The Return

 

The Return

Michael Gruber

ISBN: 978-0-8050-9129-8

Sept 2013

4 Stars

*I won this ARC copy via a library thing giveaway*

Richard Marder is a man with many secrets but even those closest to him would never guess that he isn’t exactly what they believe him to be. Only one man, Patrick Francis Skelly, knows Marder’s dark side.  Their friendship, conceived during the Vietnam War, is the only relationship he has left to rely on. Marder, feeling like he has nothing left to lose, decides he must have vengeance for the actions that changed his life catastrophically; Skelly goes along for the ride. That ride, although very dangerous, brings them together with courageous people and a better understanding of their own morality.

The pacing of this novel was at times brutally slow. Honestly, there were a couple of times that I almost gave up on it. Fortunately I had to know what happened so I kept reading and it proved to be worth it in the end. Twists and turns kept the plot interesting, but the best part for me were the character relationships.   Marder and Skelly’s friendship is dysfunctional but in a way that makes them closer. There is the “odd couple” feel to them that provides some needed comic relief. This is one of those novels that I was more invested in the minor characters, but that proved to be a good thing in this case.

From the description provided on the back of the book a reader might expect this to be a violent action novel. There is the violent aspect but it goes a lot deeper into humanity and there’s an emotional side that I didn’t expect going into it which are positive attributes. Overall I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it, especially to those that don’t mind violence.

 

Pretty Dark Nothing

Pretty Dark Nothing

Heather L. Reid

ISBN: 978-0-9853278-1-1

April 2013

4 Stars

*This review is from an uncorrected galley I received through NetGalley*

I decided not to write a synopsis for this one because there is no way to do so without it sounding like a lot of other YA books out there.  Yes, there is everything one would expect to find in a young adult romance novel: romance, family dysfunction, and school drama. What set this novel apart are the darker aspects like mental illness, suicide, and the paranormal.

The reason this book didn’t get five stars is that if you take away the darker and creepy aspects it is pretty typical young adult fiction. There are a lot of dark young adult novels out there as well but this one dug its claws in and didn’t want to let go.  The protagonist, Quinn, questions her mental stability throughout the novel and I doubted right along with her.  I struggled with Aaron as he struggled with his past and unrelenting heartache.  Even the normal attributes to young adult fiction that I mentioned earlier were darker which made it more interesting.  I definitely recommend this novel, especially if you are looking for something a little different.

Songs of Willow Frost

 

Songs of Willow Frost

Jamie Ford

ISBN: 978-0-345-52202-3

Sept 2013

*I received a free uncorrected galley from netgalley*

5 Stars

 For the last five years William Eng, a twelve year old Chinese-American boy has been a residence of the Sacred Heart Orphanage in Seattle. He remembers his mother being carried away from their apartment but can only assume her fate since she never came back for him.  Every year the nuns celebrate the orphans’ birthdays’ collectively by telling them news of their families and taking them to see a movie. That is where William sees Willow Frost for the first time and knows in his heart that she is his mother. It’s that day that he decides to do whatever it takes to find Willow Frost and in turn claim the family that he lost.

This novel is told from both William and Willow’s point of view and both are equally heart wrenching as well as heartwarming. One is a story of ambition, loss and sacrifice. The other is also about ambition and loss but also friendship and longing. On top of all that emotion is the harsh truth about racial and sexual equality of that time plus the obligation of tradition.

I have been very lucky so far this year to have read some phenomenal books and have been introduced to wonderful writers. This is absolutely among the greatest novels I have ever read. It’s hard to emphasize what made it great without giving bits away so I will keep it brief.  The characters and how their stories intertwined kept me on an emotional reel.  Sometimes jumping between perspectives can seem tedious but these flowed flawlessly and seemed to balance seamlessly. The pacing was never off and the pages turned effortlessly.  There is something in these pages that everyone can relate to and something that will stick in readers’ minds for a long time. This is a novel I will visit again in the future. 

I do believe I am gushing a little. This is a must read!

 

Snow Hunters

 

Snow Hunters

Paul Yoon

ISBN: 978-1-4767-1481

August 2013

*I won this book via Goodreads*

5 Stars

After the Korean War, Yohan finds himself making a new life on the coast of Brazil. There he finds himself the friend and apprentice of a tailor, Kiyoshi. Through their work he learns a new language and the way of life in the community. Acquaintances and relationships come and go with time but the bond he forms with Kiyoshi, the church groundskeeper, and two vagabond children is what helps him conquer the demons of his past so he can embrace the future.

There is no way for me to do this novel any kind of justice. If I was to describe it in just a couple words those words would be; brilliantly beautiful.  I don’t know what to write except to try and describe what I felt while reading.

 For me the impression of relationships was the strongest. Yohan has a lot of people come and go in his life and they were mostly for brief periods of time or during brutally difficult times. Some that were longer in duration weren’t very communicative or physical like we would expect them to be. For Yohan, though, they all had an importance that he carried and reflected on and would comfort him when he needed it most.

The prose is almost magical. There is a lot of sadness but there is always something inspiring to balance it out. The pacing is perfect and once I read the first page I didn’t want to put it down.  The only thing left to say is that I absolutely adored this book and that everyone should read it.

Shake Down the Stars

 

Shake Down the Stars

Renee Swindle

ISBN: 978-0-451-41664-3

August 2013

4 Stars

*I won this book via a goodreads giveaway*

Piper Nelson’s life is complicated, to say the least.  Holding on to the past isn’t helping her stay away from the bottle, carrying on a dead end relationship with her ex-husband and being wrapped up in the drama of her semi-famous family only seems to help her pick up that said bottle.  The only way for her to even begin to work on her behavior means that she will have to come head to head with her own guilt over her daughter’s death five years ago.  New friends fall into her life at the time when she needs them most and help her to see that she can live again.

Like always I will start with my complaint. In the middle there were some slow spots for me and it held the pacing up a little bit.  Otherwise I really enjoyed this novel. I don’t always have great luck with this genre but the story hooked me in right away.  This plot could have felt cluttered with all the different dramas going on at once but it all tied in together perfectly.  The characters are great even the ones that got on my nerves and I think almost everyone can see themselves or someone they know in this bunch. The relationships are dysfunctional but also sweet in their own way.  I was so invested in this story that I laughed and cried numerous times.

Of course I recommend this one!

The Deepest Night

The Deepest Night (The Sweetest Dark #2)

Shana Abe

ISBN: 978-0-345-53173-5

August 2013

*I received this uncorrected galley from NetGalley*

4 Stars

 

As this is a sequel in a series I will not be writing a synopsis for fear of unintentionally giving away spoilers for those who have not read the first book.

Romance is not very important to me in literature so I didn’t expect romance to be one of the big reasons that I like this series so much.  It’s the eternal, tortured and dysfunctional type of love story which is my favorite kind.  The plot is full of action and adventure that kept me on my toes, but there were a couple of slow spots that didn’t seem necessary. There is a flow to the majority (the same with the first book) that I can only describe as almost melodic.  Its due in part to the language but mostly it’s the author’s descriptiveness. Those two things combined make it a pleasant read.

This is a series that I will continue to read and I recommend it as it has a lot to offer.