The Lace Reader

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The Lace Reader

Brunonia Barry

2006

The Summary

With the sudden disappearance of her grandmother, Towner Whitney is brought back to her hometown in Salem, Massachusetts, in search of answers.

Her journey, however, leads her to not only confront her family's ancient gift - an uncanny ability by the Whitney women to read the future in lace - but her own history as well, including the startling truth behind her twin sister's death.

The Good

Brunonia Barry's novel is intriguing because it uses a mixture of magic and superstition to present a unique and heart-wrenching story of loss, guilt, and forgiveness.  Emotionally charged and startlingly dramatic, The Lace Reader creates a world full of surprising twists and dark turns that will leave you speechless - and, more to the point, keep you riveted as you dig for answers right alongside Towner Whitney.

Although it is occasionally difficult to read Towner's narrative given the tragic nature of her story and the  insanity with which she grapples, she is an interesting character and her storytelling is precise, evocative, and, more importantly, candid.

She presents a truly compelling story, one that brings together her life and her history - and her family's mysterious gifts.

The Bad
Towner has visions.  She can see the future in a piece of lace.  She obviously struggles with multiple psychological disorders.

As such, her narrative can veer in new and surprising directions - and, occasionally, that means it can be difficult to differentiate between what Towner sees and perceives and what actually happens in reality.

For Towner, reality isn't set in stone.

The Ugly

At the beginning of The Lace Reader, you realize Towner is damaged.  Her mind is broken after the death of her sister, after her world came crashing down; however, you do not realize just how broken, until you learn what really happened to her twin sister, Lyndley - and what really happened to Towner herself.

The truth will be shocking.

Knit One, Kill Two

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Knit One, Kill Two

Maggie Sefton

2005

The Summary

When Kelly Flynn returns to Colorado for her Aunt Helen's funeral, she expects the police have found the killer and solved the crime of her aunt's murder.  But then she learns her aunt has withdrawn a surprising amount of money - twenty thousand dollars, to be precise - and Kelly knows something is amiss.

Plagued by the inconsistencies of her aunt's gruesome demise and missing family relics, Kelly decides to do some digging of her own - and she will find out a startling secret about her aunt.  A secret she never expected from her bright, sensible reality.

The Good

Maggie Sefton's mystery novel is a quick, easy read.  It's intriguing with a dash of dark scandal to make it scintillating.  You're curious, one way or another, to see how things turn out for Kelly Flynn as she hunts for a killer and looks to unravel an incredible secret in her aunt's past.

The Bad

Knit One, Kill Two is an easy book into which you can jump, but not necessarily a book that can keep your attention for very long periods of time.  It's simple and it has enjoyable moments, but it's a book that once you figure out the mystery and divine an answer from the clues provided, you're hard-pressed to actually finish.

Moreover, some of the subplots are left dangling at the end of the book.  There's zero resolution for the little side adventures Kelly has, and you're still left with a couple questions by the end of the novel.

Over all, it isn't a very memorable story and it doesn't beckon to be read immediately.  But, luckily, it's easy to finish in a day - maybe, even an afternoon - if you're set on finishing a book from cover to cover and it actually has a recipe for cinnamon rolls, so that's pretty rewarding if you like to cook.

The Ugly

Well, it is a "murder mystery," so murder is obviously involved, but there's very little otherwise to make it a chillingly grisly novel.

Seraphina

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Seraphina

Rachel Hartman

2012

The Summary

Seraphina Dombergh is a gifted musician and a talented singer and, as the assistant music mistress, she is constantly moving in and out of the royal court.  Seraphina, however, has one very dangerous secret:  she is half dragon.

With tensions rising between the dragons and mankind, Seraphina finds herself in a very precarious position.  Caught up in the investigation of the prince's death and struggling to keep her secret hidden from everyone she has ever known, Seraphina will find herself balancing on the precipice of two worlds - the human world of her father, and the dragon world of her mother.

The Good

Rachel Hartman's novel is wonderfully descriptive and detailed.  With her narrator (Seraphina Dombergh), she creates a beautiful and strange world full of dangerous dragons, unique races of people and creatures, martyred saints, and volatile politics.  It's an intriguing piece of work and highly addictive.

Additionally, Hartman tinkers with dragon lore by turning dragons into more than a sentient race but an entire people:  a population with its own laws, its own system of beliefs, its own technologies and literature.  Moreover, she creates a reality in which dragons have managed to take human form.  She offers a new series of questions about dragons and, more to the point, presents readers with a richer mythos.

I also enjoy Hartman's narrator, Seraphina Dombergh.  She's wonderfully descriptive and completely candid, having both a scathing wit and shyness that make her an intelligent and enjoyable narrator.  She's brave, she's flawed, and she's startlingly human - and it's incredibly easy to become emotionally invested in her story.

The Bad

Seraphina ends on a good note.  I can safely say I was pleased by its conclusion, despite the fact it lacked a complete resolution - that is, I was left with several lingering questions and an open-ended adventure.

So, I would really like a sequel.  I mean, most books I can wait to see - I'm patient.  You have to be when you inadvertently stumble into a series - but I need a sequel.  It ends with a cliff-hanger, so it's too inconclusive to not have a second in series.

The Ugly

Seraphina has many obstacles to face:  her dragon heritage, fear and self-loathing, hatred of her parentage, fear of discovery, fear of an impending war, fear for her own soul, social stigmas, struggles with her own mortality - or immortality? - and love.

It's a heady brew of emotional, social, and political conflicts.  And, honestly, you sometimes fear for Seraphina's safety.  You hope, even more than she hopes, that she finds happiness - and you keep your fingers crossed for her safety and the safety of those she cares about.

Far Far Away

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Far Far Away
Tom McNeal
2013

The Summary
"What follows is the strange and fateful tale of a boy, a girl, and a ghost.  The boy possessed uncommon qualities, the girl was winsome and daring, and the ancient ghost...well, let it only be said that his intentions were good."

Far Far Away begins with the story of Jeremy Johnson Johnson and Ginger Boultinghouse, as told by their ghostly friend, Jacob Grimm - as in the other half of the Brothers Grimm - while they navigate life in the tiny town of Never Better and steer clear of the Finder of Occasions.

The Good
Far Far Away is a unique and exceptional story.  Filled with wonderful characters - endearing characters who will win you over with their eccentric personalities and human compassion - and brimming with one enchanting and amazing fairy-tale of a story, Tom McNeal's book is, in one word, fantastic.

In particular, I loved how Jacob Grimm served as the narrator.  He's not omniscient, so he cannot keep track of everything going on, but he can observe so much in the small village of Never Better and, more importantly, offer commentary.

He's precise and descriptive, but his narration is also laced with a thread of emotion.  You'll find yourself enjoying his digressions as he recounts scenes from his past, both his regrets and his accomplishments; however, it's even more satisfying to read about his growing relationship with Jeremy as he not only helps the boy navigate his scholarship but protects him from the diabolical Finder of Occasions.

The Bad
The waiting is the worst part:  waiting to see what happens with the Finder of Occasions, waiting to find out what has happened to the missing children of Never Better, and waiting as Jacob seeks his brother and, more importantly, his time to leave.

The Ugly
Although McNeal's novel starts out with very little information on the Finder of Occasions - he's more like a vague idea, an evil and faceless villain lurking at the edge of a story - readers gradually learn about his existence and, more importantly, his activities.

The Finder of Occasions is not who you might expect - and the twist will be utterly heart-wrenching as Jacob and Jeremy both endure what the Finder of Occasions has in store for them.

World War Z

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World War Z

Max Brooks

2006

The Summary

As the greatest conflict in human memory, the "Zombie War" changed the world and everyone in it - and one man is intent on retelling the memories of those days, preserving history that may one day be forgotten.

He starts his interviews at the beginning of "The Crisis" and follows the thread of history from one country to the next (China, America, South Africa, England, Antarctica, Israel, etc.), until the "present day" when humanity no longer faces extinction.

The Good

Max Brooks' novel is fabulous.  I personally loved the concept of reading "interviews."  Not only do readers have the opportunity to experience different stories - different characters with different experiences - we have the chance to see what happens to different parts of the world and how various countries encounter the same conflict.

It's also fascinating and inventive.  I mean, World War Z answers questions I didn't even know I had about a zombie apocalypse.  For instance, what happens to astronauts stuck on space stations?  Do zombies float - or do they sink and walk on the ocean floor?  Can a person fool a zombie?  And what happens to the global economy after everything goes kaput?

There's an amazing breadth and depth to Brooks' novel.  Although you never receive a complete explanation as to how the zombies came into being and how or where the apocalypse really beings (there's plenty of supposition between all the characters involved, so you're not completely left in the dark), it's so fully comprehensive that you never notice it lacking.

Honestly, it's enough to see what happens to the world from "Day One" to the end of the war that you're satisfied with the answers you receive.

The Bad

I don't have anything negative to say about Brooks' book.  It's intriguing and detailed and, while there are certain elements that make it difficult to read (on an emotional level), it remains one of the best books I've read.

Perhaps my only complaint was trying to recognize the different names individual characters called zombies:  the tried and true "zombie," but also Zed Heads, Gs, Zacks, etc.  But context clues basically cleared that up.

The Ugly

World War Z is a story about a zombie war, so, of course, you'll be faced with gratuitous amounts of gore and violence and bloodshed.  You'll read "reports" and "interviews" about people being eaten alive, being trapped in their cars and dying of exposure.

And, if that isn't gory and disheartening enough for you, there's stories of human desperation - murder, cannibalism, suicide, genocide - and world-changing amounts of pollution from burning cities and the living dead walking from one corner of the earth to the other.

It isn't a pretty picture.

Brooks creates a terrifying world in his novel, a dystopian future guaranteed to give you chills.  In fact, it's the stuff of nightmares, especially when you're sitting up at midnight and reading with only a dark, creaky house for company.