“I think about that all the time. That exact minute. All of history can hinge on a single minute, on one dumb decision.”
[image]✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“I think about that all the time. That exact minute. All of history can hinge on a single minute, on one dumb decision.”
[image]
It has been awhile since I've read a dystopian middle grade read. It is a chilling notion to think about the consequences and the fate of our world had the tide of World War II shifted in another direction. A precedent which would very much unravel the fabric of time and change our very way of living, let alone our existence. It is a terrifying thought - one almost too drastic and terrifying to think about. What if the Allies had not succeeded? ...more
“The clearer his dreams became, the closer the danger loomed.
When the final details distilled, would the end begin?”
— Cass Biehn,✰ 4 stars ✰
“The clearer his dreams became, the closer the danger loomed.
When the final details distilled, would the end begin?”
— Cass Biehn, you have my attention.
[image]
You have my attention, because I was impressed by this engrossing YA historical debut that evoked such a richness of setting & character depth that had it come alive with its words. With meticulous deliberation, the author weaves a tapestry of political intrigue and fated destiny to intertwine as the looming fate of an inevitable volcanic eruption approaches, one which will irrevocably change the lives of all those caught in its destructive path. ...more
“I feel it too, I wished I could tell him. We have chemistry, we have fun. You’re everything I’ve always wanted but thought I couldn’✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“I feel it too, I wished I could tell him. We have chemistry, we have fun. You’re everything I’ve always wanted but thought I couldn’t have
I want to know a hundred thousand random trivia facts about you.”
[image]
No, I was not expecting to get teary-eyed over a Christ-mystery read, but damn, if this wasn't more emotional than I thought it would be. I mean, it's not supposed to mean anything - it was just casual, we can't declare our love over a quick meeting that we might just want it to forever. But, it's No Business Like Snow Business when a small-town bright-eyed museum owner meets an out-of-town city rich kid, it was never meant to become something. ❄️...more
“Even though we’d always had this fear in the back of our minds, I didn’t think it was actually going to come true. Deportation alwa✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Even though we’d always had this fear in the back of our minds, I didn’t think it was actually going to come true. Deportation always seemed like something that happened to other people… not us.”
How painfully tragic that the proposed Mexican wall is not in existence, and yet the divide that it creates is still such a visceral indomitable and unavoidable one that is more than just a corporeal one. The chasm that incurs upon separating an illegal immigrant with their legal by birth children in the United States is such a heartbreaking notion, that is sadly so very true. I was also reminded of how a couple of years ago, the Pakistani government issued the order to deport all Afghani refugees back to their country. The hue and cry that ensued was rampant at how we could be so heartless to expect them to survive when they had sought asylum here in the hopes for a better life - only for it to be snatched from them without preamble.. It just feels so devoid of emotion and apathy, let alone empathy ... ...more
“Time is steady, true, predictable, and faithful. ’Tis men who play tricks. Men who aim to defy time, to deny its passage.
But, in the✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Time is steady, true, predictable, and faithful. ’Tis men who play tricks. Men who aim to defy time, to deny its passage.
But, in the words of the great Rabbie Burns, ‘Nae man can tether time or tide’.”
Meagen Mahoney's latest middle-grade novel The Time Keeper is a heartwarming and fast-paced read where time is literally of the essence for its protagonist thirteen-year-old Malcolm McKenzie, the apprentice to James "Jack" Alexander, 'a watchmaker, a clock-maker, and, most importantly, a genius of invention' finds his master missing one morning, leaving only a mysterious note behind highlighting specific clock-repairing jobs that he has entrusted him to follow up on. ⌚ Eager to be worthy of his master's expectations and trust, while also inundated with the heavy despair that his best friend, Peter, Jack's son's health is steadily worsening by the second, he sets off on what he thinks is a simple task - only to find himself caught up in a race against time to not only find a mystical miracle cure to whatever ails Peter with the help of a mysterious clock he has to repair, but also to fend off all those who are determined to keep its whereabouts a secret for it poses a threat to the very doctrine that they follow. ...more
“My dad always says that where a person looks, their feet will follow.
