It's funny, in the last Julie Mayhew book I read (The Big Lie), I freaking loved the first half of the book. I'm talking five-stars, mind blown, all the feelings loved. And that is exactly what happened here. The beginning is awful and raw and I found myself wholly immersed. I will admit, it was hard for me to read (since I had my own kids, reading about kids dying guts me, but that isn't a complaint, I knew this going in of course!) so it took me some time, but I was hooked. Darya had practically raised Nika, as her mother was largely unable to due to mental illness. Darya feels like she not only lost a sister, but her whole purpose. And the family, as you can imagine, struggles to handle it too. It seems horrifyingly honest and when the media circus comes to town, terribly realistic.
This part of the story was well crafted and full of emotion. Darya trying to reach out to find where she would fit was of course believable. And her need to escape her small town to seek opportunity in Moscow made tons of sense. But this leads me to...
What I Didn't:
Here's the thing: the second half of the story wasn't necessarily even bad, it was just... different. A whole different tone, really. It became a lot more about Darya trying to navigate the big city, but I just wasn't as invested. I liked Darya, and I was rooting for her, but as the story turned from one about family and picking up the pieces after tragedy, I had trouble caring about Darya's new friend, or her crushes, or what have you. Which is perhaps unfair, but I simply didn't find this part of her journey compelling. It lacked the emotion of the first half. Where I had cared about Darya's grief, and her bond with her family, and even her trying to move on after the unthinkable, in this second half, I just felt... nothing, really.
Bottom Line:
A stunning first half based on an unimaginable tragedy and a family trying to stay afloat, the second half was a bit underwhelming, especially by comparison....more
The friendship was awesome! A duo of headstrong females in the early twentieth century? Yes PLEASE! Ada and Corinne were such fabulous friends. They had squabbles, no doubt. But that made it so realistic. They were truly and fully there for each other, and their loyalty and love was so heartwarming! Especially since their lives were tough, it was incredibly sweet that they had each other's backs. The historical setting was on point. Granted, it was an alternate history, since as far as I can tell we didn't have hemopaths roaming the streets of Boston, well, ever. But since prohibition was definitely a topic of the times, it fit perfectly in the night club setting, in an era where women and minorities had very few rights, it worked completely. It also made for the perfect atmosphere, which the author totally delivers! The diversity (and the commentary) is fabulous! The characters are all quite diverse, which is a win in itself. But the author also uses hemopathy brilliantly. It is a huge part of who they are, but they are treated horribly because of something they have no control over. They're persecuted for just their general existence- even if they didn't work in the bar, just the state of being a hemopath was enough to have them locked in an asylum. The mistreatment of hemopaths serves as an incredible allegory for the mistreatment of all minority groups, which is certainly a powerful and important topic. I enjoyed that their families played roles in their lives even though they lived away from home. Their familial relationships were often strained, but they also seemed to be incredibly realistic, as well as an important factor in both girls' lives. The role of their other friends was also great. I enjoyed reading about all the side relationships. The hemopathy thing was really intriguing! I was so pleasantly surprised at how fascinated I was with it. The ability to change people's emotions (through art, no less!), and all the ramifications that come with it? Definitely needed to know all about that! Obviously, I will let you read about it all yourselves, but just the whole concept was quite unique and thought provoking!
Bottom Line:
Definitely glad to have read this one! The historical atmosphere was phenomenal, the diversity was great, and the friendships were so heartwarming! A must-read if you like anyof the genres this book falls under! ...more
Let's talk about what made this book so enjoyable, shall we?
Harry is so ahead of her time, and I love it. Not in an unbelievable sense, mind you, but she is one awesome female in a world that doesn't respect her fabulousness as it should. She is gutsy- she takes risks, she puts herself out there, she basically does whatever she needs to get the job done. But, she is still human and she still has fears and worries and such. I enjoyed her immensely. The supporting characters work well to balance out Harry's seriousness, so there's a good blend. I definitely wasn't sure how the mystery would unravel! I had a few ideas, but I was never sure. I was always left guessing, right up until the end. It was the kind of book that kept me turning the pages to uncover the next twist, to try to guess the outcome! The historical accuracy was phenomenal. I found myself Googling a lot of the people and other cases that were mentioned during the story, and they were endlessly fascinating as well as incredibly well researched. I loved that Kat Ross included real people and events of the times as well as fictional characters and storylines. It made the story feel incredibly real. The writing was also wonderful. I felt so immersed in the world, and the dialogue was very reminiscent of the time, which made the setting feel so much more authentic. I could really picture the 1888 New York streets, and even the fear that was happening in them.
