Fiction

Review: Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

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81Y+vQ0oq1LBooks serve many different purposes. They give us a fun escape from the demands of daily life. They give us a glimpse into a time from long, long, ago. And often, they give voice to our thoughts as the author so eloquently puts words to what may be going on in our lives.

Young Jackson and his family are having big problems. Dad is ill and unable to work regularly, and Mom pieces together part-time jobs to make ends meet. But it isn’t enough. Jackson and his little sister, Rosie, go to bed hungry more often than not. And when a yard sale that includes all of their belongings doesn’t even bring in enough to cover next month’s rent, they find themselves on the verge of being homeless once again. Just when Jackson thinks his life can’t get any worse, his imaginary friend, Crenshaw, makes a reappearance. And just as when he was younger, Crenshaw is there to help him make sense of things.

Just as she did in “The One and Only Ivan”, Katherine Applegate brings to life the magical world described on the pages. Her descriptions of Crenshaw’s antics are spot-on as any cat owner will recognize. The innocent denial of Jackson and Robin is truly childlike. As it should be. And her underlying message of friendship is timeless as well as ageless. Friendship is what pulls us through, gives us hope when things aren’t going so well. Who cares if that friendship comes in the form of an imaginary human-size cat?

Yes, this is more of a children’s book than a book that is truly meant for adults. But aren’t we all children at heart? I mean, how many of us read ALL of the Harry Potter books? Multiple times? Crenshaw is a story that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. Read it by yourself, read it to a special young person in your life, just read it.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Crenshaw

Review: The Scam by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

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Criminal Nick Fox and FBI agent Kate O’Hare can’t be beat. They’ve got banter, brains, and brawn. In this installment of the Fox and O’Hare series, the duo saves lives, makes a date with the Hawaiian owner of the Shave Ice shack, travels around the world more than a few times, takes down bad guys with aplomb, and manages to scam one of the biggest scammers in the casino industry.  

I was ready for a fast-paced full-on adventure, and I certainly got one. Reading The Scam was like watching an action movie – in a good way. When the bad guys seemed to have the upper hand, I was on the edge of my seat. When Kate’s dad joined in the scam, I was grinning about the terrific father-daughter relationship. And when Nick whispered sweet nothings … Well, I laughed … and then it warmed my heart. 

The Scam isn’t realistic, but it’s fun, fast, and fabulous. 

-calliope

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Review: Ghostboy, Chameleon & the Duke of Graffiti by Olivia Wildenstein

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25242652If you’re into YA genre this book is perfect for you. Predictable in parts, but not in others. I appreciate that Wildenstein kept this book honest all the way through. She didn’t try to make us feel better at the end and protect her readers from real life as so many others do.

If I have any complaints, I suppose that I wish she had left out some of the smaller side-stories and focused more on Ghostboy. The concept of “Ghostboy, Chameleon & the Duke of Graffiti” was brilliant. I absolutely loved it and how it came about. I feel the smaller side-stories going on with all of the friends, perhaps took away from the main focus of this novel. It’s not that I minded them. I just felt at times that we could have better understood the connection between Ghostboy and Duke and Chameleon if we had more time to share with them and to see the relationship develop. I would have liked to see another 200 pages of the adults in the story and the three main characters….

I realise that 320ish pages is the magic number for novels for the last 20 years…I just wish this one gave us a wee bit more….As much as I enjoyed this story, I just left it feeling a little sad and unsatisfied. Not because of the ending but because of the lack of depth I felt from the characters. Just like Ghostboy fades and goes invisible, I knew that all these wonderful characters were there, but they too were fading in and out of focus…I just needed more to solidify them forever in my heart…

Until next time…

Urania xx

Review copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review…

Buy it now Ghostboy, Chameleon & the Duke of Graffiti by Olivia Wildenstein

Review: Burn Girl by Mandy Mikulencak

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25335399._UY470_SS470_So this is another one of those books, even though I read it as an advance copy, that had mixed reviews. Some readers really liked it while others were strongly in the opposite camp. Most people fell sort of in the middle. As I’ve stated before, I rarely pay attention to reviews unless they come from a trusted fellow book-lover. Most of the time it pays off, as in this case.

Arlie has seen and experienced too many things in her young life. As the child of a drug addict, she’s been forced to step into the parenting role. Arlie and her mom have been on the run for years, hiding from a stepdad/abuser/meth dealer. As if that wasn’t enough, she has to deal with standing out in a very obvious way. She carries a daily reminder of her traumatic early years in the form of a very large scar on her face. As if being a teenager isn’t already hard enough…

When Arlie’s mom overdoses, her chance at a somewhat normal life appears in the form of an uncle she’s never met. She’s been lucky enough to have a best friend who loves her no matter what. And then, of course, she meets a boy. The question then becomes, can she get over her past and have a chance at a normal life? There’s romance and friendship with a good dose of suspense thrown in as Arlie struggles to accept her new life.

Burn Girl is a young adult story about a teenager trying to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Sound familiar? But of course. So is the plot of most young adult books these days. Here’s where the author’s true gift for writing must come into play. Can she/he weave a story compelling enough to stand out from the others? Are the characters sufficiently developed to make the reader care? And, bottom line, is it a good story that makes ME want to keep reading? With this book, it’s a “yes” to all of the above.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Burn Girl

Review: The Sea Keeper’s Daughters by Lisa Wingate

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Whitney owns a restaurant up north and has an inheritance to deal with down south. She has enough on her hands without the addition of old letters from her grandmother’s family, a sleazy real estate developer trying to cash in on her building, a possible romance with a conflict of interest, and an Outer Banks legend being brought to light. 

