Holdout by Jeffrey Kluger

 From the publisher: When evil forces are going unchecked on Earth, a principled astronaut makes a spilt-second decision to try to seek justice in the only place she knows how—the International Space Station.

The science in Holdout is good; Jeffrey Kluger is also the co-author, with astronaut Jim Lovell, of Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, which was the basis of the Apollo 13 movie released in 1995, and nine other books. The author worked fictional versions of real space incidents into the plot. I really enjoyed the descriptions of life and work in space, and the relationship between the Russian and American astronauts. Although it’s a minor plot point, I also liked the main character’s concern for the mice that were in space with her.

I did not feel there was a lot of tension in this book. Although there were dangerous situations, I was never on the edge of my seat. Also, the plot device of a non-indigenous adult rescuing an orphaned indigenous child is a bit overdone. The scenes set in the ravaged Amazon rainforest were heart rending, especially knowing how true to life they are.

Holdout could make a good book discussion book. It contains themes about standing up for what’s right, greed and hypocrisy, how indigenous peoples are treated, the environment and the Amazon rainforest, and international cooperation.

Holdout is a pretty good book. It wants to be The Martian, but it’s not quite. Still, if you enjoyed The Martian you may enjoy Holdout. I read an advance reader copy of Holdout; it is scheduled to be published in August. The Galesburg Public Library will own it in print and as an ebook.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

 

From the publisher: "Fans of Sabaa Tahir and Tomi Adeyemi won't want to miss this instant New York Times bestselling fantasy from breakout YA sensation Jordan Ifueko!

Nothing is more important than loyalty. But what if you've sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?

Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince's Council of 11. If she’s picked, she'll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won't stand by and become someone’s pawn--but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself? With extraordinary world-building and breathtaking prose, Raybearer is the story of loyalty, fate, and the lengths we're willing to go for the ones we love."

Raybearer is the story of Tarisai, a girl raised in an invisible home with no one but private tutors and a mysterious mother known as the Lady, who she sees only once or twice a year. One day, the Lady tells Tarisai that she being sent to the capital of the empire to meet Crown Prince Ekundayo, where she'll have a chance to join his Council of Eleven, the children who will make up his future ruling council and whose magical bond protects the prince from all outside harm. However, the Lady also gives Tarisai one last thing: a magically-compelled order (thanks to a wish from a genie-like being called an Ehru): once Tarisai has grown close to the future emperor, gained his love and trust, she must murder him.

Thus begins the setup for a really cool adventure set in an African-inspired fantasy setting. While fans of YA fantasy will find some familiar ground here (a brave but conflicted heroine must use her powers and her wits to overcome an evil destiny set upon her), there's a lot of uniqueness to find here as well. The diverse cast includes some strong secondary characters such as Prince Dayo and of Tarisai's friends named Sanjeet and Kirah. The world Jordan Ifueko creates is richly detailed and full of a unique but easily understandable mythology. 

My favorite thing about Raybearer though is that in addition to exciting adventures and cool magical powers, the story contains thought-provoking situations and interesting conflicts for Tarisai. Her responsibilities in the imperial court lead to her having to address some issues of politics and social justice that, while relevant to the modern world, also don't feel like the author is lecturing readers.

Overall, Raybearer is a fun, exciting read that should appeal to all fans of Young Adult fantasy, as well as readers who want to see a smart, brave black girl struggle to carve out her own destiny in the world.

Raybearer is available at Galesburg Public Library in the Young Adult section, as well as in Playaway audiobook format.

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

From the publisher: From celebrated national leader and bestselling author Stacey Abrams, While Justice Sleeps is a gripping, complexly plotted thriller set within the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court. Drawing on her astute inside knowledge of the court and political landscape, Stacey Abrams shows herself to be not only a force for good in politics and voter fairness but also a major new talent in suspense fiction.

While Justice Sleeps is an intricately plotted thriller. Sharp and fast paced, it covers a lot of ground. The author clearly knows her way around DC, the federal government, and the Supreme Court. Main character Avery Keene is biracial and has a drug addict mother, allowing Abrams to touch on issues of race and family, addiction and loss. Avery is smart and capable, and she is surrounded by a small cast of interesting side characters.

I did not feel character development was a great strength of this novel. The bad guys especially, while diverse, are pretty standard in their bad guyness. The plot was a little too convoluted for my liking, but that may be partly because I’m just not in the mood to figure things out after a year of Covid-19 pandemic. I can imagine some readers will love all the twists, turns, and puzzles. (I also don’t play chess, and the author leans pretty hard on chess analogies.)

There’s a lot to like here for thriller fans. Recommended for readers of the Da Vinci Code and similar novels, and also for watchers of TV shows like Law & Order. While Justice Sleeps has “movie script” written all over it.

I read an advance reader copy of While Justice Sleeps from Netgalley. The book is scheduled to be released in May 2021, and the Galesburg Public Library will own it in print and as an ebook.

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

From the publisher:  The New York Times bestselling security droid with a heart (though it wouldn't admit it!) is back in Fugitive Telemetry! Having captured the hearts of readers across the globe, Murderbot has also established Martha Wells as one of the great SF writers of today. 

No, I didn't kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn't dump the body in the station mall.

When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?) Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans! Again!

Murderbot is a rogue cyborg Security Unit doing adventures in space. I love Murderbot and eagerly look forward to each new adventure. I started Fugitive Telemetry, then I put it down and re-read the first four Diaries before continuing. I didn't love Fugitive Telemetry quite as much as I did Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy, but it's a solid 4.5 stars for me. Not enough interaction with SecUnit's "human friends" for my liking, but I especially enjoyed the scenes with Ratthi and Gurathin. Good character development for our beloved SecUnit, and a new (and uncomfortable) situation as well. And I did not guess who the bad guy was. 

