Month: January 2019

Daughters of the Storm (Blood and Gold, #1) by Kim Wilkins

Daughters of the Storm (Blood and Gold, #1) by Kim Wilkins

Something is wrong with the king. His five daughters rush home from various parts of the world to try to figure out what is going on. No one likes a power vacuum.

Meanwhile, there’s problems in the marriage of one of the sisters, whose alliance with the kingdom next door helps keep war to a minimum. Also, there’s raiders who have a mysterious crow-shaped tattoo accosting people on the roads. So, there’s a lot going on.

And that doesn’t even take into account everything that is happening to the twins, the sister whose magic is awakening and the eldest, who stands to inherit the throne if her father dies.

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“Bluebell wasn’t a child. She knew one day her father would die and she would take his place. She had prepared her whole life for the moment, but it had always been abstract, like a story.” pgs 17-18 ebook

The number of characters in this book may seem daunting at first, but Kim Wilkins introduces them slowly. It makes it easy to keep track of who is who.

“Her father was dying — and her father was the king of Almissia, the largest and most powerful kingdom in Thyrsland. And when he was dead… Well, what would they say? They could not caution her if she was grieving. A counselor’s first law was that compassion comes before all else.” pg 34, ebook.

That being said, the characters are rather flat. As for the sisters, we have the violent one, amorous one, magical one, religious one and promiscuous one. The “bad guys” feel rather the same too — fixated on achieving their goals at any cost, killing indiscriminately. There is very little gray area or layered meaning in this tale. (With one notable exception, but no spoilers!)

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“Now everything had been twisted out of shape, the threads of his destiny balled in a hopeless knot. It would be a measure of the kind of man he was if he could smooth things out, take charge of his future, shape the world to his will.” pg 191

Despite the simplistic characters, I would not classify this read as young adult. There’s some violent and sexual situations that younger readers may find confusing. Also, one of the characters, when she can’t think of anything else to say, just uses the f-word, which was disappointing. There are so many different ways to express frustration…

Honestly, I wanted more action in this story and better dialogue. I wanted more magic and less brooding angst. I wanted the sisters to band together and rage across the land like avenging Valkyries. I guess we don’t always get what we want.

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“Rose was silent, sulking. Bluebell responded by pretending she didn’t notice. Ash lost herself in thoughts about her power, her Becoming, and how she was to try to make a future for herself.” pg 203

The description of Daughters of the Storm says this book is “Norse-like” but I felt like it was more generic fantasy. I think the author was leaning towards a tale of warriors and gods, but we never quite got there. It was more of a promise unfulfilled.

For what it is though, it is engaging. Readers who like fantasy, large casts of characters and broad story lines may enjoy this book. As an added bonus, the second entry in the series, Sisters of the Fire came out this month, so you don’t have to wait to read what happens next.

Thanks for reading!

And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness

And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness

“But now, here, once and for all, I set down my tale. I am not who I was then. I said I was ignorant, and I am not wrong, though by that point I had learned that men lived upside down from us, that for them the ocean was below, the Abyss above, our gravities only meeting at the surface.” pg 15

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Patrick Ness weaves a re-telling of Moby-Dick, or, the Whale from the point of view of the whales. It falls some what short of his usual magic.

I think the trouble with re-telling major stories or fairy tales, (as I’ve discussed in previous reviews, Dorothy Must Die comes to mind) is that unless the remake is extraordinary in some way, it won’t surpass the original story. It’s exciting to revisit beloved worlds or, in this case, a classic tale and upend reader’s expectations. Using the point of view of the whales is unique, but the story seems to stall there.

The original Moby Dick gives us obsession and memorable characters. Bathsheba, the young apprentice whale in this tale, is a confused mess most of the time. That doesn’t lend itself to either greatness or memorability.

Ness is at his best when he’s describing Bathsheba’s world. I wish he had gotten more into how they respected and feared the depths of the ocean, which they considered the opposite of the ‘Abyss’ in our world. I also wish he had taken readers through one of the cities constructed by the whales. He hinted at a civilization beyond the hunt, but we never quite got there.

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I guess he was trying to build tension with the hunt for Toby Wick. I wanted a more layered fantasy tale.

“Maybe it takes a devil to fight a devil,” I said. “But at the end of the fight, Bathsheba,” he said, “Don’t only devils remain?” And for a moment in the ocean, there was only blackness. We were alone. Even with ourselves. And whatever devils lurked, unseen. pg 99

The artwork by Rovina Cai is beautiful and spare, utilizing very few colors or many fine details beyond shading. I think she conveys the idea that most of the story takes place underwater very well. I liked the illustrations perhaps more than I liked the story.

If you must read And the Ocean Was Our Sky, may I suggest borrowing it from your local library.

Thanks for reading!

Stay Hungry by Sebastian Maniscalco

Stay Hungry by Sebastian Maniscalco

Sebastian Maniscalco (one of my favorite comics) shares his journey from just another funny guy to successful stand-up comedian.

I was so excited to see Sebastian had penned a memoir. If you’ve never had a chance to enjoy one of his specials or to see him live, I highly recommend it. He has a very physical style of comedy. You can see his emotions on his face while he runs all around the stage, mimicking other people and ridiculous situations for laughs. Sebastian is an observational comic who skewers the every day nonsense that others might miss because it’s so mundane. It’s a gift.

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Unfortunately, it doesn’t translate as well into a book. However, I was notified by Netflix that he has a special coming out this week with the same name as this book, Stay Hungry. You better believe I’m going to watch it to see if any of what was in here makes it on the screen. I think it might have a chance to shine that way.

As it is, the material just doesn’t have the same flavor as the comedy I’m accustomed to from Sebastian.

For starters, I think Jim Gaffigan has the food angle of comedy pretty well sewn up. Sebastian apparently enjoys food too, but it didn’t feel like his introduction was particularly strong because I associate food so heavily with Gaffigan.

Another thing about me: I’m constantly starving. My entire day is planning around food. What’s for breakfast? Should I scramble a couple eggs like a normal human, or wolf down the dozen my appetite is telling me to do? pg 9, ebook.

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See what I mean?

On the other hand, Sebastian quickly moves away from the “food” type of hungry into the real meaning of this work, which is to always keep looking and moving towards the next step of your career. This is more about “being hungry” for success, not resting on your laurels.

He’s been a mover and a shaker almost his entire life, having worked multiple jobs from a very young age. Sebastian was kicked into the workforce by his father and supported by his large Italian family. This cocoon of family meant more to him than he realized, but its importance became clear when he moved to Los Angeles and his family was back in Chicago.

So I went from that environment, a welcoming, warm home with tons of people coming and going, to my one-bedroom in Hollywood with a naked man outside the only window. pg 20, ebook.

Success didn’t come either quickly or easily to Sebastian, but he never gave up. He always kept reaching for it. And he relied on his friends and family back home to never let him forget where he came from.

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I love to share what I’m doing with my family and old friends. That’s where I get my enjoyment. No matter what, I can count on these guys to keep me grounded and rip me to shreds. pg 159, ebook.

In that way, this memoir is totally relatable. In other ways, Sebastian mingles with celebrities and lives an upper class lifestyle with his bride. He describes the first weeks of being a new parent and learning the ins-and-outs from a night nurse, who stayed with his baby so they could get some sleep. Not so relatable…

Recommended for readers who like memoirs about someone climbing the ladder to their dreams. Fans of Sebastian may want to stick to watching his stand up routines, many of which are available on Netflix.

Thanks for reading!

The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad, #2) by Tana French

The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad, #2) by Tana French

Tana French’s second book in The Dublin Murder Squad series packs a serious punch. Cassie Maddox, a former murder squad detective, has moved to a different unit because of the stresses of the case called “Vestal Virgin” and personal difficulties with her former partner. She’s dragged back into the murder squad, when a woman’s body is found and she’s carrying identification showing her name is one of Cassie’s former undercover personas.

This is the main thing you need to know about Alexandra Madison: she never existed. Frank Mackey and I invented her, a long time ago, on a bright summer afternoon in his dusty office on Harcourt Street. pg 12, ebook.

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The slain woman has a unique living situation. She rooms with four other adults in a stately manor home called Whitethorn House. The group is a tightly-knit bunch of university students who not only live together, but also spend nearly every waking moment in each other’s company.

“Her main associates,” Sam said evenly, “were a bunch of other postgrads: Daniel March, Abigail Stone, Justin Mannering and Raphael Hyland.” pg 71

None of the group had a motive for killing Alexandra, whom they called Lexie. Or did they? Or perhaps it was someone outside the group, someone who had an old reason for hating them and the house. Or maybe it was a crime of opportunity… and who was Lexie Madison anyway?

Cassie’s superiors ask her to use her physical similarity to the dead woman to infiltrate the group in an undercover operation to try to dig up some answers. Can she pull it off? And, if she does, will whoever attacked Lexie come at her again?

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“This is the part I didn’t tell Sam: bad stuff happens to undercovers. A few of them get killed. Most lose friends, marriages, relationships. A couple turn feral, cross over to the other side so gradually that they never see it happening till it’s too late…” pg 62, ebook.

The tension throughout this entire book is incredible. I noticed the same thing with French’s other book, In the Woods. She really has a way of building the story up through complex layers and then delaying the big reveal to pour on the stress.

The characters are fantastic. The conversations are dances, setting up further plot points.

“She’s fine,” said Abby. “She just said so.” “I’m only asking. The police kept saying—” “Don’t poke at it.” “What?” I asked. “What did the police keep saying?” “I think,” Daniel said, calmly but finally, turning in his chair to look at Justin, “that we should leave it at that.”

