Review

Isis: A Tale of the Supernatural

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Isis: A Tale of Supernatural

Isis: A Tale of the Supernatural

By Douglas Clegg

Vanguard Press

ISBN: 978-1-59315-540-7

3.75 stars

Iris Catherine Villiers wanders the gardens and cliffs of her home at Belerion Hall with her brother Harvey. The two are close and the relationship makes up for the lack of attention from her mother, father, and two older brothers. Iris and Harvey enjoy listening to the stories told by the gardener, Old Marsh, who loves to tell the two tales of death and resurrection. In their grandfather’s library, they discover books on demons and ancient rights and begin playing around with spells they believe only to be harmless words and symbols. When an unfortunate accident takes Harvey’s life but leaves Iris alive, she does something unheard of — she brings Harvey back from the dead.

Isis reads like a morbid fairytale. Bones, death, sex — all are topics in this tale. Love and loneliness play large roles infusing the story with a sad overtone. The book is studded with black and white sketches that leave you with a grim vision of the story and the the grave deeds of Iris.

Isis is a short book, 113 pages, made even shorter by the illustrations but it’s captivating. I read the whole books while eating lunch (which I wouldn’t necessarily recommend due to some of the content). While the story is about death, it is more creepy and morbid than scary. I picked this book up because of the cover and I worried that it would not live up to the love at first sight affair that made me bring it home from the library. I am happy to report that this short read was worth it. It’s impact is much bigger than it’s actual physical size. It’s a sad, disturbing tale of death with carefully chosen words to evoke the sadness and loneliness that accompanies death in it’s numerous forms.

The Magicians & Mrs. Quent

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The Magicians & Mrs. Quent

The Magicians & Mrs. Quent

By Galen Beckett

Random House Publishing Group

ISBN: 9780553592559

3.5 stars

The Magicians & Mrs. Quent is a fantasy book with an alternative Regency/Victorian feel to it. There are ladies and lords, hand wringing, and lots of letter writing with some magic thrown in. It’s sort of Pride & Prejudice with a side of Wuthering Heights.

Ivy Lockwell lives with her mother, two sisters, and their ailing father. Their position is precarious but Ivy is determined to keep her small family together. She has a love of books and is constantly reading, especially her father’s magic books, in the hopes of finding a cure for him. She meets and falls for a Mr. Rafferdy and her hope of saving her family seems solid until fate intervenes and Rafferdy is told by his father that he will be marrying someone of his social standing and not a girl like Ivy. When Ivy’s mother suddenly dies, she takes a job as a governess to two small children to support her sisters. The job is in the country far outside the city and her family. It is here that she meets Mr. Quent and, after a short romance, the two marry. On her return to the city, she once again befriends Mr. Rafferdy who has also had a turn of fortunes in his life. Ivy’s life begins colliding with Rafferdy’s and the two find themselves in a showdown with evil that neither expected.

This book is broken up into three sections. The first part has a very Pride & Prejudice feel to it complete with letters and dreary sitting rooms. Part two takes Ivy to Heathcrest a la Wuthering Heights if you will. Part three brings Ivy back to the city to fight the evil she believes to be responsible for her father’s illness.

My problem with the three books was that they felt like three different books and not one cohesive book. Only the characters held the story together and it didn’t feel like that was enough. If felt as if it were missing something. It’s obvious that a second book is in the works as the ending, while satisfactory, leaves a few things open.

I liked Ivy a lot. She’s a strong, interesting character with secrets and a power she doesn’t know she has. Her relationship with Mr. Quent is predictable and slightly unsatisfying as you never really learn much about him. Rafferdy, however, doesn’t become likable until book three and then he still has his moments.

I know this review is starting to sound as if I didn’t like the book and that’s not true. I did like it. I actually found myself thinking about it days after I finished. The world built in this book – day and night shifts, the use of magic, dark and light powers – is interesting but unfortunately it just doesn’t feel cohesive. To me, it felt like there was a disconnect between the characters and the plot. Everything is vaguely related but I didn’t feel like it all went together, somewhat like the title of the book.

