147. The Last Daughter of York

The Last Daughter of York. Nicola Cornick. 2021. [November] 368 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence (of the prologue): Snow spattered the windows of the old hall, carried on the sharp north wind that spun it into fierce spirals before battering it against the diamond mullions.

First sentence (of chapter one): Serena stretched out on the sun lounger, relishing the sensation of the last heat of the day against her skin. 

Premise/plot: The Last Daughter of York is a time slip novel. It is set in the present day (presumably) and during the 'War of the Roses.' Serena Warren, our modern day heroine, is still traumatized by her [twin] sister's disappearance. It's been YEARS--over a decade--since that night. But her memories are just as elusive as ever. So when Caitlin's body is found in a grave that seemingly has not been disturbed since 1708, well, it's shocking, disturbing, intriguing. It doesn't change things--dead is dead is dead. But HOW did her sister's body travel back through time? For that is indeed what it looks like--there is a diary entry from the period that describes in detail the finding of a dead body and giving it a proper burial in a proper grave. Anne Lovell, our historical heroine, is married to Francis Lovell who has sworn allegiance to Richard III. (Long before Richard III assumed the crown. Lovell served Edward as well. Despite some of Anne's own family playing around with treason. (Anne is related to the Nevilles, to the Kingmaker himself.) This story involves Anne's determination to do ANYTHING and everything she can to protect the young Prince Richard. Of course, there's some 'magic' involved--a lodestar that connects the stories.

My thoughts: I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this time slip novel or not. It is not--I repeat not--a traditional time travel story. The lodestar isn't so much a "time machine" as it is a complete and total mystery. History and mystery--two of my favorites. This book doesn't--to my recollection--seek to answer the question if Richard III ordered the deaths of the princes in the tower. So much as it provides a way of escape for one of them.

I found the story intriguing. However, I always wanted just a little more from it. Like, for example, WHAT it would have been like for Richard as a fifteenth century boy to SUDDENLY show up in the nineteenth century. We get glimpses of his story--and it sounds SO INTERESTING and amazing. But these are tiny, tiny glimpses of what his experience was like. The characters of the past, in my opinion, were definitely more fleshed out than the ones in the present. 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

146. Escape from Chernobyl

Escape from Chernobyl. Andy Marino. 2021. [December] 176 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Yuri Fomichev picks a wooden splinter from his palm.

Premise/plot: For those who enjoy reading about historical disasters--and yes, 1986 is history--Andy Marino's newest book is Escape from Chernobyl. There are a handful of young narrators--Yuri, Alina and Lev, Sofiya--that provide an up close perspective of the disaster as it unfolds hour by hour. [Yuri is cousins with Alina and Lev. He is currently living with them. Sofiya is a neighbor in the same building. She and Yuri are crushing on each other.] All are living WAY too close to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on the fateful day--April 26, 1986. 

My thoughts: One word: BLEAK. You might be saying WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING???? True, all true. I have no one but myself to blame. I checked it out from the library. I started reading. I got hooked and had to keep turning pages.

This one is fiction. Don't be fooled by the epilogue where one of the character is catching readers up to the modern day.

Earlier this year, I read Meltdown which was about another nuclear disaster. That one was nonfiction--and awesome. Part of me wishes I'd read a middle grade appropriate nonfiction title on the subject instead. Or perhaps I just wish that they'd been fewer narrators? I don't know. This one was definitely one that I had to finish after I started it. But honestly it's feeling more like an almost for me. 

But for readers--and there definitely are readers of all ages--who LOVE reading about disasters, this one is worth considering.

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

145. The Legend of Auntie Po

The Legend of Auntie Po. Shing Yin Khor. 2021. 290 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: This is a story about stories. This is a story about gods and men.

Premise/plot: The Legend of Auntie Po is a coming-of-age graphic novel. It is set in the American West (Nevada, to be precise) circa 1885. Mei, our young heroine, helps her father who is the chief cook for the logging camp. Mei's specialty is making/baking pies. And her pies are quite beloved. But she isn't known just for making pies, no, she's also known (and beloved) for telling stories. Her stories center around a larger-than-life figure, Auntie Po, who knows more than a thing or two about the logging life. What is less clear for Mei, though less clear may not be the best way to describe it, is the future. She has hopes and dreams--for sure--and she knows exactly what she wants from life. But she isn't sure that her happily ever after is even remotely, remotely possible. It seems far-fetched. Like seeing Auntie Po in real life is WAY more likely than having her dreams actualized. But are all things possible?

