The Witches at the End of the World
by Chelsea Iversen
The Witches at the End of the World by Chelsea Iversen (9/2/2023)
An interesting coming of age story of two sisters who experience death, love and heartache and learn to persevere and accept their inherent nature of witching. Kaija leaves to find a life in the village where her mother was killed and learns that she really belongs with her sister. Minna, left in the forest and feeling abandoned, sends out a spell that does as much damage to herself as to others. Minna learns that sending out negativity will eventually come back to harm her, as nature turns against her ability to live comfortably. Eventually Kaija leaves the village and, understanding where she belongs in the world, returns to her sister.
I found the story plot appealing, and the writing well done. However, I really got tired of the chapters moving back and forth from Kaija to Minna. I no sooner became interested in one story line when the next chapter moved to the other story line. I like having two or three chapters focus on one story then move to the other.
The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill
by Brad Meltzer, Josh Mensch
The Nazi Conspiracy (12/21/2022)
This is an expertly written account of the events leading up to World War II, how America became involved and what events led up to the meeting of the big three and in consequence how the Nazi's learned of the meeting and their attempt to assassinate Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. Meltzer and Mensch have done an ideal job of setting the scene, giving the reader a concise background update of the cause of WWII and how the U.S. became involved first through the bombing of Pearl Harbor and then in helping England and Russia to defeat the Nazi Party, and what transpired after the meeting.
What I especially found informative are the concluding chapters that brings together all the conspiracies, whether fact or fiction, and postulates just what was really known about the incident and what happens to Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. For anyone interested in World War II, the people who were a part of it and a great thriller/mystery, this book is a great read.
The Sun Down Motel
by Simone St. James
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (11/4/2019)
This is the first book of Simone St. James that I have read, and I was delighted and very impressed. I really enjoyed the story and all the twists and turns she put into the plot. Many of the twists were well hidden and just when you thought you knew what was happening, you didn't. I liked that the characters are well depicted, and the plot is well written. I especially enjoyed the paranormal aspect of the story. I could not put the book down and when I did, I kept going back to the story, trying to figure out what was going on. For me, that is a great tale. I encourage all to give it a read!
The Seine: The River that Made Paris
by Elaine Sciolino
The Seine (10/1/2019)
The Seine – The River That Made Paris by Elaine Sciolino is a wonderful historical description of the River Seine that flows through the heart of Paris, France. Sciolino begins with a description of the Seine as it currently looks and follows the river from its headwaters to its emptying at the English Channel. There are histories and stories of wineries, fishing, barge life, songs, and movies among other things and her story telling is magical. I enjoyed the book and really felt as though I was with the author as she discovered the river from the beginning to the end. However, I wish there would have been more photos of the bridges and buildings, and a glossary of French terms for those of us who don't know French.
As Bright as Heaven
by Susan Meissner
As Bright as Heaven (11/9/2017)
As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner is an interesting coming of age novel set during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 as well as World War I. Three sisters grow up during the epidemic and the war and lose people they love as well as learn to love new people that come into their lives, and also experience things I never thought possible. It is an interesting story, however, the chapters seemed to be designed as if they are diary entries (to me). This started out ok, but after a while grew tedious. I also didn't like how Willa,a seven year old girl, spoke more like an adult than like a child. It's a good story, I just didn't like the writing style.
The Return of the Witch
by Paula Brackston
The Return of the Witch by Paula Brackston (1/8/2016)
In this sequel to The Witch's Daughter, The Return of the Witch brings us back to England and to Willow Cottage where Elizabeth and Tegan must again battle against Gideon in an effort to keep him from destroying their lives in order to gain all of the powers possible in his effort to become the greatest witch.
Paula Brackston has again given us a wonderful book full of everything a person loves about a good story, such as adventure, excitement, heartbreak, love and triumph in the face of adversity. Her characters are fully developed and the narrative is, as usual with her writing, exciting and fast paced. The time travel is an added bonus to the story and gives a brilliant twist to the narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to another one of Brackston's witch stories.
The Drowning Guard: A Novel of the Ottoman Empire
by Linda Lafferty
Captivating read (8/19/2013)
[Editor's Note - review contains potential plot spoiler]
I just finished reading "The Drowning Guard" by Linda Lafferty and was captivated and awed by the story line and the characters. I loved that the story line somewhat followed the idea of Scheherazade telling nightly tales as from "The Arabian Nights: Tales from a 1,001 Nights" without going overboard with the idea, for me it was just right. I also found the writing and the character development superb, Lafferty has a wonderful way of getting to the "meat" of a character in a brief amount of time. Despite all of this, I gave the book four stars as I found that the ending, for me, was a bit too sweet and cutesy, considering the more striking brutality that takes place earlier in the novel's story. It just didn't seem to "fit".
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