My one gripe is that while it is so well done and Harry is so thorough and amazing at her job, sometimes I was kind of waiting for Harry to get out of her head a little so we could move on with the action. Don't get me wrong, most of the stuff was necessary, but Harry's mind was constantly spinning, and sometimes I felt like the reader spun a bit with it. It threw off the pace from time to time, but not enough that I wanted to stop reading!
Bottom Line:
The Daemoniac kept me guessing with a great cast of characters, wonderful atmosphere, and a mystery that I was eager to have unraveled! Definitely looking forward to the next book!...more
I can say nothing about this book without spoiling the first book so... if you like sci-fi and time travel and romance and friendship and family all mixed in with relevant and timely messages (some so eerily timely that they made me shiver)... this is a series for you. It also ends in a satisfying way, though the author stated that she hasn't ruled out writing another installment, it is done for now- and I promise, it feels complete, too!...more
And it's weird. Not in a bad way, but it is weird. And wholly unique- I can assure you that you absolutely will not find this premise... well anywhere else ever. And that is a good thing! It made me want to keep reading, for sure. I found myself wanting to know all the things, and that is a good sign, of course. So let us start, as usual, with what I enjoyed!
What I Liked:
The sibling relationships were so great. While Lorna and Callie are the main sister duo in the book, there are others that are lovely, too. Lorna's love for Callie is beautiful, but it's also realistic. Yes, Lorna gets irritated sometimes by the amount of her time that caring for Callie consumes, but at the end of the day, she'd do anything for her sister, and that is just so sweet. I love a road trip! Yes, there is a road trip in this book, and it makes me so happy. And, it's an exciting road trip at that, since it isn't exactly like they're just on a casual drive. Lorna made me chuckle. I liked how she seemed so real, even during a series of very surreal events. Yes, she took things seriously, but she also had a witty inner dialogue that I enjoyed. A lot of the book is Lorna's thoughts, so I think that is a big key here- I saw some reviews where the reader didn't love her, and I think if you don't like her voice, it would make the book difficult to enjoy. Luckily, I did, so that was a win! The action was great! I liked that while there were absolutely more low key times (I mean, they are riding in a car for a chunk of the book), there was suspense throughout. There was a good balance of fast paced events and some downtime. And, it was a super quick read, I finished in just a few hours. I really enjoyed Lorna's friendships- with her best friend pre-road trip, the one she formed with Stan during, and the new friends she met along the way. Who doesn't love a good friendship?
What I Didn't So Much:
Some of the things were a little... unbelievable. And I know there will be another book that will explain more, but some of the things that happened were just a bit too farfetched. But I will say, there is one thing that happens early on in the story that left me shaking my head, but it did end up making sense after the fact. So I have hope that some of the others will, too. But there were quite a few things that required some pretty significant suspension of belief. Parent-In-YA Syndrome. Lorna and Callie's parents weren't the only crap parents in this book. Some of them had just taken off and abandoned their kids completely, while others just mentally checked out. Minor spoiler alert- (view spoiler)[There IS some redemption for some of them along the line, luckily. (hide spoiler)] Lorna's "boyfriend" Dave (Lorna never would fully define what they were) really needed to not be in the story. I didn't get any point to his existence, I had no feel of his personality whatsoever, and I kind of wanted him to go away. Like he was supposed to be a nice guy, and I suppose he was, but he was as exciting as watching paint dry, too. Maybe that is how he was supposed to be? Either way, go home, Dave. There were a few instances where I was able to pretty easily see some things coming. However, there were also some things that caught me off guard, so this isn't a totally bad thing, just something to keep in mind.
Will I Read the Next Book? Yes. I definitely need to know what happens with Lorna, Callie, and all the Icelings!
Bottom Line:
Fast paced, fun, and wholly unique, Iceling does require some belief suspension. But if you are able, it is an action-filled story that explores sibling relationships in a whole new way....more
The Characters: Ana was an okay character, and while I felt for her, I never really connected to her. She was also quite young, which could be one of the reasons that I didn't connect, but I think it was more that she was quite closed off in general. She made some awesome friends though, so that was fun. Her parents were the hottest messes ever though, and I could not empathize with them very much. Like, you need to put your kids first, people. They had a lot of drama and secrets but they needed to get their act together and realize that "oh hey, remember the impressionable child we created, then forced to grow up in backwoods Bolivia and now threw into downtown Toronto?"
