Adult Review: Baker Thief

What a strange creature for these here parts.

Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault

Published: To be released June 26th, 2018 by the Kraken Collective
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy with some science fiction elements
Binding: E-arc
Page Count: Around 400 but there's not a paperback yet.
Part of a series? Goodreads says this is the first in a series! I suspect it will be one that follows different characters in the same universe, not the same characters through different books.
Got via: Claudie sent it to me for review consideration. Claudie is a friend, which is why I broke my usual review rules, but this will not stop me from giving an honest review. Claudie, don't read this, okay? ;)
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound / Gumroad / Everywhere else

Summary (from goodreads): Adèle has only one goal: catch the purple-haired thief who broke into her home and stole her exocore, thus proving herself to her new police team. Little does she know, her thief is also the local baker.

Claire owns the Croissant-toi, but while her days are filled with pastries and customers, her nights are dedicated to stealing exocores. These new red gems are heralded as the energy of the future, but she knows the truth: they are made of witches’ souls.

When her twin—a powerful witch and prime exocore material—disappears, Claire redoubles in her efforts to investigate. She keeps running into Adèle, however, and whether or not she can save her sister might depend on their conflicted, unstable, but deepening relationship.

Review: This is none of the things I usually read, and I'm honestly kind of shocked by how much I liked it. I kind of signed up to review it on a whim, honestly, because the cover was really pretty and it had an interesting premise with some representation I was really excited about. I was honestly so impressed by how good this is, and it was a really fun read. I'm going to spend so much time bugging Luci to read this now because I think they'll love it and turnaround is fairplay.

Plot Talk: The summary is great, just read it. I'm so bad at trying to talk about plot, and the one already there is great. I will say that the execution of the plot is great. I did think it dragged just a tiny bit at the end, and could have been just a little tighter, but honestly it wasn't enough to make me want to stop reading or anything.

Oh, and since I usually put this here, the worldbuilding is great. It's set in a world that has magic alongside more futuristic technology/science, which is super cool. I really liked the blend of the magical elements with a more "modern" setting.

Characters: The characters are amazing in this. It's definitely one of the strongest elements, which I think after this long you all have noticed works for me. I actually don't want to give a certain thing away, so I'm going to neatly sidestep talking about the characters for the most part, besides that I really, really liked them. They're just... great.

And the thing I really do want to talk about is how great the diversity in this is. In the main characters, there is demisexual rep, aromantic rep, genderfluid rep, and that's not even getting into the side characters where you can find multiple instances of nonbinary representation, binary trans representation, more aromantic rep, and on and on. I also thought having a main character with asthma was something I don't see enough in books, and that's really interesting. It's just a lovely thing to read a book that so well reflects a diverse world.

PG-13 stuff: This is an adult book, so there is some adult content. Actually, the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book pretty much cover the section for this, so I'll just hit those up, honestly. General trigger warning for genocide, police violence, and then there are more specific ones for breaking and entering, gunshots, food, alcohol, mob violence, human experimentation and trafficking, accidental misgndering, fire/burns, and breathing difficulties/asthmas. There is also some sexual content - talk about sex and one POV character experiences sexual attraction/arousal and describes it. However, I don't think there's anything that a teen couldn't handle in this, and while it is NOT YA, I think the appeal for teens who also like to read adult books is totally there.

Gosh but this part's easier when the book does it for me.

Cons, complaints, bad stuff, etc.: I don't really have much? Besides that the plot dragged a tiny bit for me at one point, and the fact that it seriously made me hungry every single time I read it because of the amazing food descriptions, I honestly just enjoyed this and was really pleasantly surprised by how much I did.

Cover comments: The cover was totally the reason I was like "I want to read that", because it's so freaking cute. THERE IS A FAT CHARACTER BEING A SUPERHERO ON THE COVER. And it's purple! Like. Like honestly look at this on my blog. This is my colour scheme. This is QSR 2018's colour scheme. This is just everything. I kind of want to take inspiration from this for a page in one of my colouring books actually... but, yes. I love it.

Conclusion: Sorry if this is a bit short, but I don't have anything bad to say. I think this was super fun, and if you think the idea of witches and thieves and a whole lot of descriptions of really delicious sounding bread (which, if you preorder the book, you get a cookbook with it!) in a super diverse, unique universe sounds good, you should check this out. That includes you, Luce, you'll like this. It's only three dollars, and that is a great deal for a really, really good book. I spent more than that on Oreos today, y'all. Solid four out of five roses from me.



Other notes:

- Did I mention the fat rep is really, really good? This is going on my fat positive goodreads shelf for sure.

- There are really great sibling dynamics in here.

That's about it for me!

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Things I've Read Recently (67)

If you're new around here, Things I've Read Recently is a series of posts I do that are basically mini-reviews of books that I either forgot to review, didn't have enough to say for a full review, or just didn't want to do a full post about for whatever reason.

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Published: December 14th, 2009 by Simon Pulse
Genre: Paranormal YA leaning towards horror at times
Binding: Hardcover
Page Count: 454
Part of a series? There is a companion novel called Slice of Cherry, and a short story, all set in the same universe.
Got via: The author sent it to me, and I actually did read it in like 2009, 2010, but I never wrote anything about it, and I wanted to reread it.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna’s tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home.

But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she’s far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

Thoughts: This is a weird freaking book. I've seen it compared to Welcome to Night Vale, and the setting does remind me a lot of that, along with Silas University (the setting of the webseries Carmilla). It is creepy and weird and surreal, and the setting is one of my favourite parts of this book. The author's ability to write something so weird is an incredible strength. I also thought the romance was cute, and not altogether what you'd usually see, especially for the time period the book was published in. And the relationship between Hanna and her mother is complicated and really interesting.

The part I didn't so much like was the bipolar rep. I'm going to point these things out after saying that as far as I know, this book is not ownvoices in that area. If the book was, obviously that would be different. The book uses an outdated term for bipolar, and I'm not sure that's right for someone who doesn't have bipolar to decide to use. The book also uses a lot of ableist language that is not, in this case, the author's to reclaim, and I think comes off almost sensationalizing or even fetishizing. There's also just a straight up r-slur. I'm gonna link to a few other things talking about this here, here, and here.

