheaded, Red does make mistakes along the way (such as pretending to be dead so that his younger sister will stop following him), but his heart is always in the right place.

From HarperCollins Canada website.

I just loved Red. I mean, he was a great character. Would I want to babysit him? Hell no. But the 11 year old in me would definitely like to hang out with him. He gets into so many scrapes he’d make any other kid look like a saint. :0) Seriously though, he was an extremely interesting character and I think that kids will really like reading about Red and all the trouble he gets into.

But the book isn’t just a string of events where Red finds himself in hot water. There are underlying themes of bullying, acceptance and family. Gilmore weaves these together wonderfully so that kids will end up learning a valuable lesson without even realizing it.

That Boy Red takes place on Prince Edward Island and of course I loved that. I also felt that it had an Anne of Green Gables feel to it, which was an added bonus.

Another historical MG book that I loved. Seems I am broadening my reading horizons.

Blog Tour: Stones for my Father by Trilby Kent

Publisher: Tundra Books
Released: March 22nd,2011
Genre: MG/YA historical
From publisher for blog tour.

Corlie Roux’s farm life in South Africa is not easy: the Transvaal is beautiful, but it is also a harsh place where the heat can be so intense that the very raindrops sizzle. When her beloved father dies, she is left with a mother who is as devoted to her sons as she is cruel to her daughter. Despite this, Corlie finds solace in her friend, Sipho, and in Africa itself and in the stories she conjures for her brothers.

But Corlie’s world is about to vanish: the British are invading and driving Boer families like hers from their farms. Some escape into the bush to fight the enemy. The unlucky ones are rounded up and sent to internment camps.

Will Corlie’s resilience and devotion to her country sustain her through the suffering and squalor she finds in the camp at Kroonstad? That may depend on a soldier from faraway Canada and on inner resources Corlie never dreamed she had….

From Tundra Books website.

I don’t read a lot of historical fiction and I NEVER read historical fiction about war. I took an early dislike to history around grade 8 and I never looked back. But when I read books like Trilby Kent’s Stones for my Father, I really, really wish that historical fiction had been used as an effort to get me interested in history when I was younger. Reading about character’s such as Corlie and what she went through makes me want to learn more about the past.

I was surprised by how quickly I became engrossed in Corlie’s story. It was obvious from the get-go that there was more going on than the Boer War. Her mother doesn’t treat her nice AT ALL, doting on her little brothers and treating Corlie more like an annoyance than a daughter.  Yet there were times that I felt sorry for her mother. Kent did an excellent job of making the mom a stern, unlikable character that the reader could still identify with at times.

Before reading Stones for my Father, I never realized that there were interment camps besides the ones during WWII (like I said, I know very LITTLE about history). I was shocked by the way they were treated, but I was also amazed that in these camps the occupants did their best to create a life.

This is great YA historical fiction. Oh, and there’s a monkey. And who doesn’t love a monkey?

I have one copy of Stones for my Father to give to a lucky fellow Canadian. Just comment below. Say hello. Tell me about your current read. Or let me know why you want to read this book. I’ll randomly choose a winner on the 5th of May.

Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Release year: 2010
Genre: YA steampunk, urban fantasy
One sentence summary: Torn between two twits.
Rating:4.5 out of 5
Review copy from publisher

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa’s power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm’s length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

From Simon and Schuster Canada website.

CHARACTERS:  Okay, I have to get this out of the way so all the haters can comment on how stupid I am and how much I suck and how I don’t  ”get” romance. Okay, here goes: I am neither TeamJem nor TeamWill. I am TeamIhopetheresanotherloveinterestinthesecondbookorTessastayssingle.  Seriously both of these boys annoyed the piss out of me, for very different reasons.  Let me break it down.

Will is just a plain old douche. I’m sorry I so don’t understand the appeal of the rude, bad boy. And don’t give me that “He’s just misunderstood” crap. He’s flippant, self-absorbed and cruel at times. He’s just a big meanie. Seriouisly, I don’t care how dashingly handsome he is. He’s so beyond high maintenance that even if he grew up to look like David Boreanaz, it wouldn’t be worth it.

But for all his faults, at least Will is interesting. Jem, dear God this guy is a walking, talking snooze-fest. I know, I know he’s the “sensitive” one. Old soul and all that shit. But he was totally vanilla pudding bland. He wanders around all big soulful eyes, playing his violin and trying to help people understand Will better.  I’m all for guys being in touch with their emotions and stuff, but he just seemed like he’d be a major cry-baby.

