Book review: Father of Lies by Ann Turner

Father of Lies by Ann Turner (Published by HarperTeen, February 8, 2011)

It is the winter of 1692 in the village of Salem, Massachusetts. Fourteen-year-old Lidda Johnson has always felt different from everyone else in her strict Puritan village. She longs to dance and sing and be free. She also has hallucinations and hears a voice inside her, a voice that calls himself Lucian. She doesn't understand why this is happening to her and is afraid to tell anyone. Her family has always thought her a bit odd, and as her behavior becomes stranger, she struggles to hide it from them.

Meanwhile, even worse trouble is stirring in Salem Village. Several young girls are having strange fits and blaming their afflictions on witchcraft. Lidda doesn't believe that her neighbors, who are good, ordinary people, could be witches who torment children. She knows that the girls are lying, but if she speaks up, she risks being accused of witchcraft herself, especially since she has always been different.

Father of Lies tells the story of the Salem Witch Trials from the unique and often disturbing viewpoint of a young girl suffering from bipolar disorder, a condition that was not yet understood in the 17th century. Despite how disturbed Lidda was, she seemed saner than most of the villagers, who were so willing to turn against their friends and neighbors because of the wild accusations of a few young girls. I thought this book was a very unique perspective on this disturbing time in history and I would recommend it to readers who enjoy historical fiction. However, the ending was a bit abrupt; since this book was rather short I would have liked to read more about what happened to Lidda afer the ending, as I really think it could have been a bit longer.

Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher.

Waiting on Wednesday: A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine (Published by HarperCollins, May 10, 2011)

Mysteries abound, especially in Two Castles.
A handsome cat trainer, black-and-white cats, thieves on four legs and two, suspicious townsfolk, a greedy king, a giddy princess, a shape-shifting ogre, a brilliant dragon. Which is the villainous whited sepulcher?
Elodie journeys to the town of Two Castles to become a mansioner—an actress—but luck is against her. She is saved from starvation by the dragon Meenore, who sends her on a dangerous mission inside the ogre's castle. There, disguised as a kitchen maid at an ogre's feast, she finds herself cast in the role of a lifetime and pitted against a foe intent on murder.
Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine weaves an entrancing tale of a fearsome ogre, a dragon detective, and a remarkable heroine, who finds friendship where she least expects it, learns that there are many ways to mansion, and discovers that goodness and evil come in all shapes and sizes.


I have enjoyed Gail Carson Levine's fantasy novels for years so I am glad to see she has a new book being published soon.

Book review: The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards

The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards (Published by Penguin Books UK, February 3, 2011)

This sequel to The Other Countess is set in 1584 and continues the story of Jane, one of the supporting characters from the first book. Jane was to marry Will Lacey, but broke off the betrothal so he would be free to marry his true love, Ellie, who was Jane's friend. But although she does not regret her decision, Jane's family was furious, and she was imprisoned in her own home and punished severely. She only escaped because a very kind elderly man married her to save her from her family. Though their marriage was in name only, Jane was very fond of her husband and grieved him when he died, because he was more of a father to her than her own ever was. His sons are horrible and forced her to leave her home, but thanks to a recommendation from her late husband, Jane is able to find a position at court as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I.

Shortly after arriving at court, to Jane's surprise she encounters James Lacey, the brother of the man she refused to marry. She still loves him, but he despises her at first because he doesn't know the real reason why she ended the betrothal, and thinks she jilted his brother. James soon learns the truth, but he does not feel he is good enough for Jane now, because he is haunted by atrocities he witnessed in war. He joins a voyage to the Americas to help scout a site for a possible future English colony in the New World, hoping the time away from home will help him recover from the terrible memories. However while James is gone, Jane's scheming relatives plot to force her into an unwanted marriage.

I enjoyed reading The Queen's Lady but I didn't like it as much as The Other Countess, which was one of my favorite books that I read last year. Jane was a character I didn't like at first but ended up sympathizing with by the end of the first book, her family truly is just awful! So I was glad to read the continuation of her story. But honestly, I wanted to slap James or something for being such an idiot and running off to deal with his problems without seeing how much Jane needed him, and thinking he was unworthy of her for reasons that I thought were pretty stupid. I would still recommend this book to readers who enjoyed the first book, or who haven't read it yet but enjoy historical romance, and I still plan to read the third book, The Rogue's Princess, which will be published in July 2011. I'm just a little disappointed that I didn't love this book as much as The Other Countess.