As long as we keep our eyes on the summit, one day someone is c✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“My dad always says that where a person looks, their feet will follow.
As long as we keep our eyes on the summit, one day someone is certain to reach it.”
Still coming down from the high of Jennifer Nielsen's Ascendance series urged me to check out her upcoming middle-grade historical fiction release a part coming-of-age, part the daring adventure of rescue & personal growth of fourteen-year-old Atlas Wade atop Mount Everest. ...more
“I’ll be listening to Les Mis,” he murmured. “See if I can find those daisies & rainbow sparkles.”
“Oh, it’ll hurt,” Val told him, sea✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“I’ll be listening to Les Mis,” he murmured. “See if I can find those daisies & rainbow sparkles.”
“Oh, it’ll hurt,” Val told him, searching Rory’s dark eyes. “The important thing is to see if the hurt is worth it.”
Let's forgive the fact that the cover doesn't come close in capturing the appropriate ages of forty-year-old Val Royal & forty-eight-year old Rory McCauley, the soul of professionalism in any way; unless this is the 'anime' version, which I can then be a little more forgiving. ...more
“Our gaze met, and for a mere millisecond, I felt a crackle of pure energy between us--the sort of sensation one experiences just bef✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Our gaze met, and for a mere millisecond, I felt a crackle of pure energy between us--the sort of sensation one experiences just before the world turns resoundingly upon its head.
“For opportunity.”
I raised my glass before me. “Well then, Aneurin MacKinnon. To opportunity.”
“I had no army, no fixed plan, and no base of my own from which to launch an attack. But none of that mattered. I was ready to end th✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“I had no army, no fixed plan, and no base of my own from which to launch an attack. But none of that mattered. I was ready to end this, once and for all.”
Shattered hopes, shattered dreams, shattered hearts & The Shattered Castle. What is a heart without a home to belong to? When enemies besiege all that you love your land, your people, your family and friends - what sort of a stand will King Jaron have to take to rescue all that was shattered so quickly to win back everything that was stolen from him, all too soon. ...more
“Is it possible to miss somebody who still lives in the same house with you?”
Once you get over the initial ✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Is it possible to miss somebody who still lives in the same house with you?”
Once you get over the initial shock of Angus' mother throwing her shoes at him so he would have something to wear - she was frazzled and running late - oh, just read it! - Werewolf Hamlet is a heartfelt, sweet, & sincere ode to brothers, the theater & Shakespeare, and the streets of Los Angeles. ...more
“There’s something so deeply satisfying about the hushed sharing of information. What good is a story that can never be told?”
✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“There’s something so deeply satisfying about the hushed sharing of information. What good is a story that can never be told?”
'Historical fiction sits on the shoulders of nonfiction.' This statement is included in the Acknowledgements was a beautiful and thoughtful sentiment that resonated with me. The ability for writers to create fictional characters and immerse their lives to be a part of an historical moment and have the reader believe that such stories could have taken place - really means something. ...more
“Wishes are dangerous things, Hudson. Once you have what you’ve always dreamed of, it can become an obsession that you’ll do anything to✰ 4 stars ✰
“Wishes are dangerous things, Hudson. Once you have what you’ve always dreamed of, it can become an obsession that you’ll do anything to protect.
Anything.
And if you do lose it, how can life ever be the same again?”
The twists and the reveals to the plot were truly the stars here. Shocking and tragic, but vividly expressive in being believable, they were paced out nicely throughout this action-packed, fast-paced read. The short chapters shifting between the perspectives of twelve-year-old sixth-graders Violet and Hudson built the suspense on a believable and even tone that had you wondering just how they would put a stop to the Wish Monster from making every possible wish come true before it spirals completely out of control. ...more
“Sometimes hope for something false is better than no hope at all.”
Alli Parker's debut novel At the Foot of the Cherry Tree is a fic✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Sometimes hope for something false is better than no hope at all.”
Alli Parker's debut novel At the Foot of the Cherry Tree is a fictionalized version of her own grandparents' story of how they met in Japan during the aftermath of World War II and the challenges they faced to bring about change in how the rules of Australia law viewed soldiers and their war brides. Since my school years, historical fiction has always held a special place in my heart; some of my favorite books are in that genre. Plus, the cover was too gorgeous for me to resist, so I had to give it a try.
Merged review:
✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Sometimes hope for something false is better than no hope at all.”
Alli Parker's debut novel At the Foot of the Cherry Tree is a fictionalized version of her own grandparents' story of how they met in Japan during the aftermath of World War II and the challenges they faced to bring about change in how the rules of Australia law viewed soldiers and their war brides. Since my school years, historical fiction has always held a special place in my heart; some of my favorite books are in that genre. Plus, the cover was too gorgeous for me to resist, so I had to give it a try....more
“Nothing matters more than money to us, the Beautiful Ones who walk down these city streets in pristine gloves and silk-lined garment✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Nothing matters more than money to us, the Beautiful Ones who walk down these city streets in pristine gloves and silk-lined garments. You can give yourself the luxury of love because you are not one of us.
That is why you are my friend: because despite everything, at heart you remain an innocent.”
I have had The Beautiful Ones on my list of books to read for so long, that when I finally read it over the weekend, I didn't recall anything about the blurb or why I chose to read it. But, for a cover as visually striking as this, I knew it would be worth reading.
And it was.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia's historical magical romance is the age old tale of lost love and unrequited love and what one does to hold onto it forever in your heart or allow your heart to beat for a second time. Told through the eyes of the three main characters' whose lives become intertwined on the path paved with folly and revenge, social inequalities and elusive nobility, greed for riches and greed for love, heartache and heartbreak, deceit and despair, and with the hint of magical glamor that would make a believer out of anyone.
At the tender ages of nineteen, tall, slim, and charged with a palpable magnetism' Hector Auvray and ' beautiful, sophisticated, captivating - the most devastating woman in the room' Valérie Beaulieu née Véries fell madly in love, while she was secretly engaged to another, Gaétan. Despite the promise of a plea of 'would you wait for me?' from her lover, in order to secure the family name from ruin, Valérie could not wait and was forced into the marriage.
Carrying the sting of bitterness and betrayal over not having the right to choose who she weds, even with the promises of riches galore, she carries a certain vengeful creed towards Gaétan's younger cousin, Antonina, one who could hardly be called a Lady or a Beautiful One with her wayward behavior and questionable talents, but still earns the affection of her husband. And to add insult to injury - upon her stage entrance into society, Antonina sets her enamored eyes on 'one of the great psychokinetics of our era' - Hector Auvray.
“I’m a decent performer,” he replied.
“Modest, too.”
She was a curious girl, and now he reassessed her again. Not an aristocrat and not a country rube and—what exactly?
He didn’t like it when he couldn’t classify people.”
Since I didn't quite recall what the story was going to be about, I'll admit: it took me awhile to get into the story. But, once Ms. Garcia introduced the players - as she shed light on each character's intentions, I was drawn into the story - each point of view displayed the pangs of not only love lost, but life lost, as well. It is those integral themes of having to make decisions based on family standings and social stature - that the Beautiful Ones are exemplified by their grand status of old nobility and grandeur - when they are anything but.
She may be a thorn in Valérie's path, but she is so much more. She is the challenge to the norm that begins with her honest behavior - how she defies those expectations, pursuing a brazenness with her frank candor talks with Hector, her unwillingness to shy away from her own hidden talents - it showed so very clearly that she is the defiance in their long-standing traditions and expectations. And it would be her love for Hector that would break apart their social structure.
Merged review:
✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Nothing matters more than money to us, the Beautiful Ones who walk down these city streets in pristine gloves and silk-lined garments. You can give yourself the luxury of love because you are not one of us.
That is why you are my friend: because despite everything, at heart you remain an innocent.”
I have had The Beautiful Ones on my list of books to read for so long, that when I finally read it over the weekend, I didn't recall anything about the blurb or why I chose to read it. But, for a cover as visually striking as this, I knew it would be worth reading.
And it was.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia's historical magical romance is the age old tale of lost love and unrequited love and what one does to hold onto it forever in your heart or allow your heart to beat for a second time. Told through the eyes of the three main characters' whose lives become intertwined on the path paved with folly and revenge, social inequalities and elusive nobility, greed for riches and greed for love, heartache and heartbreak, deceit and despair, and with the hint of magical glamor that would make a believer out of anyone.
At the tender ages of nineteen, tall, slim, and charged with a palpable magnetism' Hector Auvray and ' beautiful, sophisticated, captivating - the most devastating woman in the room' Valérie Beaulieu née Véries fell madly in love, while she was secretly engaged to another, Gaétan. Despite the promise of a plea of 'would you wait for me?' from her lover, in order to secure the family name from ruin, Valérie could not wait and was forced into the marriage.
Carrying the sting of bitterness and betrayal over not having the right to choose who she weds, even with the promises of riches galore, she carries a certain vengeful creed towards Gaétan's younger cousin, Antonina, one who could hardly be called a Lady or a Beautiful One with her wayward behavior and questionable talents, but still earns the affection of her husband. And to add insult to injury - upon her stage entrance into society, Antonina sets her enamored eyes on 'one of the great psychokinetics of our era' - Hector Auvray.
“I’m a decent performer,” he replied.
“Modest, too.”
She was a curious girl, and now he reassessed her again. Not an aristocrat and not a country rube and—what exactly?
He didn’t like it when he couldn’t classify people.”
Since I didn't quite recall what the story was going to be about, I'll admit: it took me awhile to get into the story. But, once Ms. Garcia introduced the players - as she shed light on each character's intentions, I was drawn into the story - each point of view displayed the pangs of not only love lost, but life lost, as well. It is those integral themes of having to make decisions based on family standings and social stature - that the Beautiful Ones are exemplified by their grand status of old nobility and grandeur - when they are anything but.
She may be a thorn in Valérie's path, but she is so much more. She is the challenge to the norm that begins with her honest behavior - how she defies those expectations, pursuing a brazenness with her frank candor talks with Hector, her unwillingness to shy away from her own hidden talents - it showed so very clearly that she is the defiance in their long-standing traditions and expectations. And it would be her love for Hector that would break apart their social structure....more
“Ah, I see the spring strings are still powerful.”
I smile at her. “Spring strings?”
“It’s this place in the spring. It has strings tha✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Ah, I see the spring strings are still powerful.”
I smile at her. “Spring strings?”
“It’s this place in the spring. It has strings that tie you to the land, so you never want to leave.”
I think Lily Morton delivers better romances when she writes novellas. I mean this had all the typical ingredients you would expect from a predictable LM romance, but, somehow, it worked well here and you wanna know why? Because everything was mentioned in passing. ...more
“There’s no suspicion in their eyes, only a kind of sentimental admiration. That is the irony of this war – love between fighting men✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“There’s no suspicion in their eyes, only a kind of sentimental admiration. That is the irony of this war – love between fighting men is something to be encouraged and applauded.
Just as long it is the right kind of love.”
William Hussey's latest YA novel is a heartfelt testament to the forsaken, but not forgotten generation of silent voices that may have never been able to openly express their feelings for The Boy I Love, but by no means does not mean that they did not love - with all their heart. It is a bittersweet and achingly poignant tender love story in the summer leading up to the Battle of Somme and centering on the dangers of The Big Push. Nineteen-year-old Lieutenant Stephen Wraxall has returned to the front after recovering from a crippling injury and a devastating heartbreak of a first love lost forever, only to have eighteen-year-old Private Danny McCormick as his squire-servant. Desperate to protect his innocence from the horrors of war for as long as he can, he takes him under his wing, only to find that the chemistry between the two of them is undeniable and tinged with a desperation to be as close as possible, despite the risk of being caught and the fear of being punished. But, as tension on the front escalates, it's not only the threat of the enemy that they have to fight to survive, but the threats from within that endanger their very lives, simply for being in love. ...more