The Plot: I did like how it went back and forth between the present and flashbacks to Bolivia. And while I suppose the Mennonite colony isn't technically a cult, there were most certainly some shady activities going on. Like, almost all of the activities would throw up red flags for any one of us reading book reviews on the internet, basically. That part was definitely fascinating. I also liked watching Ana acclimate to life in a city, though sometimes she did so almost too seamlessly to be believable.
The plotline involving Ana's parents felt a bit rushed at the end, but I didn't care a ton about it to begin with, so I guess I wasn't as annoyed with that. There was also (and I am marking this as a spoiler even though it's hinted at in the synopsis) (view spoiler)[some weird... stuff with a teacher that I don't understand in the context of the story. Like, it just didn't seem necessary, though I suppose it could have been a parallel to the creepiness of the older men in the Mennonite community preying on young girls? And how it still happens in "regular" society? I don't know, it just felt... out of place to me. (hide spoiler)]
Bottom Line: It was a decent read and I was curious to know what happened, but not connecting much to Ana made things a little harder to connect to. Definitely huge points for the research into the Mennonite stuff though, it was really well done!
The story is set primarily in Russia, in a time of tremendous upheaval, not only in Russia but the world as a whole. I adored that we not only got to see inside World War I, which is so rare in books, but got to see it from a European viewpoint. If you are curious, you may want to read the synopsis of this Goodreads edition, because it kind of gives you a bit more to go on than the US version. Because this is part fiction, yes, but also partly biographical to an extent, and most certainly historical. I also don't really understand its marketing as Young Adult in the US if I am being perfectly honest, because there isn't really much room for even crossover- I think this is just straight up historical fiction, though that's just my opinion, so take it for what it's worth.
I enjoyed all the aspects of this story, it was so eye opening. I liked and empathized with Arthur, though I didn't quite have an emotional connection to him. I still was able to find him incredibly relatable, which is no small feat considering I have basically not a thing in common with this man. There is romance, there is war, there is deception. Family and friendships also play a huge role, as does politics of the time period. Basically, there are a great many things that can appeal to the reader, no matter what you enjoy reading about.
Bottom Line:
I loved reading Arthur's story, as well as the story of Russia in the early twentieth century. It's such an incredibly fascinating and somber time in history, and I thought the author did a tremendous job of exploring it. That said, it is most definitely historical, and quite a bit factual, so just be prepared for that going in. If you are into historical books, I absolutely recommend this one!...more
So, where to begin with this one? Jess was kind of selfish, to be honest. The thing is, I liked that Jess was a little selfish- I mean, she kind of had the right to be worried about this kind of stuff, so it made sense. I am also glad that Chunk called her out on it, because it wasn't an excuse to not think of Chunk's issues. She got to be a little too wrapped up in her own stuff at times, and it seemed to always come at Chunk's expense, which seemed super unfair, since he had been an awesome friend to her from the start and wasn't exactly asking for a whole lot in return. Then there were times that I thought that Chunk needed to be a bit more sympathetic, since this was kind of a huge deal for Jess. But the bottom line to that all is, I think that is really an accurate portrayal of friendships in general. Misunderstandings, and selfishness, and hurt feelings are all a part of growing and learning, so that was quite realistic to me.
The family stuff was great. I loved that Jess's mom was so supportive. I hated that her dad wasn't, but I think it's (sadly) quite realistic. I understood her anger at Jan, but I wish she hadn't used the term "cow" to talk about her. Especially with Chunk being overweight- and most especially since Jess knows what it is like to have issues with one's body.
The road trip piece was a little anticlimactic, which did take away from the story for me a bit. I had kind of hoped that they'd have a few more "big" adventures, but this was mostly about their relationship, which was fine, but I do love a road trip book so I was sad that it was lacking a little in that department. I am a bit conflicted with the ending because while I liked it, it seemed a bit rushed and maybe too easy?
Bottom Line: This is a quick, sweet coming of age book that deals with family and friendship dynamics and navigating teenage life through the eyes of a transgender young woman....more
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