It’s Austen and Bronte with some magic thrown in and that was obviously the intent. And I think that’s what drew me in to the story since I love books that have this feel to them. It was an OK read but would have been good if there were more than a few tenuous threads holding it together.

The Kingmaking

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The Kingmaking

The Kingmaking

By Helen Hollick

Source Books

ISBN: 1402218885

5 stars

No Merlin, no magic, and no round table. Just swords, fighting, and death. The Kingmaking is one of the most interesting re-tellings of the Arthurian story I’ve read in years.

We meet Arthur and Gwenhwyfar as children when Arthur accompanies Uthr Pendragon to Gwenhwyfar’s homeland. Uthr, who has been in exile, comes as war host to fight and attempt to overthrow Vortigern, the current king. When Uthr is killed in the battle, Arthur is finally told that he is Uthr’s heir. He is left to carry the Pendragon mantel at a young age, untrained for the role but fully aware of what it means. Gwenhwyfar, knowing she belongs with Arthur, pledges her life to him.

Arthur returns home and, to keep peace and build his reputation and forces, he promises his sword to Vortigern. Arthur is not one to be told what to do and constantly disagrees with orders from the king. He is aware of what is expected of him and what others think of his being the Pendragon’s heir, but he harbors the need to unite the British and expel the Saxons and is willing to do what he thinks it will take to make that happen. He bides his time but seethes planning to one day overthrow the king.

As with most Arthurian tales, there’s a huge list of characters. Numerous war lords and Saxons to keep track of and all of their plots and in-fighting to go along with it. The fighting is constant and the living difficult. Treatment of women is despicable and I needed to remind myself several times of the time period and that women were treated at possessions to be bought, sold, and used as peace offerings.

Gwenhwyfar stands out in this telling not only as a lady but a warrior but even she is treated as mere cattle at times. I do adore the scenes where she fights though. Let’s just say she gives no second thought to stabbing a man in the heart when necessary

Arthur isn’t the kind, gentle man he is in some stories. He makes quick and sometimes bad decisions, acts before he thinks, and things don’t always work out for him. He’s brutal and can at times be mean and callus — especially where his first wife, Winifred, is concerned, although in her case it’s warranted — and a womanizer. There are times when you wish he would keep his pants on. All this and I still found him to be an appealing character and I liked that he didn’t live a blessed life. He spent his life fighting and it shows.

I liked that there was no magic here. It’s usually a large part of most Arthurian legends and while you’ll find most of the same characters and general story line here, it somehow feels more appealing. I thought it was a great read and it’s a fabulous addition to my Arthurian collection. I received this book, and the second installment, Pendragon’s Banner, as gifts and already bought the third. I plan to have no interruptions in my reading of this series. If you’re a fan of Arthurian legend, this one is worth picking up.

Remarkable Creatures

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Remarkable Creatures

Remarkable Creatures

By Tracy Chevalier

Dutton

ISBN: 978-0525951452

4 stars

Elizabeth Philpot and her sisters, Louise and Margaret, are in need of a new home now that their brother is being married. With no marriageable prospects — the Philpot sisters are not known for their beauty — they take a tour of possible new homes and come to find they like Lyme Regis, a small coastal town known for its fossils. The town slowly becomes home to the sisters, especially Elizabeth who finds she has a passion for fossils. During her walks on the beach, she befriends Mary Anning, a local resident and fossil hunter.

One day, Mary comes upon a strange set of bones that she believes to be a crocodile. The skeleton turns out to be a complete ichthyosaurus skeleton, a creature unknown to science at the time. Mary’s find sets off a bomb in the science world and it becomes a boon for her. The Annings are a poor family but the discovery of the ichie, as Mary likes to call the ichthyosaurus, brings in a little money for the family and she begins to spend more time on the beach taking other collectors and hunters out and showing them what to look for.

During this time, Mary and Elizabeth find their lives colliding, oddly enough, over a man. Elizabeth, ever the one to voice an opinion, tells Mary what she knows will happen with this man but Mary refuses to listen hoping that the creatures she finds will not only change her family’s fortunes but also her own. When things go badly, the women stop speaking but it is Elizabeth, stubborn to the core, that fights for Mary when most needed.

Elizabeth and Mary are endearing. Elizabeth is cold, harsh, and way too outspoken for a woman at the time (around 1810) which sometimes gets her in trouble. She takes a minute to grow on you, but once she does, you’re infinitely grateful for her forwardness and willingness to stand up for what she thinks is right. Mary on the other hand is too trusting and you wish she wouldn’t be.

While the book is about Mary’s fossil discoveries of previously unknown sea creatures, the ichthyosaurus and the plesiosaurus, and the ways in which her discoveries changed the scientific community and brought about a discussion of the theory of extinction, the book really is about the friendship these two women forge. Elizabeth is an educated spinster from London with no prospects for marriage and Mary is a poor, uneducated girl from the seaside town of Lyme Regis who hunts for fossils on the beach to sell to tourists. Other than the fossils they both love and obsessively hunt, the two have little in common. You get to watch both grow and challenge the men who want to tell them how to act and what to think. It’s a wonderful read and I recommend it.

In addition to this blog, I also do reviews for The Book Reporter website. The above is a summary of my review, which can be read in full here. The book was provided to me by the publisher for The Book Reporter review.

The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman

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The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman

The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman

By Nancy Marie Brown

Harcourt, Inc.

ISBN: 978-0-15-101440-8

4 stars

In the 12th Century, a Viking woman named Gudrid packed up and left all she knew to sail to the edge of her known world. She was looking for the land found by Leif Eiriksson. After being blown off course by a storm, she eventually landed in the New World and made a home there only to sail back to her homeland a few years later.

Gudrid is mentioned in some Icelandic sagas and over the years her existence has been debated, until archeologists unearthed a longhouse in Newfoundland that proved she did in fact exist and was literally the stuff legends are made of.

I don’t read much non-fiction but I’ve always found Vikings fascinating and thought this would be interesting read. I was right, it was. Some of the archeological technology, GPS coordinate mapping, and other methods used to uncover the sites were not all the interesting but chapters on Viking diets, farming techniques, weaving, and daily living conditions were. Who would have thought the process of making wool and spinning would be entertaining? And, also a bit disgusting since urine is involved in the process but nonetheless fun to read about it. When I came to the chapters describing the lives of Viking I was hooked.

The sagas that Brown references in every chapter made me want to read more. I put The Greenlanders, a novel by Jane Smiley, on hold at the library and hope I find it just as entertaining. If you like Viking stories and sagas, you’ll enjoy this read. While part of it might sound like a college lecture, the rest makes up for it.

Catching Fire

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Catching Fire

Catching Fire

By Suzanne Collins

Scholastic Press

ISBN: 978-0-439-02349-8

4.25 stars

Catching Fire is the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy. My review of The Hunger Games is here. I’ve tried to avoid spoilers but if you really don’t want to know anything, you may want to stop reading now.

Katniss and Peeta are back home after winning the Hunger Games attempting to live normal lives. Instead, they spend their days and nights coping with the aftermath of the Games and the affect their actions, in and out of the arena, have on their loved ones. Katniss and Peeta are supposed to be in love and they do their best to pretend in public but her feelings are a jumbled mess and she’s not sure what she feels for Peeta. Her friend Gale is back in the picture and she doesn’t know what to do with him or her feelings for him either.

Talk of rebellion is all around and Katniss constantly wonders if her actions in the arena were the cause. When she and Peeta embark on their Victory Tour of the districts, they end up causing more trouble, some unknowingly and some intentionally. Now Katniss needs to prove to the Capitol that her actions mean nothing before everything comes back to haunt her.

I preferred death match in the area to inciting rebellion. I’m not sure what they says about me but even though I liked The Hunger Games better, I found Catching Fire just as addicting. Some parts of Catching Fire felt like a re-hash of The Hunger Games to some degree since certain events take place all over again. Katniss is still trying to decide between Peeta and Gale. Frankly, I’m almost as frustrated as she is with the choice. She is still sullen, self-centered, and annoying as ever (I must point out though that it works for her and is not the turnoff you think it will be.) and you have to wonder why anyone would love her. Yet, they do.