There is basically no fat rep besides an offensive monster and there are annoying comments now and then along that slant. Not much for other disability rep, and there's no queer rep at all. It's not even mentioned as a possibility.

Overall, the setting is amazing and the writing of the horror aspects is great, but I had problems, too. This is one that I think would be absolutely amazing if it was released today and had had sensitivity readers. As it is, it's dated in those aspects, and because of that, it suffers some.

TW for ableism, fatmisia, self-harm, suicide, and probably a little bit of racism (from other characters aimed at Hanna).

Angels Fall by Nora Roberts

Published: July 11th, 2006 by Putman
Genre: Adult Romance
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 444 plus extras
Part of a series? Nope.
Got via: It was a library reject.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Reece Gilmore has come a long way to see the stunning view below her. As the sole survivor of a brutal crime back East, she has been on the run, desperately fighting the nightmares and panic attacks that haunt her. Reece settles in Angel's Fist, Wyoming-temporarily, at least-and takes a job at a local diner. And now she's hiked this mountain all by herself. It was glorious, she thought, as she peered through her binoculars at the Snake River churning below.

Then Reece saw the man and woman on the opposite bank. Arguing. Fighting. And suddenly, the man was on top of the woman, his hands around her throat . . .

Enjoying a moment of solitude a bit farther down the trail is a gruff loner named Brody. But by the time Reece reaches him and brings him to the scene, the pair has vanished. When authorities comb the area where she saw the attack, they find nothing. No signs of struggle. No freshly turned earth. Not even a tire track.

And no one in Angel's Fist seems to believe her. After all, she's a newcomer in town, with a reputation for being jumpy and jittery-maybe even a little fragile. Maybe it's time to run again, to move on...

Reece Gilmore knows there's a killer in Angel's Fist, even if Brody, despite his seeming impatience and desire to keep her at arm's length, is the only one willing to believe her. When a series of menacing events makes it clear that someone wants her out of the way, Reece must put her trust in Brody-and herself-to find out if there is a killer in Angel's Fist before it's too late.

Review: This is a bit out of the usual around here, but I was in the mood for something different and this was a great reminder that I really love Nora Roberts. This isn't exactly diverse or revolutionary, but it is exactly what it claims to be and it was exactly what I expected it to be.

The romance was funny and cute. I liked the dynamic between the two leads, and it played with some romance tropes, but it never over the top with the ones I'm really not into. Like it never got all, "I am alpha male, here me roar." I also thought it was neat that Reece got a pap smear on page in the book. It isn't graphic or anything, and it's just treated as something kind of annoying, but part of her full physical check-up. It also talks about breast exams, and doing self-examinations.

All in all, a good romance with a cool murder story. Nice to read something different and a reminder I should read more along this line.

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Published: September 8th, 2016 by Duet Books
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 280 plus some extras.
Part of a series? There's a sequel for sure, and possibly more?
Got via: The library, but the author is a friend, so if that bugs you, there you go.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Welcome to Andover… where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef-up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship—only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain.

On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, who Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then there’s the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.

Review: I really liked this. It's got a unique voice and that takes a little to get used to, but once you do, it's well worth it. It reminds me of Sky High, and I think it might honestly have couple Sky High references. The world-building is excellant and I really want to know more about it. My favourite little touch is honestly the household robots, especially Jess' robot Chả. It's like a Roomba with anxiety.

I also think this would be really great for younger readers. While this is very obviously YA and it fits there perfectly, but for preteens or young teens who have an advanced reading level or look to read up or whatever, this would be perfect. It would be very approachable for younger readers, and the subject matter isn't anything... I'm gonna say "not super mature", but in a good way. Nothing that a younger reader might not be ready for. Since there are some great queer characters, I could totally see this really appealing to younger reders who want to read about queer rep beyond what is currently available in MG.

Really fun read, some great rep on multiple facets, and I'd like to read more. I definitely recommnd this one.

You by Charles Benoit

Published: August 24th, 2010 by HarperTeen
Genre: Contemporary YA
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 223, plus an excerpt of another book and stuff.
Part of a series? Standalone.
Got via: I think I bought it from Amazon, actually. I know, how unusual around here to have a book not from the library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go.

You’re just a typical fifteen-year-old sophomore, an average guy named Kyle Chase. This can’t be happening to you. But then, how do you explain all the blood? How do you explain how you got here in the first place?

There had to have been signs, had to have been some clues it was coming. Did you miss them, or ignore them? Maybe if you can figure out where it all went wrong, you can still make it right. Or is it already too late?

Think fast, Kyle. Time’s running out. How did this happen?

Review: Meh. That's just about my overall feelings on this, very meh. The writing is fine, and for me the second person thing neither takes anything away nor adds anything. I can fully see a lot of people hating it, but I didn't care one way or the other. It's fine. It doesn't do a lot for me, but it's fine.

I didn't really like any of the characters, but there's not enough time spent on any of them to really hate them either. The "villain" has like no character development and there's some build-up that he's supposed to be the worst thing ever, but I don't see it at all, honestly. It's all very abrupt and shallow. We never see any real depth at all. It's all very surface level. We don't know anything about him like, what's with his family, what does he like to eat, why does he do the things he does. He's a very one note "villain".

And Kyle is so passive. The book happens to him and he doesn't do anything. With the second person narration, it's like a Choose Your Own Adventure book where you can't choose anything.

Honestly, it was just boring. Nothing really happened, there's nothing satisfying about the ending, and it feels super rushed. I think this format could be good for selective readers, because it is an interesting idea, but the execution of the book could very much be a turn off. Would not recommend, and I'm gonna pass it along out of my collection.

Content notes for slightly graphic blood descriptions, violence, ableist slurs, racism, queermisia, fatmisia by the author, and slutshaming.

And I think that wraps up this post! What have you guys been reading lately?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Things I've Read Recently (55)

If you're new around here, Things I've Read Recently is a series of posts I do that are basically mini-reviews of books that I either forgot to review, didn't have enough to say for a full review, or just didn't want to do a full post about for whatever reason.

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

Published: March 10th, 2015 by Dial Books
Genre: MG Graphic Novel
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 240
Part of a series? Nope.
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Twelve-year-old Astrid has always done everything with her best friend Nicole. So when Astrid signs up for roller derby camp, she assumes Nicole will too. But Nicole signs up for dance camp with a new friend instead, and so begins the toughest summer of Astrid's life. There are bumps and bruises as Astrid learns who she is without Nicole...and what it takes to be a strong, tough roller girl.

Thoughts: I don't think I've ever read a book about roller derby before, and especially not a middle grade one. While this has its faults, I thought it was really cute and it was a fun book to read at the beginning of summer.

There are basically two problems I had. One is that it lacks some diversity in its main cast, especially some body diversity/disability diversity. There's no fat characters like at all, and also no queer characters (but there is a part where a character teases Astrid by calling a friend her girlfriend). And the second is, the story that isn't the roller derby parts, has been done a lot before. I've read a couple of these "why did my childhood friend and I stop being friends" recently and I don't think the message about how friendships can change as you get older is a bad one, just not a unique one. And when you read three books in one year with the same subplot, you kinda notice.

But the roller derby angle is unique, and really fun. I learned some stuff I didn't know, and how few male characters are actually in this book is kind of refreshing. It's all about the girls. Astrid's relationship with her mom is also really sweet, and nice to see. They don't always get along perfectly, but you can see how much they both love each other, and it's nice to see such a reasonable parent in a middle grade novel. Overall, I think this could have done a tiny bit better with its inclusiveness, but it's a fun book anyways.

(Although, nitpick time. Pro-tip to authors? You can totally save most colourful hair dyes if you don't use the whole bottle. There's no chemical reaction going on. That's not a thing that they say not to do in the instructions.)

Under Threat by Robin Stevenson

Published: January 1st, 2016 by Orca Book Publishers
Genre: Contemporary YA
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 129 plus the about the author and whatnot.
Part of a series? Nope.
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Franny is close to her parents, adores her horse and is head over heels in love with her girlfriend, Leah. But Franny's parents are abortion providers at the local hospital, and an anonymous stranger is prepared to do whatever it takes to stop them. A stranger who phones at all hours. Who knows where they live. Who knows Franny's name.

When Leah's older brother, Jake, refers to her parents as baby killers, Franny starts to wonder if perhaps the threats aren't coming from a stranger at all. If she tells the police about her suspicions, she could lose her girlfriend. But if she doesn't--and if she's right--she could lose her parents.

Thoughts: Okay, let's get something out of the way first - this is short. It's supposed to be. That's the point. Orca books mainly publishes what are sometimes referred to as "hi-lo" books, or high interest low reading level books. That means books with more mature subject matter and low reading levels/simpler vocabulary. These are designed for selective readers, teens who struggle with reading, people learning English as a Second Language, readers with learning disorders, etc. This isn't actually easy, and it takes a lot of skill to do it well. This article discusses 3rd to 5th graders, but it's a good place to start reading. This one, too, explains how much work it takes to write one of these well. If you're going to complain this is short, or that the plot is too simple, realize that this book might not be meant for you, and also you are missing the point completely.

Okay, now let's talk about the actual book. I really liked it. First over, I'm never going to be over seeing YA use the word queer positively. And the relationship between Leah and Franny is an established one, which I haven't seen very much before in YA. They're also, frankly, adorable. Like, Franny calling Leah a dork? That is so freaking cute.

Everything in the book is also handled so respectfully. And I adored that it was unapologetically pro-abortion. Despite everything that happens with Franny's parents, and how scary that is, Franny's opinion that people have a right to choose what they want to do with their bodies and their pregnancies never wavers. The only thing I wish is that the book had stated that not only women can get pregnant/need abortions.

All in all, I was so impressed by this. Queer girls, a really cute romance, frank discussion of anti-abortionists and abortion rights, what it was like to be a doctor before abortion was legal, really supportive parents, and some decent tension in the plot. I very much recommend this one.

Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye

Published: First published in 1997, this edition was released June 1st, 1999 by Simon Pulse
Genre: Contemporary YA
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 272
Part of a series? No
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): The day after Liyana got her first real kiss, her life changed forever. Not because of the kiss, but because it was the day her father announced that the family was moving from St. Louis all the way to Palestine. Though her father grew up there, Liyana knows very little about her family's Arab heritage. Her grandmother and the rest of her relatives who live in the West Bank are strangers, and speak a language she can't understand. It isn't until she meets Omer that her homesickness fades. But Omer is Jewish, and their friendship is silently forbidden in this land. How can they make their families understand? And how can Liyana ever learn to call this place home?

Thoughts: Something that's been really interesting about doing Diversity Book Bingo is that I've been reading way more newly released books this year than the last couple years. So it's kind of interesting that this is quite a bit older than anything I've read for bingo. This almost would fit more in one of the posts I do of old books!

This does read more like a book from 1997, but considering it's a full twenty years old, it's not as dated as it could be. The emotions of moving to a new place are pretty universal, although modern young readers would probably notice that there aren't a lot of references to email or cell phones - in fact, the Abbouds don't even have a landline for several months when they first arrive in Jerusalem, and Liyana at one point is said to not like computers and only wanting to learn how to type.

The voice is a touch dated, being a bit more of a removed third person, and there's a bit of fatphobia and ableism, but overall the feelings of moving to a new place are pretty universal, and it was definitely an interesting book. Check it out if you want. I think it's worth a read.

Thin Slices of Anxiety by Catherine Lapage

Published: This edition was released April 19th, 2016 by Chronicle Books, but it was originally published in French in 2014 by Editions Somme Toute.
Genre: Adult graphic novel, I think.
Binding: Hardcover
Page Count: 104
Part of a series? Not that I know of.
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Not to worry, a book on anxiety is finally here! A clever antidote to everyday angst, this illustrated book captures universal truths and comforting revelations about being human. Artist Catherine Lepage uses her wry humor to help us see that "thinly sliced and illustrated, emotions are much easier to digest."

Thoughts: This is interesting. I'm not really sure how I feel about it, though. It's definitely a short, quick read. I didn't even have time to take any notes. I don't know. There were times where I was like, sold, I completely understand these anxiety feels, but also I'm not sure if there was really time to get a deep connection.