Life is hard. It's hard for loggers in general--if by hard you mean physically exhausting and sometimes dangerous--but for the Chinese immigrants in particular it is made more difficult. Politics and racial tension. Even those with the best of intentions--who are making an effort to be good and kind and just--can stumble and fall. Like the log camp foreman. He comes into the story as a boss, true, but also as the father of Mei's best-best-best-best-best friend Bee (or Beatrice). Mei is totally head over heels in love with Bee. (Does Bee love her in that way too??? Is it unrequited???  Requited??? Definitely working mainly with non-verbal body language. Perhaps in part because it is a graphic novel. So much of the story is communicated through the illustrations.)

My thoughts: This was not a good fit for me. Reading is 100% subjective. That's why I did my best to stay completely objective in the summary. But graphic novels are so rarely my thing. This offers a blend of coming-of-age, first crushes (same-sex crush in this instance), fantasy, history, POLITICS and RACE. There are a couple of dramatic action scenes. But mainly readers are in Mei's head exploring her thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams. I don't know if I wanted a more central focus or what exactly it was that kept me from really enjoying this one. I don't know if a fresher acquaintance with Paul Bunyan would have helped or not.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

144. Out of My Heart

Out of My Heart. (Out of My Mind #2) Sharon Draper. 2021. [November] 352 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The firefly hovered over the back of my hand, then landed--slowly, effortlessly.

Premise/plot: Melody returns in Sharon Draper's Out of My Heart. In this sequel, Melody, our heroine, goes to camp. That's it. All of it. She. Goes. To. Camp. Three-hundred-and-fifty-two pages of Melody at camp. 

My thoughts: I remembered Out of My Mind fondly. I remember finding it super compelling. Melody was a great character I felt a connection with. I cared about her story--every minute of it. Never bored, always engaged. Not so with this [unnecessary] sequel. Out of My Heart reminded me of Race For Your Life Charlie Brown. I jest. Mostly. Those that know me know that is my code for BORING, boring, super-boring. Both are set at camp. Both are incredibly boring. It isn't that I am so opposed to the book having a sequel. It's just that I think that everything I loved about the first book was missing in the sequel. The book read like a brochure--maybe. I haven't read that many brochures about camp to be honest. 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

143. The Slow March of Light

The Slow March of Light. Heather B. Moore. [2021] 368 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: The words from the hymn "We Are All Enlisted" echoed in Bob's mind as he drove through the gray afternoon that promised snow.

Premise/plot: The Slow March of a Light is a historical novel set during the Cold War. It is based--perhaps loosely based--on a true story. The protagonist, Bob Inama, is an American soldier who finds himself going undercover in West/East Berlin. He hopes that by posing as an economics student, Peter Jones, he can be hired as a teacher's assistant. (The teacher regularly lectures on economics in East Berlin.) His story as a spy--and a prisoner--is fascinating. And this is the "true" part of the novel. However, the story adds a second protagonist, Luisa Voigt, a German nurse who finds herself becoming more and more sympathetic to the plight of the East Berliners. Her father is a police officer in West Berlin, she has plenty of reasons to stay away from an underground movement helping East Berliners escape into freedom. But she feels called to do everything to help no matter the personal risks. Her story is fictional; I'll clarify, there was no Luisa Voigt in Bob Inama's story. The book alternates between the two perspectives.

My thoughts: I think it is extremely important to set expectations. Do not pick up The Slow March of Light thinking it is a romance. It isn't. I don't know why they added this subtext of romance, this tension, between the two protagonists. Like these two could have been, would have been, might have been...if she hadn't been German, he hadn't been American...etc. Even how these two kept in touch via Christmas cards through the DECADES. I personally felt irritated to learn that Luisa was fictional to Bob's story. She just didn't belong to *his* story. I think his story was powerful enough, inspiring enough, compelling enough, that one didn't need any extras. My complaint isn't with the writing, not really. I think her story and his story were both well done. I think there was enough there for her to have her own book. And the same with Bob's story. I just felt that genre lines were blended a little too much.

I've told you what the story is NOT--a romance. I'll now focus on what it is. It is a faith story. The point of the story is Bob's faith and how his faith informed his imprisonment. His faith sustained and strengthened him day by day, night by night. No matter what happened in prison, Bob was rock steady in his faith and forever grateful. His gratitude-attitude didn't go unnoticed. He was able to be a witness with very few words. In case you were in doubt what the story was all about, the ending of the story sums it up--God put me in prison so that my guard could come to faith. 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews