HIS SACRED BONES

Review of HIS SACRED BONES by GINN HALE

(third in THE RIFTER trilogy, based on a review copy)

Ginn Hale’s high up on my favorite authors list and I already adored the first two books in this trilogy. THE HOLY ROAD, book two, left off on a gut-twisting ending, so I started HIS SACRED BONES eager to discover what happens next. Of course, that cliffhanger isn’t addressed until halfway through the book, since Hale has been dividing these novels into two parts - kind of a before and after. An agonizing wait, but she makes it all enjoyable.

Speaking of the structure, this series is wonderfully plotted. Many elements simply wouldn’t work in the hands of a different author. The first half of each book tells John's story while the second half jumps far into the future. I'm impressed that Hale makes me care so much about John's part after glimpses into the future reveal some "spoilers." I'm nevertheless riveted to know how he gets from point A to point B and mourn tragedies despite being warned they would happen.

I normally feel mildly irritated by books opening with summaries (because I remember and feel insulted), but in this case I'm grateful for this technique given the complicated nature of the plot structure. With the help of that brief "reminder" I slipped easily back into the story with my investment in the characters effortlessly revived.

My only criticism of the trilogy is the slightly rushed ending in this final book. There's so much buildup throughout the series and then a somewhat abrupt final showdown that left me wondering why it couldn't have happened earlier and saved everyone a lot of trouble. Of course, let me emphasize “only criticism.”

THE RIFTER series presents top-notch writing, plotting, and character development. I can't wait to see what Hale writes next!

LAURIE GRAFF

 

Interview with LAURIE GRAFF

Laurie Graff, author of the bestselling YOU HAVE TO KISS A LOT OF FROGS, has also written the novels LOOKING FOR MR. GOODFROG and THE SHIKSA SYNDROME. She’s also a contributor to NO KIDDING, COMPLAINT BOX NY TIMES, LIVE ALONE AND LIKE IT, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIE, and SCENES FROM A HOLIDAY.

What are you reading right now?

 

I just last night finished reading Ellen Burstyn’s autobiography, LESSONS IN BECOMING MYSELF. It is amazing how you think you know someone’s background and how blindsided you are by their persona. She really overcame huge familial obstacles alongside having a spirit that created a lucky streak. Of course no one’s life is linear, and the story of what she did to heal herself is compelling. She said something so astute that the moment we accept it (whatever it is) is the moment transformation begins.

What first sparked your interest in writing? 

Nora Ephron, Carrie Fisher, and Tama Janowitz. I was reading all of those women in the 80s’ and just got into the whole “look inside the urban single girl’s head” and started to write down the stories I was telling to my friends. And they came out with a “voice” that was me, but not. It was a writer’s voice. Since I had been working up till then as a professional actress it was a pretty cool surprise.

What do you love the most about writing? The least?

I love when I get lost in it and hours go by and I had no idea how that even happened. And when that is not happening… well, I like that the least.

Tell us a little about your writing process.

I think about it as I’m walking, at the gym, running, on the subway, and then I go. It’s a movie in my head and I just let it spill. I don’t like to outline or make notes. I like to know what happens next and organically let it come out. There are points when I must write and organize but mainly I like to let it spill.

What are your passions?

Outdoor cafes, having wine anywhere near or on water, affection, great humor, food, beautiful environments, themed parties, fashion, the tradition of Judaism, New York City, theater, romance, and the great magic that can surprise us in life.

What inspires you?

Feelings I get from 70’s music. All the passions I just mentioned above. And people who manage to overcome their fears.

 

Did you know without a doubt what you would write about in your NO KIDDING essay or did you have a few topics from which you narrowed it down?

I did not know what I would be writing until I was writing it. But that first image of being up in the country at sixteen years old with my friend outside her bungalow hanging the laundry popped into my head when I sat down to write. And I kept from there.

Was if difficult writing about something so personal? 

It was clarifying to discover I really felt that way. I love the personal essay. You don’t worry about plot twists; it is just making a point for what has already happened in life and how you already feel. My brother asked why anyone would want to share that, but to me it is encased in a literary package and so I don’t feel exposed. But I do feel I help share a point of view that is helpful and interesting to others.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Write. Write what you want and do it just for you. And then worry about whether or not it’s “something.” Just self-express.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

I wrote in my essay the best is yet to come and I really want that to be true!

CODE NAME VERITY

Review of CODE NAME VERITY by ELIZABETH WEIN

This didn’t sound like my kind of book, but enough people raved about it to me that I finally took the chance. Yup, they’re raving for a reason. 

If you’re wondering about my hesitancy, I worried the book would be too dark for my tastes. That might sound funny to anyone who reads this blog regularly and can point out some very dark titles I list as favorites, but I find real life horrors far more depressing and scary than monsters. Most of said favorites are fantasy and while many do touch on real world issues and atrocities, whether directly or indirectly, it’s not the same as reading fiction based on a real war.

As much as I loved this book, I didn’t feel hooked until around the hundred page mark. In fact, I know others who gave up on the book before reaching that far, left wondering why everyone’s so enamored with this novel. Let’s back up a little bit, because explaining what the book is about also explains why it’s a difficult read, especially at first. The narrative isn’t that clear or reliable. The narrator is an Allied spy captured by the Gestapo. She’s delivering her story to her captors via writing on whatever scraps of paper they’ll bring her. You can’t trust everything she says, because she’s no doubt trying to confuse and mislead her enemies. As if that’s not enough, she’s being tortured. Short on sleep and food and full of pain, her story wanders and garbles. The New York Times called this a “mind game of a novel” and it’s easy to see why. I struggled following the narrative at first as well as investing our narrator (though her circumstances tugged my heart strings, I just didn’t know how much of her story to believe). After one hundred pages of straining to “get into” the story, I abruptly felt extremely “into it.” Mind you, I’m not saying something big and dramatic happens around that point, only that Wein’s some kind of author and even when I thought I wasn’t hooked she had been working her magic. Even when I thought I wasn’t investing, I had been. It was only around that hundred page mark that my full investment hit me.  My point is stick with it, because the only people I know who didn’t like this book gave up too early.

From there my opinion steadily improved until by the end I had fully climbed aboard the train full of people marveling at this tale. The story’s broken into two parts and the second part makes the reader reanalyze their understanding of everything in the first part. This is definitely one of those “trust the author” books when you might find yourself confused or uncertain near the beginning, but Wein will lead you to the right revelations at the right moments. Trust her.

My only grumble over this novel is that it’s very dense with aircraft terminology. It’s clear why: the friends who star in this story work with planes. On the one hand, the terminology adds to how realistic the voice feels, because I’m sure that’s how she would talk. However, for someone who doesn’t know a lot of those terms and isn’t that interested in the specific details about planes and flights, it’s a lot to wade through.

Since this is a World War II novel, I hardly think it’s a spoiler to say there are some heartbreaking moments. Wein’s restrained approach to tragic scenes allows readers to fill in the blanks with their own emotions. I have a feeling CODE NAME VERITY will linger in my mind for years to come.

KATHERINE LONGSHORE

 

Interview with KATHERINE LONGSHORE

I've always been a writer. I've been writing stories since I learned how to hold a pencil, asking my dad how to spell words while I worked under the bar stools at our kitchen counter. In the course of my life, I've worked as a dishwasher, lingerie seller, coffee barista, cake decorator, ship's steward, video rental clerk, freelance journalist, travel agent, waitress, contracts manager, bookseller, and Montessori preschool teacher.

But in writing for teens, I've finally found my calling. And through writing, I am able to encompass all my loves. Becoming a character made of words. Exploring new worlds. And living history.

What are you reading right now?

ALL THE TRUTH THAT’S IN ME by Julie Berry and THE OLD WAYS by Robert MacFarlane.

What first sparked your interest in writing?

Learning how to write! I can remember pestering my dad to spell words for me when I was in the first grade so I could write stories.

What do you love the most about writing? The least?

I love the surprises. The scenes where suddenly the character takes a right-hand turn when I was thinking I’d make her go left. The unexpected kisses and dialogue that seems to come from somewhere real and not from inside my head. And I absolutely love playing with words. What I like the least are the days my evil inner editor takes over and squelches all creativity. Those are the days I clean the bathroom. 

Tell us a little about your writing process.

My process is different for every book.  My first book I just wrote, sitting down every day and asking myself, “What happens next?” For three books, I’ve tried to outline, getting a sketchy synopsis together and mapping some stuff out on my story board. And then I ignore all of that and sit down to write every day and asking myself, “What happens next?” - usually coming up with something vastly different than what I outlined.  For four out of the five books I’ve written, I’ve had to throw out the first fifty pages - it’s like I have to start with the backstory in order to start the story. And with MANOR OF SECRETS, I had a general outline and every day sketched the next scene on an index card so I could just get up and write it the next day. I tend to do a lot of plot work in revision - sometimes throwing out over half of the book in the process. It’s like I don’t know what the book is about until I’ve already written a draft. But I get there in the end.

What are your passions?

History, feminism, justice, love, honor, costumes, travel…

What inspires you?

The world around me.  Real people.  History.  Love, honor, justice…

Why young adult?

A librarian friend once told me that when people come in wanting to know about life, she sends them to the YA section. All of human life is here: good and evil, friendship and betrayal, love and joy and hopelessness and despair. It’s heady stuff. But what I love most is the thrill of all those firsts - first kiss, first love, first adventure, first grief. There’s something tangible about it. Visceral. And I love that most YA forever looks forward instead of back. There is always - even in the darkest moments - a little bit of hope. 

