Review

The Black Tower

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The Black Tower

The Black Tower

By Louis Bayard

William Morrow

ISBN: 978-0-06-117350-9

3.5 stars

What happened to Louis the Seventeenth, the young Dauphin of France? A child when he and his family were taken prisoner by the French people, his body was never identified after his death was announced. In 1818, years after his supposed death, the monarchy has been restored but the city is still tense and citizens unsure of their new rulers.

Hector Carpentier is a medical student living with his mother and the borders they share their house with when Vidocq, a well-known and well-feared detective, approaches him on his way home one afternoon asking why a dead man had his name. Hector has no answers and Vidocq wants them. He drags him along on his investigation, disguising him when necessary, and pulling him deeper into the mysterious disappearance of the young Dauphin. When a young man is found who may indeed be the true Dauphin, Hector is torn between finding the truth and wanting to protect the terrified and simple man.

I don’t read many mysteries but I found this one to be rather satisfying. I didn’t care as much for the characters as I did the setting here though. I like stories from this time period and anything where Marie Antoinette is featured. She doesn’t play a big part here, it’s more her memory, but I found the mystery surrounding the events of those times appealing.

Vidoq is a great detective character. He’s a former criminal and part of a new plain clothes police division in Paris. He obeys no rules, is uncouth, and terrifying in his means. Torture has no negative connotations and he feels liberal use is what is called for when dealing with criminals. He’s not a likable person, although he has his moments, but he does add a dark and unsuspecting air to the story.

If you’re looking for a quick, entertaining read, The Black Tower works. It moves fast, the setting is interesting, and the characters are engaging.

The Wild Hunt

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The Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt

By Elizabeth Chadwick

St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 0-312-06491-8

3.75 stars

Guyon, Lord of Ledworth, is told by the king that he will be marrying. His future wife, Judith of Ravenstow, is a child and he’s none too happy with the arrangement which will make him an Earl and a pawn to keep an evil treacherous man from clutching more land and power.

Guyon is loathe to leave the mistress he’s been with for a number of years but they both know it can go no further with his impending marriage. Reluctantly, they part and he finds himself married to a willful and terrified Judith, who having been traumatized by her father’s beatings and brutality, is scared of him and what he might do to her. She is a skilled healer and capable of running a strict household but innocent and helpless when it comes to her husband. Guyon treats her with nothing but kindness and the two become less tense around each other. The war deposits several tragedies at their feet and Guyon and Judith grow closer and find a true love that neither thought was possible.

I’ve been wanting to read The Greatest Knight by Chadwick but my library doesn’t have it. I found this one on the shelf and was pleasantly surprised by it. I was a bit annoyed by Judith — who while headstrong and competent, she’s also young and inexperienced. She doesn’t want Guyon to herself but she also wants no one else to have him. Guyon, on the other hand, is quite likable and the relationship between the two becomes more tolerable and even compelling by the middle of the book.

Chadwick does a great job with characters, even the ones you don’t like. They are all very genuine and the story, while nothing new — war over land, drunken lords, raping, pillaging, etc. — it feels different and slightly exciting. I’m going to be picking up more of her books in the future.

Into the Path of Gods

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Into the Path of Gods

Into the Path of Gods

By Kathleen Cunningham Guler

Bardsong Press

ISBN: 0-9660371-0-3

3 stars

Marcus ap Iorwerth is a spy in 5th Century Britain working to free his people and help the rightful ruler of Britain take his place. On one of his missions, he meets Claerwen, a woman who has visions of the future, and is being hunted by a man who believes she holds the key to a mythical treasure.

Claerwen was promised to a man named Drakar. He’s a cruel and brutal person and she refuses to agree to the marriage arranged by her mother. To avoid the marriage, she runs away with her cousin Grania. In time, their paths cross with Marcus. He helps put the two women into a convent to keep them safe from Drakar who is hunting them relentlessly believing that Claewen knows where a legendary treasure is buried. When Draker is killed, Marcus and Claerwen feel it is safe to profess their love and marry, but he carries on with his spying dragging them deeper into the mystery of the treasure and putting their lives in danger.

This book moved a bit slow for me in the beginning but did speed up in the end. It seemed every time Claerwen turned around, she was in trouble. She didn’t always want rescuing and did her best to help herself but, all the same, Marcus seemed to be there when needed. The relationship between Claerwen and Marcus was fairly genuine, although Grania was like nails on a chalkboard. Very, very annoying. I did find some of the dialogue awkward and the use of the word awesomely through me off completely for a few pages. I don’t know, but I somehow don’t think 5th Century Britains were using the word awesomely but I could be wrong.

Into the Path of Gods is the first book in the Macsen’s Treasure series. There are four books in all. Being the series lover that I am, I wouldn’t be surprised to find myself reading a few more of the books. While it was a bit awkward in places, I found it mildly entertaining and a fast read once I got past the first few chapters.

I won this book through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway.

Versailles

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Versailles

Versailles

By Kathryn Davies

Houghton Mifflin Company

ISBN: 0-618-22136-0

3.5 stars

We meet Marie Antoinette at the age of 14 on her way from Austria to France to marry the Dauphin, Louis. She is young, anxious, and completely unprepared for what her life will be. She soon finds herself married to young man who has more interest in locks than in her. Her position is precarious without an heir, as her mother constantly reminds her. To distract herself, she spends her time gambling away a French fortune.

In time, her and Louis find a happy companionship but before they are able to figure out their roles or who they are, they are crowned king and queen of France. Unable to handle the weight of ruling, France begins to crumble as they do nothing but watch.

I love reading about Marie Antoinette. She’s a tragic figure with so many rumors surrounding her any one in itself can be a story. I was expecting more of the same with this book and I found it, however, I also found an interesting re-telling of a story I was already familiar with. Told from Marie Antoinette’s point of view, you see the odd aloofness, the sense of confusion, sadness, and her need to be loved by her husband. I felt bad for her and, at the same time, completely intrigued and dumbfounded by her actions.

Interspersed throughout the story are small plays. People enter stage left and right and it’s almost as if you’re overhearing a whispered conversation in the palace with these short asides. It’s effective and broke up the story just enough to keep my interest. The book wasn’t what I was expecting and that was a nice surprise.

The House on Tradd Street

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The House on Tradd Street

The House on Tradd Street

By Karen White

New American Library

ISBN: 978-0-451-22509-2

4 stars

Melanie Middleton is a realtor in Charleston, South Carolina. She specializes in historic homes but what she really loves is new construction — no character, no flaws, and no problems. During a meeting with a potential client, she inadvertently impresses him when she admits to being able to see the ghost of a woman sitting on the garden swing. When the client dies unexpectedly a few days later, he leaves the house and all its unseen inhabitants in Melanie’s care.

Ghosts are the reason Melanie hates old homes. In a new place, she doesn’t have to see them, talk to them, or help them. In the house on Tradd Street, a house she is not at all fond of being the money pit that it is, there are several ghosts that all seem to want something from her. In addition to the house and ghosts, she also finds herself saddled with a local author who has an odd interest in the house, an alcoholic father trying to get back into her life, and a dog she doesn’t know what to do with.

I like ghost stories and this one was a nice cozy read. There’s a bit of a mystery thrown in but overall nothing too scary if you’re not into ghost/murder/mystery stories like this one. It’s pretty mild. I think there’s enough for all readers to enjoy but I will say that you’ll probably see the twists coming long before they happen. It’s not a bad thing at all. The story is a pleasant read and I didn’t mind when things turned out exactly like I expected them to.

I was turned off a bit by Melanie’s attitude in the beginning but she grew on me as did all the other characters. They’re a bit eccentric which makes it enjoyable. I even found the house restoration a nice addition to the story. If you’re looking for a good fast read, this one is worth it. I’m looking forward to reading The Girl on Legare Street which is a follow-up to The House on Tradd Street.

Tender is the Night

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Tender is the Night

Tender is the Night

By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Scribner

ISBN: 0-684-80154-X

3.5 stars

Rosemary Hoyt is a young American movie star vacationing in the French Riviera when she meets Dick and Nicole Driver. Dick is a brilliant psychiatrist and Nicole is both his wife and patient. Their relationship is complicated, by not only Nicole’s illness, but also by money. Rosemary’s appearance in Dick’s life only causes more strife for him and what he considers the responsibilities of his life.

Romantic love plays a dominate role for both Rosemary and Dick. Rosemary because she is so young and inexperienced and Dick because he is in a marriage where the notion of romance was never even considered. He liked and admired Nicole when they met but romance is not and was never a part of the marriage. Rosemary is buoyed by the mere idea and teases and cajoles Dick into believing it might be possible to have a romantic life with her. The two are bound by a strange connection that neither is willing to break but one that cannot be kept up either.