I’d like to think that Tessa is such a smart, book reading chick that she’ll eventually tell the two of them to bugger off and go live with Jessamine. Ah, Jessamine. Now her I like. Yeah, she’s a bitch, but she’s kinda cool, too. Oh, I like Tessa, also. In fact, I like her a lot. But I totally dig Jessamine. Smart, snotty and pretentious she knows what she wants and she sticks to her guns. She’s all kinds of cool.

Because this is a prequel to Clare’s Mortal Instruments series, we some of the same characters and family names. Sure, Clockwork Angel takes place a zillion years before MI, but, hey, these folks are supernatural. Meaning they live a loooong time.

PLOT: Clockwork Angel is my first foray into steampunk, and I gotta say I like it! The mix of Victorian England, paranormal and technology was interesting and not really confusing, though I thought it was going to be.

The basic normal-girl-finds-out-she-isn’t-normal-is torn-between-two-boys plot-line is almost identical to that in the MI series, but really, why mess with a good thing, right? AND, it’s kinda the basic plot for most paranormal YA. Despite the similarities to the MI series, I wasn’t bored and never once felt cheated. Plus, the mysteries surround Tessa and who she is are different enough from Clary’s issue in MI that I never once felt like I was reading the same book only with different characters.

WRITING: I don’t even want to guess at the hours of research Clare did before writing Clockwork Angel. But you can certainly tell she did enough from not only her descriptions of Victorian England, but her dialogue.  She did a bang up job of making it seem like period speech without it being so stuffy I dozed off (except for when Jem talked, but that’s not the writing as much as the character. ) The thing about Clare’s writing is that even though I basically despised the two romantic leads, I loved the book. Loved it. She starts the book off right in the story, without a lot of preamble and flowery stuff. I was engaged the whole time I read.

WHO I WOULD RECOMMEND CLOCKWORK ANGEL TO: Of course fans of Clare’s Mortal Instruments series will love this prequel and get a charge out of seeing some of the same characters and family names. But if you haven’t read the series and enjoy steampunk or YA paranormal urban fantasy reads, then I suggest picking this one up.

Review: My Story: The Hunger by Carol Drinkwater

Scholastic Canada, 2010

It’s 1845 and blight has destroyed the precious potato crop, leaving Ireland starving. Phyllis works hard to support her struggling family, but when her mother’s health deteriorates she sets off in search of her rebel brother and is soon swept up in the fight for a free and fair Ireland.

From Scholastic Canada website.

 

I seriously wish books like My Story: The Hunger were around when I was younger and struggling to learn about history. Yes, this is a novel, therefore fiction; but the story is based in historical truth. In fact, I learned things about the Potato Famine that I never knew before reading this book.

I loved the fact that this book was written in diary form. It made the story and what was going on in Ireland at that time very personal and made me more vested and interested in the story line. And this book isn’t just about the Potato Famine, either. There is plenty of family drama and romance to keep even the most reluctant reader interested.

For the age group the My Story series is geared towards (9 and up) I think these books are an excellent jumping off point to get kids interested in history. And of course, for adults like me who hated history, it’s a chance to learn a few facts about the past.

The inner kid in me thanks Scholastic Canada for the review copy.

Review: Folly by Marthe Jocelyn

Tundra Books, 2010

A love story, a social history, and an act that echoes through generations.Set in the late 1800′s, Marthe Jocelyn’s stunning new novel is told in the voices of four people whose lives and destinies intertwine. There’s Mary, who begins “exceeding ignorant” (apart from what a girl can learn from family mayhem, a dead mother, and a grim stepmother) and winds up encountering lust and betrayal when she becomes a servant in a fine house in London. Mary’s nemesis is another maid in the household, Eliza. Eliza also knows lust and betrayal, but she doesn’t know who is betraying who.

Mary’s and Eliza’s actions will intersect with a foundling home in London, where Oliver is a teacher who tries to avoid feeling anything that will perhaps make him live a real life. And then there’s the foundling boy, James. Who will he grow up to be if he doesn’t know where he comes from?

From Tundra Books website

 

Oh, my!  This was a delicious read. And I mean it.  Delicious.  I don’t normally read historical or romance novels, but the cover of Folly caught my attention and I thought I’d give it a whirl. I was sucked in my Mary’s voice from the first page and I stayed entranced with her story. Love, lust, longing, deceit, envy. This book has it all.

I love stories where strangers end up being interconected, and that is definitely the case with Folly. The story is told by the four main characters (Mary, Eliza, Oliver and James) during two different time periods.  At first I thought that I would find this a bit confusing, but nope, not at all. Jpocelyn writes it in such a way that it is both rich in detail and easy to follow.

This was a fun read. It had me cringing, shaking my head and my fist, laughing and crying. If you are looking for a great summer read, then Folly should definitely go on your list.