In My Mailbox - 2/12/11

Credit goes to The Story Siren for creating and hosting the In My Mailbox feature.

Here are the new books I got this week:

Bought:

The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards

1584 – Surrey, England When Lady Jane Rievaulx begins service to the Queen at Richmond Palace, she is thrilled at the court’s newest arrival . . . Master James Lacey. Despite her previous courtship with his older brother, James is the man she truly loves. And for his part, he cannot deny his fascination with her. However, James is setting sail on a treacherous journey to the Americas, seeking absolution for what he sees as past sins. But when Lady Jane is forced into a terrible situation by her own family, there is only one man to save her. Will Master James return to his lady ­- before it’s too late?


Belle's Song by K.M. Grant

When Belle meets Luke, son of an alchemist and Scribe to the famous poet Chaucer, she is determined to travel with him to Canterbury on a pilgrimage. She hopes for a miracle: that her father will walk again. She also hopes to atone for her own part in his accident. It is a time of unrest across the country and the young King Richard II is just hanging on to his throne. A malign character on the pilgrimage suspects Chaucer of treason and slowly winds Belle into a political intrigue. At the same time, the impulsive Belle is drawn towards both Luke and to Walter, the wealthy son of a Knight. But Walter himself is in love with Luke...As the uprising against the King starts to draw pace and the web of intrigue around Belle and Chaucer tightens, Belle and her friends must risk everything to save their country and themselves...


Gladiator: Fight for Freedom by Simon Scarrow

It's Rome, 61 BC. Recruited as a gladiator, young Marcus Cornelius Primus faces a new life of brutal training, governed by strict rules, as he learns the skills of an elite warrior. But Marcus cannot simply forget his past. His father lies murdered by soldiers and his mother has been kidnapped and forced into slavery. Marcus is determined to find his father's old commander, Pompeius the Great, to seek justice for his family and set his mother free. Yet, unbeknown to him, Marcus is hiding a life-threatening secret. And if the Romans discover it, there will be no escape...


For review:

River of Time: Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

Most America teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Bentarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives with their parents, famed Etruscan scholars, among the romanitc hills. Stuck among the rubble of medieval castles in rural Tuscany on yet another hot, dusty archeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds... until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a firce battle between knights of two opposing forces.
And thus does she come to be rescued by the knight-prince, Marcello Falassi, who takes her back to his father's castle - a castle Gabi has seen in ruins in another life. Suddenly Gabi's summer in Italy is much, much more interesting.


By These Ten Bones by Clare B. Dunkle

A bone-chilling tale of werewolves and love, set in medieval Scotland
A mysterious young man has come to a small Highland town. His talent for wood carving soon wins the admiration of the weaver's daughter, Maddie. Fascinated by the silent carver, she sets out to gain his trust, only to find herself drawn into a terrifying secret that threatens everything she loves.
There is an evil presence in the carver's life that cannot be controlled, and Maddie watches her town fall under a shadow. One by one, people begin to die. Caught in the middle, Maddie must decide what matters most to her-and what price she is willing to pay to keep it.


Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different.
That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control.
A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation, Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world.


The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.
It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.

Interview with Mary Hooper, author of Fallen Grace

Mary Hooper is the author of Fallen Grace, a young adult historical novel set in Victorian England, which I recently reviewed. She has also written many other historical novels for young adults. To learn more about Mary Hooper and her books and to see the book trailer for Fallen Grace you can visit her website.

Fallen Grace is about a rather unique topic. What inspired you to write a historical novel for young adults about the Victorian funeral industry?

I have always been rather morbidly interested in the whys and wherefores of Victorian funerals; the mourning rites, the wonderful cemeteries and statues, the rituals to be gone through. (I loved the US TV show SIX FEET UNDER!)

What kind of historical research did you do while writing the novel?
I read lots of books, especially Mayhew's LONDON LABOUR AND THE LONDON POOR which deals with real people on the streets speaking in their own words.