Why historical fiction?

When I decided to start writing fiction, my husband recited the old adage: write what you know. I know a lot about Henry VIII. My kids used to play a game with me where they would ask, “Who was Henry’s mother’s sister’s husband’s daughter?” To which I can answer, “Mary Howard.” (Not Henry’s niece, but Thomas Howard’s daughter from a second marriage and the narrator of BRAZEN, actually.)

But more than that, I write historical fiction because I feel that a good story is timeless. It wouldn’t matter if a story like Anne Boleyn’s rise and eventual fall was set in 16^th Century England or modern China or a futuristic, post-Apocalyptic dystopia. It would still be an incredible journey of a girl who started with little and became queen (literally or figuratively) through the strength of her own personality. Great stuff.

How were GILT and TARNISH born?

GILT began with the question, “Why would a teenage girl marry a bitter, decrepit old man?” After some research, I added the big What if? As in: “What if Catherine Howard wasn’t the ignorant, promiscuous airhead the historians make her out to be?” 

TARNISH began with similar questions: “What kind of teenager would become the Anne Boleyn we all know and love?” and: “What if her flaws and actions were misinterpreted by her contemporaries - and historians?”

What about your upcoming book MANOR OF SECRETS?

I was asked if I could write a “YA Downton Abbey” and became immediately obsessed with the two characters - one who lived upstairs, comfortably and restrained, and the other working downstairs,

Did the books require a lot of research? How much did you alter history for the story or fill-in-the-blanks?

All of my books have required a lot of research. I enjoy it - reading recently-published histories and visiting locations and digging into old manuscripts to find just a hint of something that could give me a clue to character, setting or story. For my Tudor books, I have been determined to be as historically accurate as possible. Because history is so rich, however, and because not all historical details help move the story forward, I have had to trim here and there (like the character of Henry Mannox, who had an affair with Catherine Howard before the action begins in GILT) and downplay certain elements (such as politics and religion, which were very important to the Tudors, but aren’t what my stories are about). 

There are a lot of Tudor novels in historical fiction. Why did you decide to write some more? 

Because there are so few written from a teenager’s perspective. By the age of sixteen (and sometimes earlier), Tudors were considered adults and treated as such. But that doesn’t mean that they didn’t go through the same things teenagers do today - self-doubt and the desire to rebel and all the emotions stirred up by hormones. So many historical novels set in Tudor times are about how adults navigated the court. Imagine how much more difficult - and how much more fraught - it would be if you were a teenager? Like high school, only with the added threat of decapitation.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Keep writing and write what you love.  Stories don’t get told if you don’t sit down to tell them, and books that suck people in are written by people who pour themselves into the story.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

I read everything I can get my hands on. Contemporary, historical, paranormal, science fiction, fantasy. Anything that inspires someone to tell me, “This book is really good. You’ll like it.” I don’t want my own writing to be limited by the label of the historical fiction genre, so I try to break out of it with my reading as much as I can. As I said before, a good story surpasses genre, and good writing transcends it.

That said, I’m always looking for recommendations!

THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL

Review of THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL by CAROLYN TURGEON

(review based on an advance reading copy)

What a spectacular retelling! In my post about retold tales, I talk about how I dislike versions that aren’t retold enough. Something needs to feel fresh; I don’t want a long-winded account of a story I already know. Whether it’s setting, characters, writing, or plot twists a retelling should explore new ground, a different perspective. Turgeon meets these expectations with both multifaceted characters and compelling twists.

THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL obviously sounds like a twist on “Snow White,” but it’s actually a complex, layered retelling of both “Snow White” and “Rapunzel.” The prologue caught my attention right away with an implication that sure enough turns out to be the case. With one stone, Turgeon manages to give both Rapunzel more failings and Snow White’s evil stepmother more humanity.

In this version, we follow Rapunzel, a gorgeous but sheltered young woman living with her adopted mother, the witch Mathena. For reasons she keeps private, Mathena has kept Rapunzel cut off from men all her life. So when a dashing young prince comes to their home one day, Rapunzel can’t help but fall into infatuation on sight. (New meaning to the concept of “if he were the only man in the world.” In her world, he is.) The attraction’s mutual and the prince invites Rapunzel to a ball. Mathena forbids her attendance. Though time will tell whether or not she has more sinister motives, Mathena comes off as an overprotective mother more than a villain, a mother with understandable qualms about her naïve daughter becoming nothing more than the plaything of a spoiled prince. So far this may sound familiar if a little tweaked, but it’s around this point that the story starts spiraling into its own tale of doomed happily-ever-afters and understandable bitterness.

The novel does start out a little slow. Everything held my interest, but it’s how the story progresses and develops that earned all this praise. The slower material at the beginning builds the mood and background necessary to fully understand everything that comes later.

