WWW Wednesday

 What are you currently reading?

Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson - A girl with psychic powers she's learning to use, raised at a magical inn. A boy on the run from dangers he doesn't understand. The two come together as a magical threat rises against the entire world.

What did you recently finish reading?

Darkness and Demonsong by M R Fournet - When Marius fought monsters and rescued his mother from hell he thought his life would return to normal. But he's starting to realize that his mother came back wrong and he'll do anything to set things right.

What do you think you'll read next?

The Midnight Game by Cynthia Murphy

Book review - Stay Dead

 

Title: Stay Dead

Author: April Henry

Genre: thriller

Similar books: I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall

                     The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Rating:

 

solidly entertaining

Summary (provided by publisher): Sometimes, the only way to live is to make sure the world thinks you’re dead . . .
In the aftermath of a car accident that claimed the life of her senator father, sixteen-year-old Milan finds herself adrift, expelled from her third boarding school. Milan’s mother, who has assumed the senate seat, diverts her private plane to pick up her daughter. But on their way home, a bomb rips off a wing and the plane crashes in the mountains. In her final moments, Milan’s mother entrusts her with a key. She reveals it will unlock the evidence that so many people have already died for—including Milan’s father. The only way Milan can survive, her mom tells her, is to let everyone believe she died with the other passengers.
​Milan is forced to navigate a perilous descent in freezing conditions while outwitting everything from a drone to wild animals. With relentless assassins on her trail, she must untangle the web of deceit and save herself and countless others. Will she piece together the truth in time?

My opinion: Henry hits the pacing nearly perfectly with this book. Combining a survival story with a political thriller we see Milan up against nature and murderers in equal measure. While some of the plot elements are a bit heavy-handed, the constant movement and new questions raised keep the reader engaged. Its a book that might not hold up to multiple reads but for a vacation or weekend at the cabin this is a strong choice.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book reivew - Shift Happens

 

Shift Happens by J. Albert Mann

 Everybody works. It's a fact of our reality and something we don't think much about. But Mann digs in deep. From the first Europeans arriving in the colonies this book explores the evolution of work and worker's rights. The tone is very conversational to the point of dipping into slang so it will be engaging for young readers but not especially impressive for adults who may take a look along the way. Even so, the information relayed in this text is important enough to be worth reading.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Heiress Takes All

Title: Heiress Takes All

Author: Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Aces Wild by Amanda DeWitt

                      Coin Heist by Elisa Ludwig

Rating:

 

righteous wickedness

Summary (provided by publisher): Seventeen-year-old Olivia Owens isn't thrilled that her dad's getting remarried...again. She's especially not thrilled that he cheated on her mom, kicked them out of their Rhode Island home, and cut Olivia out of her rightful inheritance.
But this former heiress has a plan for revenge. While hundreds of guests gather on the grounds of the gorgeous estate where she grew up, everyone will be thinking romance—not robbery. She’ll play the part of dutiful daughter, but in reality she’ll be redistributing millions from her father’s online accounts. She only needs the handwritten pass code he keeps in the estate's safe.
With the help of an eclectic crew of high school students and one former teacher, Olivia has plotted her mid-nuptial heist down to the second. But she didn't plan for an obnoxiously nosy wedding guest, an interfering ex-boyfriend intent on winning her back, greedy European cousins with their own agenda, or a vengeful second wife. When everything seems like it's going wrong, Olivia has to keep her eyes on what really matters: getting rich. And when she’s done, “something borrowed” will be the understatement of the year.

My opinion: A heist story is typically a very careful thing. While we love the story of detailed plans and sneaking around we're left with an important question - is it okay to cheer for a thief? So the author must justify the act and this book handles that dilemma well. Olivia's rationale for stealing from her father is well laid out, certainly, but there are frequent challenges to that reasoning. There are points where even she must question whether she is making the right choice, if it's okay to lead her crew into criminal territory. And there is a great deal of moral complexity. Not only does she have a conscience character reminding her that there are alternatives to revenge, she also questions her loyalty to both parents. While she resents her father, does she also seek his approval? With strong pacing and believable twists, this is a strong, entertaining read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Graphic novel spotlight - Plain Jane and the Mermaid

 

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

There are many stories about plucky young girls who go on adventures. Girls who are lovely but come from low class homes and wish to improve their circumstances. This is not one of those stories. Jane is a character who has never been enough. Too plain for her mother. Too female for her father. Too much of a dreamer for her peers. She doesn't have a lot of options in society. And with her home threatened by a predatory relative, she goes after the one thing she thinks can save her - marriage to an attractive but low income young man in town. This sends her on a reluctant quest with mermaids and witches and undersea societies. With dynamic illustrations and pleasantly complex characters this book is a delight to read and leaf through time and again.

 Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

 What are you currently reading?

Learning to Fall by Sally Engelfried - A girl spends the summer with her long absent father, learning to reconnect with him and an old passion for skateboarding.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko - Hank has always taken care of his little sister, covering for their mother's addiction and frequent absences. When he asks for help, though, it starts to feel like his life is out of control and all he can do is make mistakes.

What do you think you'll read next?

Rules for Camouflage by Kirstin Conn-Mills

Book review - The Lamplighter

 

Title: The Lamplighter

Author: Crystal J Bell

Genre: historical fiction/horror

Similar books: This Is Not a Ghost Story by Andrea Portes

                      Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

Rating:

 

a slow burn

Summary (provided by publisher): It’s an honor to bring light to the dark.
The nineteenth-century whaling village of Warbler is famous for its lucky ship figureheads—and infamous for people disappearing into the nightly fog. In this murky locale, the lamplighter is synonymous with safety and protection, and it’s a position Temperance assumes when her father is found hanging from one of the lampposts. Though Tempe proves competent, the town is still hesitant to let a woman handle this responsibility.
When a girl disappears after two lamps go out, Tempe’s ability to provide for her mother and younger sister hangs in the balance. She scrambles for answers, hindered at every turn by the village authorities’ call for her removal. As more villagers vanish under her watch, Tempe discovers unsettling truths about the famous Warbler figureheads and her own beloved father. But her warnings of a monster are ignored, even by her own family. Now she must follow the light out of her own fog of despair, as she faces the choice to look the other way or risk speaking out and possibly dooming herself and her sister to be among the lost.

My opinion: Bell starts out on solid footing, giving us a clear picture of the world of Warbler and Tempe's precarious position. We quickly get the sense that something wrong and potentially evil is afoot which hooks the reader well. What follows is less nail-biting that we might hope as the threat is revealed to be less immediate and physical than it is existential. There is eventually a physical threat that is revealed in a moment that isn't shocking so much as it is the payoff of the slow build of unease and the sense of wrongness. With a final turn that is startling but satisfying, The Lamplighter is a read worth working through the ponderous first half.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley