Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Review - The Forest of Vanishing Stars
AUTHOR: Kristin Harmel
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): The New York Times bestselling author of the The Book of Lost Names returns with an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis—until a secret from her past threatens everything.
After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.
Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements that made Where the Crawdads Sing a worldwide phenomenon, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel.
REVIEW: What a beautiful story! First of all, the amount of research Kristin Harmel put into this book is simply incredible. The details are so amazing and really bring the story to life. The main character, Yona, is courageous and someone to be admired. I don’t want to give away too much information or spoilers. I will say the plot is one of the most unique I've ever come across, but it all comes together so beautifully, and I would gladly recommend this book to everyone. I look forward to reading more of Harmel’s work in the near future.
Monday, August 9, 2021
Review - The Lost Apothecary
AUTHOR: Sarah Penner
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them - setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.
Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.
One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose - selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.
In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate - and not everyone will survive.
REVIEW: Loved this story! I can't believe this is Sarah Penner's debut novel. WOW! I can't wait to read more from her in the future. If you're looking for a story that blends a little magic and mystery from the past with some twists and turns from the present then you'll love this book. I loved it so much I purchased it for the library where I work. Recommended!
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
Review - Things You Save in a Fire
AUTHOR: Katherine Center
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's excellent at dealing with other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it's an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated.
The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a "lady" on the crew, even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the handsome rookie, who doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can't think about that. Because she doesn't fall in love. And because of the advice her old captain gave her: don't date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping...but will she jeopardize her place in a career where she's worked so hard to be taken seriously?
Katherine Center's Things You Save in a Fire is a heartfelt, affecting novel about life, love, and the true meaning of courage.
REVIEW: It took me awhile to get through this one. Like, I read the first couple of chapters in the first week of April, but then I put it down, and I didn’t pick it up again until a month later. BUT...despite a slow start, I finished reading the remainder of the book in one day. I might not have been sucked in from the very beginning, but once I got past the first few chapters I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. I love Katherine Center’s writing style. She can be laugh-out-loud funny one minute, and in the next minute she’ll have you crying until you’re a snotty, sniffling mess. That’s what happened to me when I read this book. I won’t give away any spoilers, but the heroine, Cassie, is truly someone to be admired. Her love interest, Owen? Well, he’s everything you look for in the perfect hero - masculine and strong but tender too. Take my advice and read Things You Save in a Fire. You’ll be glad you did.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)
Currently Listening
Currently Reading
Popular Posts
NetGalley Badges
Goodreads Updates