For the most part, characters feel wonderfully well-developed, but my only objection to this book is a few occasions when something or someone wasn’t fleshed out as I wanted. It didn’t happen much, but I had a few questions about someone’s motivation or true feelings or how something worked that Turgeon never answers. I repeat the word “few,” though, and emphasize that mostly the book impressed me with how vividly it brought these figures to life.

Turgeon has been on my to-read list for a while and now I intend to read everything else by her as soon as I can find time!

BELLADONNA

Review of BELLADONNA by FIONA PAUL

(second in THE SECRETS OF THE ETERNAL ROSE series, review based on an advance reading copy)

This series may not be great literature, but it’s absolutely top-notch fluff reading. I loved the first book and this second one sucked me in right away. I felt hooked all the way to the end and felt so invested in the story I found it hard keeping my “reviewer brain” on  - aka making mental notes of pros and cons. When I read Paul’s books I forget about reviews and about time and simply enjoy myself.

As I mentioned in my review of VENOM, Paul mashes up genres for this series. I could categorize it as young adult, mystery, romance, suspense, etc. No doubt Paul’s willingness to break away from one genre’s traditional formulas contributes to my favorable impression of her books.

I always say there are two kinds of great writing: that which turns invisible and that which attracts admiration. Paul’s is the former. Her writing feels effortless, because I entirely forget I’m reading words and fall into her story.

In BELLADONNA, the book barely opens before Cass’s (parent selected) fiancé is falsely accused of heresy and condemned to execution. After her fling with the painter Falco in the last book Cass isn’t even sure she wants to marry Luca, but she at least cares about him and she most certainly doesn’t want him to die. She resolves to clear his name in the few weeks before his execution, a task that proves even more dangerous that she anticipated.

Sometimes I wanted Cass to be more resourceful and self-reliant. Other times she surprised and impressed me. In the end, I decided she’s real and believable. Sometimes she’s rescued and sometimes she does the rescuing. Sometimes she asks for help and sometimes she saves the day herself.

I rarely feel invested in love triangles, but I can mark this series down as an exception. In full honesty, I’ve been a Luca supporter the whole time. I do like Falco and understand why he appeals to Cass and see some ways in which he’s good for her, but ultimately think she would be happy with Luca and hope she comes to that realization herself. I strongly believe, though, that a flame that burns steadily without ever dying beats one that flares up suddenly and snuffs out just as fast any day. Cass sees Luca as dull and predictable, but I view him as shy and respectful. Falco wants Cass for himself; Luca wants Cass to be happy. Where Falco throws jealous tantrums, Luca encourages her to find someone “of [her] own choosing” after he’s executed.

My only minor criticism is that I had to suspend disbelief near the end. Cass’s plan feels so obvious and simple that it begs the question, “Why doesn’t everyone just do this?”

That one quibble aside, I found BELLADONNA an addictive read and can’t wait to read book three: STARLING.

THE BITTER KINGDOM

Review of THE BITTER KINGDOM by RAE CARSON

(third in the FIRE AND THORNS trilogy, review based on an advance reading copy)

I enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy and THE BITTER KINGDOM only improved my overall impression of the series. This third and final installment sucked me in on the first page and proved a fast, easy, and satisfying read.

Eliza's a wonderful protagonist. She's admirable without being inhumanly perfect. She feels real. In her perspective, we know all her doubts, but can also see how confident and capable she comes across to everyone else - and no wonder. She considers every obstacle carefully, weighing logic and gut feelings. "Queen" isn’t treated like a fantasy role of riches and power in this series, but rather an insurmountable burden of responsibility that few can handle. Eliza being one of those who can.

I also admire that Carson really delves into the nuts and bolts of her world and story. Part of what makes some fictional rulers feel only lucky and privileged is how many authors gloss over all the challenges. Carson shows all the planning and strategizing and sacrifices of war and other literal and metaphorical battles. Eliza may have one primary problem leading the story, but many others pop up along the way and she handles each one with impressive composure and consideration.

My only quibble (and this paragraph contains spoilers for earlier books) is that Carson slips into Hector's viewpoint in this book. Since the last book ended with his capture Carson no doubt wants to show readers what he's experiencing, but it feels like cheating. This is only my personal, somewhat strict, opinion, but I feel when an author chooses a viewpoint they're accepting the challenge of sticking with that viewpoint even when the main character isn't around other interesting happenings. I would have had no problem with multiple viewpoint characters, but in my mind it's cheating to suddenly dip into Hector's perspective only in the third book only when it's convenient.

Overall, though, I'm full of admiration for Carson over this series. These books can satisfy both readers looking for an engaging, gripping story primarily for entertainment purposes and those craving thought-provoking novels with a layered plot and complex characters. I can't wait to see what Carson writes next!