Month: September 2016

Labyrinth Lost, by Zoraida Cordova

labyrinth-lost
I do not own this image. Image belongs to Sourcebooks Fire.

According to her website, Zoraida Cordova says, “(I) write YA Urban Fantasy about mermaids and other things that go bump in the night. I also write about 20-something-year-old-girls searching for love and the meaning of life. I often wish my life were a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sex and the City. I’m a contributing writer to Latinos in Kid Lit because #WeNeedDiverseBooks.” Her newest novel is Labyrinth Lost.

Alex is a bruja in a family of powerful witches. But Alex doesn’t want her powers. She wants to be normal. She’s hated magic for years, ever since it made her father disappear. Instead of a Quinceañera, Alex prepares for her Death Day:  the most important event in a witch’s life, and her one chance to get rid of her magic.

But the curse she performs during the ceremony goes wrong, and her entire family disappears, leaving her alone and with all of their magic. Nova is the only one she can turn to, a brujo with ambitions of his own. They must travel to Los Lagos, a land in-between two places that makes Wonderland look like a cartoon fairy tale.

The characters in Labyrinth Lost are so vivid they almost step off the page. The magic system is unique (with a hint of the feel of voodoo). Alex is conflicted over her heritage, but not her love of her family, and she grows so much in this book. There are a few twists in the book that will catch the reader by surprise.

 

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.)

What I Read in August

Nothing like being almost a month late with this post.

Sorry about that.

I’m actually very OCD about To-Do Lists/my BuJo, but some things just get away from me. Like talking about what I read in August.

Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Queen’s Necklace, by Kathryn Kenny. This was from my TBR pile, and is also a book I loved when I was younger. This series is just so…innocent and happy.

the summer that melted everything
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.)

The Summer that Melted Everything, by Tiffany McDaniel. Read to review. And wow.

getting it right

Getting it Right, by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Read to review. Felt sort of like A Confederacy of Dunces to me.

the reason I run

The Reason I Run, by Chris Spriggs. Such an inspiring book, full of determination and love. Read to review.

last-road-home-flat-cover

The Last Road Home, by Danny Johnson. Read to review. Excellent read. Very emotional and poignant.

 

 

Darcy Moon and the Aroona Frogs, by Catherine Carvell

 

darcy-moon
I do no own this image. Image belongs to Star Bright Books.

Catherine Carvell was born in England but moved to Australia at age 8. She loved nature and stories, so she studied biology and journalism. Now she lives in Singapore with her family and pet turtles. Darcy Moon and the Aroona Frogs is her first middle-grade book.

Darcy Moon has enough problems, her father’s wacky job and her mom’s hairy armpits are just the tip of the iceberg. When she wanders into the local swamp and an old turtle asks for her help, she is understandably freaked out. The Aroona frogs are disappearing, and Darcy is an Earth Guardian. She has to help, but she’s up against a local millionaire while she tries fix the food-chain and save the swamp. And that doesn’t count the talking frogs.

Darcy Moon and the Aroona Frogs is a unique, humorous middle-grade book dealing with environmental issues, greed, and quirky families. It’s totally worth reading…and I don’t even have kids!

(Galley provided by Star Bright Books via NetGalley.)

Cutter Boy, by Cristy Watson

cutter-boy
I do not own this image. Image used courtesy of James Lorimer & Company.)

 

Cristy Watson is a teacher who writes poetry and YA. Her newest story is Cutter Boy.

Travis is bullied at school and ignored at home. He has no one to talk to. The only thing that gives him peace is cutting himself with a razor blade. When he meets new girl Chyvonne at school, he wants to get to know her better, but he’s afraid she’ll find out his secret.

As Travis grows closer to Chyvonne, he wonders what causes his mother to hate him so much. Then he finds the art of paper cutting, which seems to be the only other option to make himself feel better. Will Travis ever win his struggle with self-harm?

Cutter Boy is a difficult and dark short novel that delves into an area seldom explored in literature:  self-harm among guys. Travis’ journey is wrenching and emotionally gripping.

(Galley courtesy of James Lorimer & Company.)

The Sunlight Pilgrims, by Jenni Fagan

the-sunlight-pilgrims
I do not own this image. Image belongs to Crown Publishing.

Jenni Fagan is a poet, screenwriter, and the author of short stories, essays, articles, plays, and novels. She has won prestigious awards, including Scottish Author of the Year (2016) and one of the Granta Best of Young British Novelists (2013). Her newest novel is The Sunlight Pilgrims.

In November of 2020, the world is freezing over. The consequences of global warming are in full effect. The ice caps are melting. There’s snow in Israel. The Thames is overflowing. People are fleeing London for warmer temperatures to the south. But Dylan is headed north to bury the ashes of his mother and grandmother in the Scottish islands they came from.

Twelve-year-old Estella and her survivalist mother, Constance, live in a Highlands caravan, getting by scavenging the landfill for things to restore and trade. Stella is not who she one was, and Constance is fiercely protective of who her child is, and of her own choices. When Dylan arrives, he will change both their lives as they wait for the worsening winter to arrive.

This is a beautiful, evocative book filled with compelling characters. The potential return of the ice Age—set only four years from now!—adds a chilling backdrop to the experiences of the characters. Very well-done and worth reading.

(Galley provided by Crown Publishing via NetGalley.)

Tracing the Bones, by Elise A. Miller

tracing-the-bones
I do not own this image. Image belongs to SparkPress.

Elise A. Miller is a fitness instructor and a writer of both fiction and essays. Her first novel, Star Craving Mad, was first published in 2004. Tracing the Bones is her second novel.

Eve Myers is a housewife haunted by her husband’s long-ago affair. She has two kids, chronic back pain, and scribbles story ideas on scraps of paper as she drifts numbly through her monotonous life. Until a new family moves into the house next door.

Now Eve is obsessed with beautiful life coach Anna and sexy alternative healer Billy. Anna has abilities Eve never imagined, and Billy is haunted by a dark, troubled past. While Eve starts healing sessions with Billy, tragedy strikes, drawing Eve into a tangled web of suspicion and sending her marriage careening towards a precipice of mistrust and betrayal.

Tracing the Bones is a compelling, intriguing story about flawed characters and their struggles. I understood—and sympathized—with Eve’s pain as well as her curiosity. The aftermath of tragedy, and Eve’s ever-deepening involvement in the darkness offered her a chance at resolution and redemption. I enjoyed this book very much.

(Galley provided by SparkPress via NetGalley.)