I read The Great Gatsby last year and found this one on my shelf while looking for my next book. I can’t say that I enjoyed this one as much. I felt alternatively bad, sad, and completely disgusted by the characters. They were young, rich, carefree, and in some instances all together unlikable. I know at certain times that I was not supposed to empathize with them but even though I knew that, I still was annoyed by them. I put this book down a few times in the hopes that when I returned, the characters would have redeemed themselves. Some did, some didn’t.

I didn’t stop reading though and I’m glad of that. Fitzgerald has such a beautiful and amazing writing style that I can’t help but be entranced. I was finding myself truly disliking these people and their actions but I still wanted to know how it would turn out, knowing full well there would be a tragic end in there somewhere. The language is so soothing and lulling that he dupes you into reading more and more.

Somewhere hidden on the depths of my shelves is This Side of Paradise. I won’t be reading it anytime soon, but I will be reading it. I may, for now at least, be done with my latest Fitzgerald book, but I know I will be going back for more in the future.

Powers

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Powers

Powers

By John B. Olson

B&H Publishing Group

ISBN: 978-0-8054-4735-4

Did Not Finish

I don’t usually write reviews of books I abandoned. I don’t think it’s all that fair since I didn’t finish, but I’m going to make an exception in this case.

Powers is about a young gypsy woman named Mariutza, Mari, who lives in the swamps of Louisiana with her grandfather. She’s been training for years to find and protect the prophet. When her grandfather is killed by a cloaked man, she leaves the swamps for the first time in her life. Through a series of events, she meets Jazz, a musician who is suffering from blackouts and doesn’t believe he’s a prophet of any sort.

The story switches between Mari and Jazz. It’s not confusing but I didn’t feel like I could get a grip on either character. Mari is a very sheltered person. Her grandfather kept her hidden away in the swamps and she knows nothing about the world. There is one scene where she is totally fascinated by Sprite. Yes, the soda. It’s amusing and slightly funny at first but grows tiring incredibly fast. I stopped finding her reactions to things, like seat belts, even vaguely interesting. It was too much of a dichotomy — I felt she couldn’t be that naïve and yet be responsible for protecting the prophet that will save humanity. Jazz was, well, I couldn’t figure him out. He seemed genuine at first, then seemed to turn into some sort of conman after a treasure. I was confused by him — should I like him, hate him, or what.

However, I will say this about the book, Olson does a good job of creating tension and suspicion when the evil beings appear and his writing, overall, was good. It had a nice ring to it and it kept me reading longer than I probably would have. I just didn’t care for the characters here and I think that was my major problem with this book. If I can’t find a connection with the characters, I can’t get into the book. Sometimes it happens.

I received this book through the Early Reviewer program on LibraryThing. After I started, I realized this was a sequel to Shade, the first book. I don’t know if I would have had a different reaction if I had read the first one or not.

I won this book as part of the Early Reviewer program on Librarything.

The Taker and the Keeper: The Red Monocle, Book 1

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The Taker and the Keeper

The Taker and the Keeper: The Red Monocle, Book 1

By Wim Coleman and Pat Perrin

Chiron Books

ISBN: 9781935178033

3.75 stars

Gregory Guest is a regular kid who happens to find a tunnel to another dimension.

At school, Gregory helped a teacher clean out a closet, and in a box full of junk, he found a small red monocle along with other glasses and assorted lenses. On his way home, he ventures into the woods to a small ravine that he likes to visit, and playing around with the lenses in the box, he finds the entrance to a tunnel. Not knowing anything about where he might be going, he enters the portal. Scared and worried by what he saw, he leaves and runs home wanting to be in the safety of his house.

The next day he feels as if the world has been turned upside-down. His happy family is now fighting for no reason, school was an embarrassing mess, and he feels alone. On his way home, he runs into his friend Yolanda, Yola for short, and not really knowing why, he shows her the monocle. She doesn’t have the same reaction but a pair of glasses he found in the box do show her the tunnel. Together they enter and find the world of King Arthur but a few things are not right about the story Yola knows so well. Suddenly, Gregory and Yola are off on an adventure to find Excalibur, the sword in the stone that will make Arthur king and bring the world back to normal.

This book is for children ages 8 and up. It’s a simple book and not much is explained except for the most rudimentary of things but for the target audience, it works. It’s a fast read, entertaining, and dare I say it, cute. The characters are likable and you want Gregory and Yola to succeed.

The story doesn’t have many scary scene but there are a few sad moments when Gregory remembers his mother who is suffering from a mental illness. It seems a bit heavy here but can be an ice breaker for talking to a child.

There are two more books planned in the Red Monocle series: The Death of a Good Wizard and The Invisible Foe.

This book was sent to me by The Cadence Group.