I liked the mystery, the history, and the family dynamics. Adding a love interest and townie in trouble added authenticity to Whitney’s life. The constant reference to her restaurant struggles took me out of the main story and kind of ruined it for me. I was happy just being in North Carolina, with the shop downstairs and the old coot upstairs, the developer coming around each week, and the visits to the museum. 

Too many points of conflict blurred the focus of The Sea Keeper’s Daughter. But when I concentrated on the events in OBX, I was rewarded with a beautiful tale that illustrated lots of love coming full circle. 

-calliope

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Review: Grayson’s Vow by Mia Sheridan

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01 gray “True love is the greatest leap of faith there is.”

I love Mia Sheridan. I love the the romantic stories she writes. This story is no exception. Grayson’s Vow was full of heartache and desperation. But mostly it was filled with hope. Hope that one person can turn a life, a life that’s filled with more pain that one should ever have to bear, around, and to heal the hurt.

Grayson was hopeless. My heart was actually breaking for him as I read about his past and how he is trying to move forward and keep the vow he made. He’s willing to do anything, even accept the outrageous proposal made by Kira.

When Kira first entered the picture I was intrigued. I was hoping for some dynamic interactions between the two of them. Boy, did I get my wish. These two were so stubborn sometimes and hurt each other, with and without even realizing it. But I held out hope that they could find a common ground and both keep their vows, without causing more pain.

“Love means exposing yourself-all of yourself, every tender part-to being hurt. Because true love is not only the flower, true love is also the thorns.”

My feelings are all over the place with this book. I swear I spent the last few chapter on the edge of my seat, trying to maintain my calmness. As with all good books, this part is what makes or breaks the story. I needed that ending to bring it all full circle and end the pain they both were suffering from.

~Melpomene

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Review: The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs

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Caroline Jacobs is a doormat. Her teenage daughter Polly is a rebel. When the two make a spontaneous trip to Caroline’s hometown to confront a childhood (ex-)friend, mother and daughter learn a lot about each other. 

I loved the mother-daughter storyline more than any other thread in the plot. The author wrote Caroline’s weariness and Polly’s incredulity with authenticity. I saw myself in Polly – not wanting to let go of an issue until Justice is served – and in Caroline, who was more comfortable just trying to smooth things over. 

I don’t know that I really believed that someone would up and drive several hours to confront a childhood bully, but it was a fun story. I think I would’ve enjoyed it even more if the focus was more on the family dynamics instead of the PTA and former schoolmate dynamics!  

-calliope

Buy THE PERFECT COMEBACK OF CAROLINE JACOBS

Review: The One Thing by Marci Lyn Curtis

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UnknownAt first glance this seems like your typical young adult book. We have a protagonist, Maggie, who’s facing some hardships in her life. We have a somewhat dysfunctional family in that they’re moving farther and farther away from each other after a recent tragedy. And we have as a love interest a brooding, moody up-and-coming rock star facing some hardships of his own. Very formulaic, for sure. But that’s where the similarities to other books of this genre come to an end.

Maggie is, or was, a typical teenager until several months ago when a sudden illness robbed her of her eyesight. As she alternates between feelings of anger and self-pity, her parents don’t know how to help her. And so they distance themselves, spending more and more time at work while avoiding the issue of her blindness. Maggie sinks deeper and deeper into a pit of despair and helplessness as she tries to adjust to just how radically her life has changed.

And then the prank happens. One moment of rebelliousness leads to sessions with a counselor. This is where she meets Ben. Ben is everything she is not at the moment. Optimistic, enthusiastic, helpful and friendly…he’s just the friend she needs even if he is almost half her age. And the kicker? She can see him. For some reason, Ben and everything around him are visible to her. Oh yeah, there’s also his older brother who just happens to be the lead singer of her favorite rock band.

But nothing comes without a price, and Maggie is devastated when she finds out exactly why she’s able to see Ben. This revelation leads to some hard truths for her as faces her life after blindness.

Great story? Yes. Happily ever after? Maybe, maybe not. But life doesn’t always end this way, either. Another huge bonus for me? This young adult book is truly meant for young adults with the exception of an obscenity here or there.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The One Thing (Single Title (One-Off))

Review: The Christmas Joy Ride by Melody Carlson 

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Suspend your disbelief as you watch Miranda accompany her neighbor Joy on an RV ride to spread gladness and, well, joy this Christmas season. 

No matter that Miranda needs cheer more than the average 37-year old. She hops on the RV and gives Christmas joy a whirl. 

The characters aren’t quite realistic, though they reflect the empty and downtrodden hearts we’ve all come across or read about. As we ride along with Miranda we learn that Christmas giving can revive even the saddest of hearts. 

I love a nice Christmas story, and although this one had slightly unbelievable characters, I overlooked that and enjoyed the ride. 

-calliope

Buy THE CHRISTMAS JOY RIDE

Review: Season of Salt and Honey by Hannah Tunnicliffe

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Frankie’s fiancé died just weeks before their wedding. Overcome with grief, she escapes to Alex’s primitive family cabin in the woods, where she can be alone. 

But she isn’t alone. Her estranged sister, the cabin’s caretaker, and Alex’s brother all try to rescue Frankie from herself. Italian aunties, Vinnie the party machine, and an earthy, motherly neighbor round out her nurturers. 

The author did a nice job making me feel Frankie’s heavy sadness and nature’s solace. Relatives provided comic relief, and fellow cabin dwellers were a blanket of comfort for Frankie. 

You never know what will help heal you when you’re devastated by the death of a loved one. Tunnicliffe’s take rang authentic, and I recognized Frankie’s emotional journey as one many of us have taken in real life. 

This was a nice, relaxing read, not melodramatic but with plenty of opportunities for laughter and tears. Now I’m just waiting for GoodReads to tell me when there’s another book available by Hannah Tunnicliffe! 

-calliope

Buy SEASON OF SALT AND HONEY