Catching Fire is a really fast read and really entertaining. It’s brain candy at it’s ultimate with all the addicting qualities you want out of it. It’s just as violent as the first and ends in the same appallingly annoying way: end of book two. Now I have to wait until August to find out what happens next.

The Hunger Games

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The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

Scholastic Press

ISBN: 978-0-439-02348-1

4.5 stars

In Panem, a dystopian North America racked by years of war, the Capitol is once again choosing tributes, a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18, to compete in the Hunger Games. The Games are a way for the Capitol to keep the 12 surrounding districts in line and remind the residents of the Capitol’s power over them. Katniss Everdeen and her younger sister Prim are both eligible to become tributes. When Prim’s name is chosen, Katniss steps forward and volunteers to take her place. Katniss and the other tribute, Peeta, are then sent off to the Capitol to prepare for the competition.

Having spent most of her life close to death, Katniss knows how to survive but it will take every last bit of courage she can dredge up to make it out of the competition alive. Having to make choices she never thought she would have to about survival, love, and humanity in the process.

This book is like crack. Stick with me here people, I mean this in a good way. This book is so incredibly addicting that you don’t want to put it down and when you finally do, you realize that you’ve actually finished the book and there are no words left and that was the reason why you stopped reading. The final words in this book are: end of book one. What?! I wasn’t ready for it to end and I wanted more. But, no, I was left hanging.

I heard so much about this book and it’s been on my radar but I never got around to picking it up. As soon as I finished The Hunger Games, I quickly put Catching Fire, the second book in the series, on hold at the library. By quickly, I mean as soon as I finished reading I sat down at the computer and logged into the library to add it to my que. It’s been a long time since I’ve been left wondering this much about what would happen to two characters. Katniss and Peeta become so fascinating and you need to know everything, and of course, does she or doesn’t she love him is the big question. And, no, I won’t tell you. I don’t know either.

Yes, this is a violent book but knowing the book is about war and the absolute zero value the Capitol places on the residents of the districts and, especially children, you come to an understanding at the beginning of this story. It’s a hard story about survival and what people will do in those last few moments and I liked the dark edge. It gave you a reason to cheer Katniss and Peeta on. It’s exciting and hooks you right at the start. I’m sorry I waited so long to read this series. Thankfully book 3 will be out in August. Hey Lady! Whatca Readin’? posted the name and cover of the next book recently, Mockingjay. If you want to read her post, click here.  It will be released on August 24, 2010.

The Kingdom of Ohio

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The Kingdom of Ohio

The Kingdom of Ohio

By Matthew Flaming

Penguin Group

ISBN: 978-0-399-15560-4

4.75 stars

What happens when two people in love are separated? What happens to the love, the heartbreak? Can time and space shift?

Peter Force, newly arrived in New York City in 1900, finds a job working on the subway system at first breaking rock and then repairing the machines that break and move the earth. One cold evening, he meets Cherie-Anne Toledo, and feeling sorry for her, offers her help. Cherie-Anne tells him an amazing tale of time travel and inventors that he can’t believe but he also can’t tear himself away from her or her story.

Cherie-Anne is a mathematical prodigy and a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Ohio, a place Peter has never heard of. While he is drawn to both Cherie-Anne and her story, he doesn’t find it in himself to believe her until he sees a few things for himself. Although cautious, he finds himself helping her intrigued by what he has seen and heard.

A lot of famous people make appearances in this book — Thomas Edison, JP Morgan, and Nikola Tesla. Numerous footnotes dot the story adding odd notes and sidebars the narrator feels are necessary for the reader to have a complete understanding. These notes make you wonder about the narrator and his actual role in the story he is telling.

The Kingdom of Ohio is a short book and a very rich one. It’s about love, heartbreak, time travel, science and its impact on the world as well as its consequences. It’s all about what we know and what we think we know. How something as simple as the light bulb can have such an effect on our lives and make us wonder where we are going and what the affect might be.

I wasn’t expecting the story I was told in this book but what I did find was lovely. It’s a grand love story, but not overly mushy or drawn out, that crosses time lines — one solidly rooted in the present and one in the past kindled by old photographs and antiques. It will leave you with a lot of questions in the end about what really happened but in a good way. I highly recommend it.