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I had to suspend my disbelief at a couple points in the story. The big one was believing that Cassie looked enough like the dead woman to make the undercover part even possible. I suppose I’ve heard stories about doppelgangers, but I’ve never truly believed such a thing actually exists.

Highly recommended for readers who like their mysteries with a heaping side dish of tension.

Thanks for reading!

Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues: Incredible True Tales of Mischief and Mayhem by Paul Martin

Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues: Incredible True Tales of Mischief and Mayhem by Paul Martin

The past comes alive in Paul Martin‘s compilation of villains, scoundrels and rogues from history.

Although many of these people were famous in their own time, they’ve largely slipped into the shadows for most modern readers. … What makes these figures worthy of note is that their life stories all read like fiction. From the introduction.

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And they really do. From the truly terrible like serial killers, including one who wore a suit made of human skin, to the less terrible like fraudsters and a counterfeiter of one dollar bills, these are people who made their mark on history in one way or another.

I find this kind of non-fiction read absolutely fascinating. It makes me wonder, these are the stories that almost slipped through the cracks. How many note-worthy people have been completely forgotten?

I have a small quibble about how this book was organized. Martin takes the reader from the awful to less-awful, which seems anticlimactic. Shouldn’t it have gone the other way?

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Also, Martin editorializes somewhat at the end of each chapter, so if you’re looking for just history and no opinions, this might not work for you.

With those few reservations, I’d recommend this for readers looking to expand their trivia knowledge and for fans of history. I really enjoyed it.

If you want some other true crime stories from history, check out The History Guy’s true crime playlist on YouTube.

Thanks for reading!

Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness by Esther Hicks

Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness by Esther Hicks

Esther Hicks channels the wisdom of her inner being, called Abraham, to write these books. It sounds kind of far out there if you’ve never been exposed to that type of teaching before, but I have to say, I like it. If you’re in to self help and new age books, you may want to give them a try.

The majority of her (their) message seems to be to find joy. They teach that the purpose of life is to do what makes you happy as often as you can. Interestingly enough, that was the same lesson my grandfather taught me before he passed on. “Whatever you do in life, Heidi, be happy. The most important thing is to be happy.”

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Maybe it is in memory of him that I connect so easily with these teachings. I don’t know.

I’ve really taken to heart her encouragement to start out your day in the proper mindset. Lately, I’ve been chilling in bed for a few minutes rather than jumping right into my day. I don’t really have the words to explain why this is making a difference, but it is. I take a second to think about something awesome, even if its as banal as, “My pillow is so soft.” Try it and let me know how it works out for you.

“So as you awaken, open your eyes and say Today I will look for reasons to feel good. Nothing is more important than that I feel good.” pg 37

Also, she’s a big proponent for imaging and living your own life to its fullest and not comparing yourself to others. In the new age of social media and twitter where it seems like everybody is into everybody else’s business, it’s refreshing.

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Do not write your story like a factual documentary, weighing all the pros and cons of your experience, but instead tell the uplifting, fanciful, magical story of the wonder of your own life and watch what happens. pg 81

Overall, these teachings have changed my life. I can’t really say enough positive things about her books, of which there are several best sellers. She also does a bustling business of hosting workshops, which she does across the United States and on a few different cruises.

Last month, I went to an Abraham Hicks workshop for the first time. I’ve enjoyed her videos on YouTube for a long time and thought I might shake things up and see what she’s like in person. This was kind of a production because Esther doesn’t come to the St. Louis area. So, I went out west and heard her speak in Phoenix.

The papers for the workshop registration encourage attendees to write down questions about life, whatever comes into your mind that you’re curious about. I brainstormed with my husband and came up with about a dozen different things I’d talk about if I got to the “hot seat”. (That’s what she calls the chair up front.)

I arrived about 15 minutes before the whole thing started, which seemed like ample time to me, only to discover the auditorium was nearly filled! That was fine because I wanted a seat towards the outside anyway. If things gave me a weird vibe, I wanted to be able to get the heck out as fast as possible.

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In the moments before Esther emerged, this music started up about “Joy, joy, joy. Joy is the key” and almost half the crowd got up and started dancing. I nearly bolted. It felt rather cultist in those moments.

But then the music cut and there she was and things settled down somewhat. What followed was a lot of laughs and learning about topics ranging from relationships to illness to someone’s dog. The whole day ended with a marriage proposal from one of the attendees to another. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I’m kicking around the idea of going again next year.

I never made it to the hot seat and felt rather disappointed. But, later, as I was reading over the questions I took to the workshop, I found, to my surprise, that she had directly addressed every single one of them in other people’s questions. And then, that night, I dreamed I was back at the workshop. I was sitting in the chair and asking any question that came to my mind.

So, that’s my personal experience with this author and the “magic” of Abraham. I know these teachings aren’t for everyone. But they’re for me. And that’s pretty cool.

Thanks for reading!