Your young adult historical novels have been set in several different historical eras. If you could go back in time for a day (with guaranteed safety, of course!) what place and time would you like to visit?

I would be a favoured courtier of Charles II in one of his magnificent palaces. The Restoration (1660) was a pretty fun time in England - as long as you were rich, of course.

What are some of your own favorite books and authors?

You can't beat Dickens!

Can you tell us anything about your next book?
VELVET is set in 1900 and is about a poor girl who works in a steam laundry. After a mishap, she loses her job but is asked to go and work for a medium. She soon discovers, however, that there are more to this particular medium's visitations than meet the eye.

Book review: No Moon by Irene N. Watts

No Moon by Irene N. Watts (Published by Tundra Books, April 13, 2010)

Fourteen-year-old Louisa Gardener is the second-oldest child in a large working-class family living in London in 1911. She left school a couple of years ago to help her mother with housework and caring for her younger siblings, but now she wants to have a real job, like her older sister Kathleen. Louisa is very lucky - on her first job interview, she is hired to be a nursemaid to two little girls, the daughters of a wealthy titled family in London, the Miltons. Louisa has always loved children, having helped to care for her four younger siblings. And it is a very good position, as the servants in this household are treated very well. Louisa is a bit unhappy that Nanny Macintosh, whom she assists in the nursery, is very strict, but overall she is happy with her job, and very fond of Alexandra and Portia, the little girls she helps care for.

Almost a year goes by, and Louisa is very settled in her routine of helping to care for the girls. She is also anticipating having time off to spend with her family, as Lord and Lady Milton are planning to bring the girls on a trip to New York to visit relatives. Because Louisa's little brother drowned during a trip to the seashore when Louisa was just five years old, Louisa is very afraid of water, and she blames herself for not protecting her brother, even though she was just a little girl herself. So she is quite relieved to be staying behind in London while Nanny Macintosh accompanies the girls and their parents on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. But then a few days before the trip, Nanny Macintosh falls down the stairs, and is too injured to travel. Louisa must take her place or lose her job. Will she be able to overcome her fear of the water to save herself and her young charges when disaster strikes?

Although the description on the back cover of this book makes it sound like the voyage on the Titanic is the major focus of the story, it actually doesn't take place until the second half of the novel. The first half is mostly about Louisa's life in London, settling into her new job, and the memories of her brother's death that haunt her years later. Even though it's not written as a diary, the writing style of this book still reminded me a lot of the Dear America series, and I think it would appeal to the same readers. My one complaint is that some of the historical facts seemed a bit forced, such as Louisa having a conversation about how there aren't enough lifeboats while talking a walk on the deck the day before the ship sinks.

Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher.

Book review: The Midnight Tunnel by Angie Frazier

The Midnight Tunnel: A Suzanna Snow Mystery by Angie Frazier (Published by Scholastic, March 1, 2011)

Eleven year old Suzanna Snow, who prefers to be called Zanna, lives in the tiny seaside village of Loch Harbor, New Brunswick, in 1904. Her parents are the managers of an elegant hotel, the Rosemount. Ever summer, wealthy guests come to stay at the hotel. Zanna's parents have insisted that she begin to work in the hotel so that she can learn about it, hoping she will want to manage the hotel someday. But Zanna would much rather be a famous detective like her Uncle Bruce, who lives in Boston.

As the summer season starts, Zanna expects that as usual nothing much will happen, so she practices her detective skills by observing the guests. Then, during a terrible thunderstorm, Maddie, a little girl staying at the hotel with her family disappears. Zanna is sure she saw Maddie being led out of the hotel during the storm, but because she is a child, no one will believe her - not even her idolized Uncle Bruce, whi arrives from Boston to investigate the case. So Zanna decides she must investigate on her own, to try to solve the mystery and save Maddie.

I don't read quite as many middle grade books anymore, though I do read some, but I had to read this one because I loved Angie Frazier's debut young adult novel, Everlasting. And I am so glad I decided to! Zanna is such a fun and determined heroine and the unusual historical setting was described so well. If you know a young girl who loves historical fiction or mysteries this would be a great book to recommend, and even if you are older, you might enjoy it too, just like I did!