The art was neat, though, and I guess that it's kind of the point that it's not supposed to be that deep. It was different from what I usually read, so that was neat. Lots of thinky thoughts on this one, and I don't think I really have a conclusion. There's probably a metaphor or something there.

Okay, well, I think that's everything! What an unusual round up of books this time

What have you guys been reading?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Adult Review: The Principles Behind Flotation

The Principles Behind Flotation by Alexandra Teague

Published: March 17th, 2017 by Skyhorse Publishing
Genre: Modern Historical Adult*
Binding: Hardcover
Page Count: 319 plus acknowledgements
Part of a series? Nope
Got via: It was sent to me for review consideration.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): When the Sea of Santiago appeared overnight in a cow pasture in Arkansas, it seemed, to some, a religious miracle. But to high school sophomore A.Z. McKinney, it’s marked her chance to make history—as its first oceanographer. All she needs is to get out on the water.

Her plan is easier said than done, considering the Sea’s eccentric owner is only interested in its use as a tourist destination for beachgoers and devout pilgrims. Still, A.Z. is determined to uncover the secrets of the Sea—even if it means smuggling saline samples in her bathing suit.

Yet when a cute, conceptual artist named Kristoff moves to town, A.Z. realizes she may have found a first mate. Together, they make a plan to build a boat and study the Sea in secret. But from fighting with her best friend to searching for a tourist-terrorizing alligator (that may or may not be a crocodile), distractions are everywhere. Soon, A.Z.’s dreams are in danger of being dashed upon the shore of Mud Beach.

With her self-determined oceanic destiny on the line, A.Z. finds herself at odds with everything she thought she knew about life, love, and the Sea. To get what she wants, she’ll have to decide whether to sink or float . . . But which one comes first?

Review: I think this is the most disatisfying book I've ever read. Nothing happens in this book. NOTHING. I can't even. There is like no plot to this book and, okay, I can get behind slice of life books, but there's not even like character development plot. Things happen, kinda, but there's no conflict or anything exciting. It's just dull and slow and I disliked so many of the people.

Maybe this kind of "coming of age" book just isn't for me, but I had so much trouble reading this because I was so bored.

Plot Talk: I think we covered that I thought there was no plot, yeah?

Characters: Here's a thing - I thought there were actually some interesting characters. But we spent no time with them. Instead we spent time with the girl who basically just gave up on her dreams because of a boy (and the emotional impact of that is so shallow a feather in sand would leave a deeper imprint) and an incredibly pretenscious, annoying boy who's every "tortured artist" you've ever seen.

PG-13 stuff: The fourteen year old has a lot of sex and nobody seems to think it's important to talk to her about that besides her mother saying make sure she has orgasms and a doctor giving her birth control pills and condoms and lube. This isn't a YA book, it's an adult book with a young protagonist, which is not the same thing, and I think that makes it less emotionally true to what being a teenager is like honestly. It's like the sex is more about shock value than what it really means to A.Z.

There's also a buttload of underage drinking, a bunch of language, and some really gory images about animal death. Felt again more like shock value than anything.

Cons, complaints, bad stuff, etc.: We've covered most of them. No plot, annoying characters. It's very slow to start and the voice is super removed. It's told in third person present tense, and it's very... tell-y. There are so many "A.Z. feels" but you don't really feel what A.Z. is feeling because the narration told you, but it didn't show it. The time period is also really hard to nail down - it's set in the 80s... because... reasons, but it's hard to tell unless you really know pop culture and when Madonna wore a cone bra. I also found a lot of the backstory with the Sea confusing, and kind of glossed over.

There's ableist slurs for no reason that nobody objects to, there's no queer people, no disabled people, ONE POC who... exists, but I wouldn't be quick to call good representation, and so much fatphobia. Every fat character is a stereotype and a jerk, and there are so many fatphobic comments.

Cover comments: Yeah, I don't get it honestly. It's okay. I like blue. I think the alligator is the only thing that actually matters to the book. It doesn't speak to me though, as a cover.

Conclusion: I really did not like this. Honestly I'm kind of rushing this review because I really want to read something I'll actually enjoy, and I'm tired of spending time with this book. Maybe if you like this kind of meandering slice of life/coming of age book, but when I wasn't bored, I was offended or kind of grossed out, so it really just didn't work for me. One and a half roses.



Other notes:

- Did 14 year olds, even in the 80s, know who Kenny G was????

- *I'm making this a thing. Books set in the 80s and 90s are going to be called this now. It's a bit of an oxymoron, I realize, but I've decided.

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Adult Review: Promises to Keep

I know, this doesn't fit here at all, does it? :P An actual review AND an adult book? AND the book is somewhat new?

Promises to Keep by Genevieve Graham

Published: April 4th, 2017 by Simon and Schuster
Genre: Adult historical fiction
Binding: ARC
Page Count: 313 plus acknowledgements in my ARC but the finished copy should have 336 pages.
Part of a series? I don't think so.
Got via: It was sent to me for review consideration.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Young, beautiful Amélie Belliveau lives with her family among the Acadians of Grande Pré, Nova Scotia, content with her life on their idyllic farm. Along with their friends, the neighbouring Mi’kmaq, the community believes they can remain on neutral political ground despite the rising tides of war. But peace can be fragile, and sometimes faith is not enough. When the Acadians refuse to pledge allegiance to the British in their war against the French, the army invades Grande Pré, claims the land, and rips the people from their homes. Amélie’s entire family, alongside the other Acadians, is exiled to ports unknown aboard dilapidated ships.

Fortunately, Amélie has made a powerful ally. Having survived his own harrowing experience at the hands of the English, Corporal Connor MacDonnell is a reluctant participant in the British plan to expel the Acadians from their homeland. His sympathy for Amélie gradually evolves into a profound love, and he resolves to help her and her family in any way he can—even if it means treason. As the last warmth of summer fades, more ships arrive to ferry the Acadians away, and Connor is forced to make a decision that will alter the future forever.

Review: A combination of a genre I don't read often plus some narrative choices I found very strange made this not my favourite. It seemed like an interesting story, and I didn't know much about the setting even as someone who's Canadian, but I had trouble connecting to the book and I just didn't enjoy it very much.

Plot Talk: I thought the plot dragged a bit, to be honest. It was slow to start and it didn't do a whole lot to draw me in. I also felt like it jumped around a little too much, and skipped over things that I thought would have been really interesting to actually see. I don't know - it just wasn't my favourite.

Characters: The book alternates POVs from Amélie to Connor... to two other people who get one or two chapters each. I liked Amélie and Connor well enough, but their romance happened so fast and they had almost no time to actually have that romance. There was a point where it switched POV (again) and my note about it just saying how I have no attachment to these new characters and don't understand why I should care.

And the POV switching was one of my big problems. Sometimes it highly unnecessary and it's page time that could be spent doing better things than listening to one dude complain about how angry he is, and it does that thing I hate, where it shows a scene, and then twenty pages later recaps that scene, completely ruining the tension. How are we supposed to be shocked by a revelation that we already knew?

PG-13 stuff: It's actually pretty light on sex and swearing and such. TW for mentions of rape/threats of sexual assult (it's more hinted at than anything actually happens). It's also fairly frank about how hard the starvation and stuff is for them, but surrpisingly light on violence and the death is a little glossed over. I don't think this would actually get an R rating if it were a movie.

Cons, complaints, bad stuff, etc.: I think I got everything in the rest of the review. Didn't like the POV switches, didn't love some of the time hopping, couldn't connect to the characters/plot as well as I would have liked. I also thought it was really freaking weird that Amélie's chapters were in first person, and everyone else's were in third person. I don't get that.

This has several prominent Aboriginal characters, and I'm not entirely sure how the representation is in terms of quality. There were some moments I felt uncomfortable, and I looked for reviews, but I couldn't find anything. I'm not saying anything for absolutely certain, but I have concerns. Send me reviews of you know of them, please!

Cover comments: The cover sold me here. I think it's really pretty.

Conclusion: Other people might like this better than me. I'm picky, this isn't a genre I'm passionate about, and it ran into some of my pet peeves. I'm going to give it to my mom and see if she likes it. This isn't my favourite, but I thought it was an interesting setting, and I did like Amélie. Right now I'm sitting at about a three out of five roses.



Other notes:

- Some of the deaths were weirdly glossed over. It's like

"Two weeks later everyone was dead!"

That's about all I've got for now.

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Things I've Read Recently (47)

If you're new around here, Things I've Read Recently is a series of posts I do that are basically mini-reviews of books that I either forgot to review, didn't have enough to say for a full review, or just didn't want to do a full post about for whatever reason.

Ms. Marvel, Volume 6: Civil War II by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Adrian Alphonia, and Mirka Andolfo

Published: December 14th, 2016 by Marvel
Genre: YA Comics
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: Goodreads says 136
Part of a series? Yeah, this contains issues #7-12 and I still don't understand why the numbers started over and that's why I read bind-ups. I never claimed to be an expert.
Got via: The library as usual.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): While CIVIL WAR II brews, the next generation of Avengers has bigger things to worry about - like a tri-state academic competition! As rival schools clash, Ms. Marvel's teammates Spider-Man and Nova are now her enemies! But when Kamala gets called to the real battle's front line, she faces a fight she can't embiggen her way out of. She's about to learn a valuable lesson: Never meet your idols! As war intensifies, tragedy strikes too close to home - and Ms. Marvel must choose between her heroes and her family. When friends become foes, Ms. Marvel struggles to put her life and Jersey City back together. Kamala will be forced to grow up fast and find her true place in the world. But will she be an international sensation...or a menace?

Thoughts: Sometimes I have to seriously do research to write these things. Because honestly I read Kamala and I read Lumberjanes, and I know next to nothing besides what I read. So apparently Civil War II is important and also not so well-liked. (Kudos to Alice here for making me aware of this!) Frankly, I know nothing about the main event and also frankly, it doesn't really matter for this volume. When Last Days happened, I felt like I wanted to know more about how this effected the universe. With this, I want to know more about what happens to Kamala next.

Honestly, naming this volume "Civil War II" feels more like publicity than anything, with everything that happens in this. I think nearly everything that happens because of the event, could or would have happened with out. It's just background, really. So if you're wary of the event, don't worry about it here and definitely don't skip these ones because, well. You'd miss a lot.

A great deal of this volume spends more time with Kamala's family, and their history, and how and why they immigrated. More of her family is introduced, too, and I love how they show how strong the women of her family are, and how that has shaped Kamala to be who she is. The support of her family is so incredibly imporant to Kamala, and she couldn't do what she does without them, and I love when they show that.

Also, there's a queer character now! I won't spoil if the person is new or old, or who it is, but if you've been waiting for that (I saw it on tumblr and was desperately waiting) this is when that happens. And it's lovely.

Big, important things happen in this, but they feel organic, not just triggered by the Civil War II event. These feel like things that have been naturally building, things that make sense to the characters, and don't feel shoehorned in for an event. My advice if you're nervous would be ignore the title and take these just as issues 7 to 12, and don't worry about anything else in the Marvel universe unless you wanna go there. This, at least, isn't about anything else. This is about Kamala. And it's well-worth reading. Focus on her, and let everyone else figure out their issues.

Also I kind of want to check out that Champions thing now? Especially because I have to wait until AUGUST for Volume 7. (And it's only January for me! Who knows when I'll post this.)

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Published: June 7th, 2011 by First Second, but my edition is from Square Fish which is an imprint of MacMillan, and that was in like 2014.
Genre: YA Comic
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 221 plus a Q&A
Part of a series? Nope.
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who’s been dead for a century.

Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend—even a ghost—is just what she needs.

Or so she thinks.

Thoughts: This was okay. I liked the art style, but I never felt like I fully connected with the story or Anya. Anya being an immigrant and Russian and everything is a neat dynamic, but she's not a real likeable character, and I don't need characters to be likeable, but I prefer them not to be... so unpleasant that I can't relate to them and Anya sure had unpleasant moments.

There's a decent chunk of fatphobia that is both internalized by Anya at herself, and aimed at other people. She was fat as a kid, but isn't as a teen, and has body issues. That isn't a bad thing, obviously, but her comments about other people are gross. And the only person who really says that it's okay to be fat is Anya's mother, and it comes off like she's very old-fashioned and not actually... right.

And I... I'm going to take a picture (page 48) but basically there's a page where Anya looks at herself in a bathroom mirror and imagines herself fat and it made me really uncomfortable. It is incredibly rare to see bodies that look like mine in graphic novels or comic books and the only time I do when the main character is basically saying how awful it would be for herself to look like me? Vera's mother, who the drawing is obviously modelled after since the clothing is the same, is the only kind of fat, kind of more chubby character (and she actually looks smaller than Anya's imagining of herself) in the whole book.

It feels bad to read. Maybe I'm more sensitive than other people, but it made me anxious and unhappy. The mystery is good, and I liked the story, but I didn't connect enough, and that part hurt. Maybe three roses top? And I don't feel comfortable recommending it honestly. You'll have to make your own decisions on this one.

Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Published: April 5th, 2016 by Tor
Genre: Adult fantasy
Binding: Hardcover
Page Count: 169 plus a really funny about the author.
Part of a series? Yeah, there's a prequel coming in June, and a sequel planned for 2018. I will be needing them all.
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Guests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Thoughts: This is the first book I've ever read with a canon asexual character, and I'm never going to be over that. I have literally never in my life read a book with a main character with my sexuality. I want you to really think about that, because it will be relevant to this review as I go on, and I want you to have that context.

Let's talk some other stuff first, though. The idea of what happens after portal fantasies (like Chronicles of Narnia and Alice in Wonderland as mentioned in the summary) is something I super enjoyed. If you ever want to hear me rant, ask me about Susan Pensevie sometime because I definitely have feelings about that. This book understands those feelings. And then it gave me a whole bunch of new feelings that I don't know what to do with. I feel like that should be a button or something, "Seanan McGuire gave me feelings." I have a feeling it would be popular.

The setting of this kind of boarding school is amazing. I would read so many books set in this universe. I found even just the day to day normal bits of the school fascinating, and I almost wish the book had been a bit longer so it could be explored more.

(My computer died in the middle of me writing the review and I'm finishing it like three weeks later after writing half of it in a notebook so if it feels disjointed there's your reason. (I may reference this in reviews - don't worry about it. Everything's pretty much cool now, and my timelines are probably super confusing in reviews, lol.)

I seriously adored the voice in this. The book really combines a classic tone in the narration, including a self-aware passage about narration, with a great social commentary including very astute comments about dieting and male privilege, and it's refreshing like whoa, especially for a relatively small book.

Now let's talk some ace stuff. I talked to a friend about this (thank you, Luci) because I am not the Grand High Ace. They mentioned criticisms they'd heard that the ace rep might be too generalized and the aro rep (or lack thereof) might be problematic. On the first - Nancy always talks about her asexuality only as it relates to her. She speaks often in "I" statements. Nancy is also not aromantic, and mentions that, which I appreciate as a lot of people might not even know whatthat is, and it's not not the same sexuality. Nancy's experience with romantic attraction seems to be that she wants to kiss and hold hands with people, and that want is directed at specific people. (Listen to the grey aro person try to explain romantic attraction.)

A potentional problem is that this could be seen as equating romantic attraction and therefore romantic orientation solely with physical acts. An aromantic person who likes kissing is still aromantic. I personally don't think the book does this. I think, though, people who don't know much about ace and aro people could assume this, though.

And that's not really a problem with the book, I don't think. It could have been a little more explicit, but Nancy is a teenager and shouldn't have to be the One True Holy Ace, really. Personally, I think allo people need to be a whole lot more careful not to assume that reading one book about one asexual character makes them an expert on asexuality. Nancy's experience is valid and important, and shouldn't take away from anyone else's. The author, indeed, is an ownvoices author, being demisexual but not aromantic, and may well be drawing from her own experience. (Or not, and that's cool, too.) Basically we just need many, many more ace and aro characters, so a variety of experiences are shown.

*looks at notes scribbled on pink cardstock* *which I have now lost since making that joke* *this review is a mess* Oh! There's a trans character in this, and can I just say he is very, very swoonworthy. I think his rep is good, but I'm cis, so grain of salt there. And here's a review from someone else for you! (And more from other reviewers here, which updates a lot more than I do.) And since that doesn't go into detail on possibly triggering things, I will so, like, you know what to expect because I like doing these things for you guys. The character does face some transphobia from other characters, but the narration never, ever misgenders him, and the book's context  and other character always 100% states that this is wrong and not acceptable.

I know from Word of God, also, that there are additional queer characters, but it's not explicit, at least not yet. Curse of the short book.

All in all, I really enjoyed this, and I still feel all the ways about the ending. I also think this borderline works as a YA crossover. There's some horror and a little gore, but I've... honestly read more gory YA. (Never going to be over the eyeball eating book. Sorry.) I'd say a lot of teens would be fine with this and certain teens may just need it. I appreciate and acknowledge the criticisms, but I think most of them (not like the race rep or anything - the ace stuff I talked about)) are more a problem with parts of the audience than with the book, and I'm comfortable recommending it.

Dear lord that was long and this post isn't over yet.

Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Published: My edition was released March 13th, 2012 from Square Fish which is a Macmillan imprint, but it was originally published September 28th, 2010.
Genre: YA Thriller
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 213 plus an interview with the author with a bunch of questions and an excerpt and probably some other stuff I can't check because I returned it to the library already.
Part of a series? There is going to be a sequel released May
Got via: Obviously the library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Sixteen year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of a car while her step-mom fills her prescription at the pharmacy. Before Cheyenne realizes what's happening, their car is being stolen--with her inside! Griffin hadn't meant to kidnap Cheyenne, all he needed to do was steal a car for the others.

But once Griffin's dad finds out that Cheyenne's father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes—now there's a reason to keep her. What Griffin doesn't know is that Cheyenne is not only sick with pneumonia, she is blind. How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare, and if she does, at what price?

Review: This wasn't awful, but I didn't really love it either. It's definitely pretty exciting most of the time, but I wasn't really overwhelmed. It's a decent thriller, maybe a little like the book equivalent of a Lifetime movie. You probably won't be bored, but it's maybe not very high quality.

Like, I have to say, I don't think this is so okay.

Transcription/quote (minus a little stuff that isn't relevant):

"It's Cheyenne," she said softly. "Cheyenne Wilder."

 "Why did your parents name you Cheyenne?" Griffin asked as they drove past two horses - one brown and one black - and running free. His eyes followed them for a moment. "Isn't that an Indian tribe?"

"I'm one-thirty-second Indian. Not enough to really matter."

 High cheekbones, dark hair, dark eyes - he could see it.

I'm incredibly white, so I tried to find reviews from Native reviewers, but I came up pretty empty. I am going to link to Debbie Reese's blog just because I want to link to something, if not something specific. It never comes up again, but it's... uncomfortable, at the very least.

I also think you can definitely tell that it's not an ownvoices book. It's very well researched, and I give kudos for the author for that, but you can still tell that the author isn't writing from experience. I have to wonder, then, if this would ring true to someone who is blind or visually impaired. I obviously can't answer that either, but I do raise it as a question. I also think that it's an interesting idea to have a kidnapper and victim bond, the book maybe goes a little too far. There is no way to make it okay to suggest they'd continue a relationship or be friends, which the ending suggests could be a possibility. Yes, Griffin is abused by his father - he still kidnapped her and almost got her raped and killed. It's not okay to minimalize it.

Overall, it was kind of fun reading it in a guilty pleasure way. It doesn't have a ton of depth, and has some issues. I don't have much to say about it, but I wouldn't be comfortable recommending it. Also, I'm not a giant fan of the cover either, but that's just because I don't like orange. Editing Laina: I wrote this review before I saw that there was going to be a sequel, and I'm kind of uncomfortable with continuing this story personally and probably won't be picking up the sequel.

Okay, I think that's it. This turned out very, very long!

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Things I've Read Recently (38): Comic Books

Ms. Marvel, Volume 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona

Published: Each comic was obviously released indiviually with this bind-up released October 15th, 2014
Genre: YA Comic book
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: Goodreads says 120, so we'll go with that because there aren't any numbers on the pages.
Part of a series? This is a bind-up of the first five issues of Ms. Marvel.
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City — until she's suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! When Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them, as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to bear? Kamala has no idea, either. But she's comin' for you, Jersey!

Thoughts: I took like no notes on this, and this is probably not going to be a really amazing review. The art is so cool in this, from the action to the background characters to Kamala's design to the general atmosphere of the city. Everyone's talked about how awesome this series is, so I'm just going to say I enjoyed it a ton, and I can't wait to read more.

I will be ordering as many volumes as I can get my little hands on from the library for sure. In fact I may have interrupted this review to do that.

Also can I talk about how much I appreciate how Kamala is drawn? She's thin, and yeah, it would be nice to see more fat characters (there are actually fat background characters in this, though!), especially superheroes, but her body is not overly-sexualized the way many teen comic book characters are (*cough*Darkchylde*cough).

This series is, and is going to be, so important to so many people, and I'm just happy it exists. Also, if you have a fan of Legend of Korra in the house, try this, because I think people who like Korra will like Kamala. I can't wait for more.

Supergirl: Cosmic Aventures in the 8th Grade by Landry Q. Walker and Eric Jones

Published: December 29th, 2009 by DC Comics as far as I can tell
Genre: Comic
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 144
Part of a series? This bind-up is a six-part mini-series spun off of what I think is the "Tiny Titans" comic series. As far as I can tell from researching, the six comics in this are the entire thing.
Got via: Library.
Amazon (which is like 7 dollars, so if you need a gift...)  / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Meet Linda Lee! She's the newest kid on the block-and the planet, too! Find out how an ordinary girl from Krypton became the most extraordinary girl on Earth in the pages of this brand new monthly series. And if you think life is tough as a hero, try being in the eighth grade.

Thoughts: This is cute. I was looking for early readers about Supergirl for a Storytime (of which there is a huge lack!) and this showed up in the search results on the library website. I watch the show Supergirl, so this is a bit of a different continuity than I'm used to, but I think it explains it just fine and I didn't have trouble following anything.

This is definitely aimed at a younger audience. It's more Archie Comic than Ms. Marvel. It's definitely been well-loved, though, because the copy I got from the library is super beat-up. It's a fun way to spend a little time, and I think it would be great for young superhero fans. No real complaints here.

A Terrible Plan by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Carolyn Nowak, and Maarta Laiho

Published: April 5th, 2016 by BOOM! Box
Genre: YA comic book
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: Goodreads says 112
Part of a series? This is volume three of the Lumberjanes bind-up, containing issues 9-12.
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): IF YOU GOT IT, HAUNT IT!

Trying to take advantage of the first quiet day at camp in a while, Mal and Molly's date takes a bizarre turn with the appearance of the Bear Woman! Back at camp, Jo, April, and Ripley must stay on their toes as they try and earn every badge possible, which ends up being a lot harder than any of them ever planned.

Thoughts: This might actually be my favourite bind-up that I've read yet, and I absolutely adored the first issue in this, the If You Got It, Haunt It Badge one (although I keep calling it Ghost Stories in my head). That issue is made up of several stories from different characters, and the stories reflect their personalities and voices amazingly. Each of them has a slightly different art style reflecting their voices and it's so clever.

Also in this one THEY MAKE SUBTEXT INTO TEXT. Mal and Molly go on a date and they call it that!!!! Head kisses guys *dies* There are head kisses. I am not strong enough to express how much I love this.

Both the A-plot and the B-plot are great in this little arc, and I seriously loved this so much. Highly recommended.

Orphan Black by John Fawcett, Szymon Kudranski, Graeme Manson, Jody Houser, and Cat Staggs

Published: September 23rd, 2015 by IDW Publishing
Genre: Adult comic book
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 124 pages
Part of a series? This is a bind-up of the "The Clone Club" series. There is also a follow-up series called Helsinki. (Or at least that's near as I can figure out.)
Got via: The library.
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (from goodreads): Sarah's life was changed dramatically after witnessing the suicide of a woman who looked just like her. Sarah learned that, not only were she and the woman clones, but there were others just like them, and dangerous factions at work set on capturing them all. Now, the mysterious world of Orphan Black widens, with new layers of the conspiracy being peeled back in this series by co-creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson!

Thoughts: I really like the TV show Orphan Black. It's one of my favourite shows, and when the new seasons come out, I watch them in about a day and a half because I have absolutely no impulse control with them. This comic series does a very good job of capturing the feel of the show, which really is an accomplishment. This doesn't continue any of the arcs started on the show, but it does show a lot of backstory, going into the past of each of our main Clone Club clones.

If you haven't seen the show, I don't think you're going to get a lot out of this. There's no real plot at all, and I think the draw in this really is learning a little more about characters that you already enjoy. And if you have seen the show, just make sure you're caught up or you might run into spoilers. As an extra, though, it's a lot of fun, and this series is pretty much self-contained, so you're not going to have to track anything extra down. Also just to be clear, this is definitely an adult show and while the comics are less explicit, they are still adult in tone and nature. Use your discretion, guys. I'm not your mom.

So basically if you're an Orphan Black fan, I'd recommend giving this a shot. The art is beautiful, and I really enjoyed this.

And I think that's it for this post!

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Adult Review: Madame Tussaud

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

Published: February 15th, 2011 by Crown Publishing Group which the acknowledgements says is a division of Random House.
Genre: Adult historical fiction.
Binding: A giant, really heavy hardcover.
Page Count: 448 when you include all the extras, 426 of strict story.
Part of a series? No, it is a standalone.
Got via: It was sent to me for review consideration by the author... in 2011. I'm sorry! I really do enjoy these books! I'm getting better; I really am. Soon we will get out of 2011!
Amazon / Book Depository / Indiebound

Summary (a rather long one from goodreads): Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American Ambassador, Thomas Jefferson, to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie’s museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, and when word arrives that the royals themselves are coming to see their likenesses, Marie never dreams that the king’s sister will request her presence at Versailles as a royal tutor in wax sculpting. Yet when a letter with a gold seal is delivered to her home, Marie knows she cannot refuse—even if it means time away from her beloved Salon and her increasingly dear friend, Henri Charles.

As Marie becomes acquainted with her pupil, Princess Élisabeth, she is taken to meet both Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI, who introduce her to the glamorous life at court. From lavish parties with more delicacies than she’s ever seen, to rooms filled with candles lit only once before being discarded, Marie steps into to a world entirely different from her home on the Boulevard du Temple, where people are selling their teeth in order to put food on the table.

Meanwhile, many resent the vast separation between rich and poor. In salons and cafés across Paris, people like Camille Desmoulins, Jean-Paul Marat, and Maximilien Robespierre are lashing out against the monarchy. Soon, there’s whispered talk of revolution…Will Marie be able to hold on to both the love of her life and her friendship with the royal family as France approaches civil war? And more importantly, will she be able to fulfill the demands of powerful revolutionaries who ask that she make the death masks of beheaded aristocrats, some of whom she knows?

Review: This was really good! Now, I know very little about history, so I can't really judge how accurate things are, but I came out of this feeling like I understood a little more about the historical events that happened in the book. I think that's a good sign in historical fiction, and I think that really helps people like me who aren't really experienced in the genre. I went in knowing almost nothing about Marie Tussaud besides, you know, she's got a thing with wax, and Moran did not confuse me, or make me feel like I wasn't capable of following the events of the book. She has a wonderful knack for bringing the characters to life, and her descriptions are amazing. Picturing how things look is so easy, and I'm not a hugely visual person.

I'm very impressed.

Plot Talk: French Revolution. Wax museum. Do I really need to say more?

But I will talk about the pacing, because it's kind of interesting. Three months or so pass over the course of about 200 pages. Then the other half of the book covers five years. It really works well, because you get time to understand the setting, and what the consequences really are. There's still a lot going on, but those things work to make you care about the characters, and care about what happens.

Characters: Speaking of, the characters are really good. They're obviously real historical figures, and their depictions show how much the author genuinely enjoys the history. There's real care put into them. Marie herself is a fascinating woman, and I very much enjoyed spending a book with her. She's smart, talented, and incredibly strong.

Moran has a real knack for writing wonderful characters. I especially appreciated the sympathetic portrayal of Marie Antoinette. It feels much more honest somehow.

PG-13 stuff: I mean, this is an adult novel that covers the French Revolution. There's bloody stuff and gory stuff and violence. There's definitely some disturbing things. People die, and it's not really shied away from. I didn't find it too much to handle, but sensitive readers may want to be careful. Not much for language besides, like, the occasional French stuff, and no graphic sex.

Cons, complaints, bad stuff, etc.: Pet peeve - Marie mentions "knowing" sex would hurt at first, and there's a mention of doctors examining a corpse for proof of virginity and finding it. I know in the 18th century that was kind of the general idea, but like... definitely a pet peeve. Hymens just don't really work like that. I'm not going to rant. I'm just going to link a ScarletTeen article (and also this Smart Bitches Trashy Books article because it's funny).

Cover comments: I think this is an absolutely striking cover, and I really like it. I also really like one of the covers from another edition. (Click to enlarge.) The perfect cover, I think, would be a combination of the two. On the yellow cover, I really like the model. Not to say she isn't beautiful, but the expression on her face especially strikes me as fitting the character. While the right cover has something out of the book (the dress, the mask, the tri-colour flag thingie), I think the model is too young - Marie is twenty-eight to thirty-two or so - and too pretty. Marie describes herself as not pretty.

I did see a portrait of her, and I think she was interesting to look at, but not pretty in the delicate waif way. For me, the yellow cover's model demands your attention and your respect. And I think the red cover gears more historical romance - the love story isn't the main element of the book the way the logline on the cover seems to point towards it being. So, a combination of these two would probably be the perfect cover for me.

But they're both good! I'm just rambling too much because I'm overtired and need to go to bed.

Conclusion: This was a great way to spend a few hours! I'm really glad I finally got around to reading it, and I would gladly read more from Michelle Moran. This is a really fun way for me to expand my reading horizons some, and I definitely recommend it. Solid four out of five stars.



Other notes:

- I wish I had gotten this up last week for the French holiday that was like, in this!

- I kept picturing the Hamilton cast whenever, like, Lafayette came up. Kind of enjoyable, actually.

Don't forget to enter the contest!

Peace and cookies,
Laina