I don't buy many books, but this whole series is on my eReader. Can't recommend it enough for rollicking fun in space. (Start with All Systems Red.) The snark really hits me in the feels right now (during the covid-19 pandemic). (Hmm, is there a reason why my two go to series for entertainment at the moment are The Murderbot Diaries and The Mandalorian?)

I read an advance reader copy of Fugitive Telemetry from Netgalley. It is scheduled to be published on April 27. The Galesburg Public Library owns the entire Murderbot series as books and ebooks. 

No Guns Life 1 by Tasuku Karasuma

 From the publisher:Ex-soldier Juzo Inui has one question—who turned him into a cyborg and erased his memories?

After the war, cyborg soldiers known as the Extended were discharged. Juzo Inui is one of them, a man whose body was transformed, his head replaced with a giant gun. With no memory of his previous life—or who replaced his head and why—Inui now scratches out a living in the dark streets of the city as a Resolver, taking on cases involving the Extended.

When a fellow Extended showed up in Inui’s office—on the run from the Security Bureau with a kidnapped child in tow and asking for help—Inui almost throws the guy out. But Inui’s loyalty to a brother Extended makes him take the job. Keeping the child safe won’t be easy, since everyone wants him, from the mob to the megacorporation Berühren, which sends out a special agent who knows exactly how to deal with the Extended… 

Want a story about a faceless loner warrior who helps a child with mysterious powers, but you're already caught up on The Mandalorian? Then No Guns Life might be just the manga for you!

Juzo Inui is a cyborg soldier who was modified so much that even his head was replaced with a gun (how does he see, you ask? It's a mystery!). Now that the war is over, he makes a living helping out others like himself, living on the fringe of society. Then one day a fellow Extended shows up with an unconscious child in tow and security agents on his tail, asking Juzo for help. Against his better judgment Juzo takes the case and goes on the run with the child, pursued by agents of the Berühren corporation who say he's their property. When the boy wakes up, Juzo understands immediately why Berühren wants him back so badly...

No Guns Life mixes a sort of noir detective story into a dystopian cyberpunk world, but in a signature manga style. The result is a dark, gritty, and action-filled mystery that's also sometimes humorous. For example, after a confrontation in a sewer, Juzo quips "This is why I hate humidity -- and kids." Some of the enemies Juzo encounters just in the first issue are a secret agent dressed as a nun, and a cyborg girl whose body can transform into a giant mechanical spider. Between the heavily stylized cybernetics and the black and white art style, the action can sometimes be a bit hard to follow. But I found the characters and setting compelling enough to make up for it.

This review is for the first issue, but Galesburg Public Library has issues 1 through 4 available in our graphic novel collection.

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir

From the publisher: When the witch built the forty-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword—and the lovely Princess Floralinda. But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the fortieth. In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up.

Those looking for a quick, easy fantasy read could do worse than Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower. Author Tamsyn Muir made a name for herself with her debut novel Gideon the Ninth, a space opera-fantasy mashup that struck an appealing balance of brutal and outré, with a slick feminist feel. Her storytelling takes quite a different shape in Floralinda, but her fierce female vibes and tilt toward surprising, occasional brutality remain. Instead of high fantasy or science fiction, Muir pivots the world of fairy tales with her latest, a riff on the familiar "princess locked in a tower" trope, but here with a heroine who is self-sufficient, even sometimes bordering on manipulative, who takes charge of her own destiny. There's also a witch, of course, and a fairy named Cobweb, which is obviously the best name for such a critter and how exactly has that not been done before?

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower is a short book, and so to say too much would spoil the small pleasures therein. It's brevity is also its greatest weakness, as the book definitely feels more like a short story than a short novel. 150 pages is plenty of room to construct a novel, if done right, and it's not as if Muir fails to do so here — it's just to say that this was clearly never her intent. Instead, the story is a slight two-hander between Floralinda and Cobweb, built on their banter and developing relationship to each other, and that bit works well enough. But for fantasy readers, or those who like a little more texture to their settings, very little is done to flesh out the world, as Muir keeps things relegated to the the eponymous forty flights of the tower. Likewise, the creature work is fairly superficial, as familiar iterations of fantasy mainstays pop up without much consequence (or very loose, new creations, mostly in the form of mashing up two different animals or beasts). 

For all that, Floralinda is diverting enough and at least doesn't overstay its welcome. Muir possesses both a wicked and weirdo sense of humor, each getting its due at various points here. It's not a book that much reinvents or deepens the fairy tale template, but it's a harmless read that will amuse and surprise with enough regularity to keep your attention for its short page count.

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower is available for checkout from the Galesburg Public Library in hardcover.

The Last High by Daniel Kalla

 From the publisher: A Vancouver doctor and a detective face the deadly consequences of the opioid crisis as they track down the supplier of fentanyl that landed a group of teens in the ER with critical overdoses. The Last High explores the perfect storm of greed, addiction, and crime behind the malignant spread of fentanyl, a deadly drug that is killing people faster than any known epidemic. 

While The Last High is not particularly original, it is easy to read and highly enjoyable. A "bag of chips" kind of novel. A doctor who is also a guilt-ridden sober addict, a Canadian detective of Chinese descent who still feels like an outsider, and a whole bunch of people dead from an extremely potent street drug. Wisecracking bromance-y detectives. A paternal mentor. A race to discover what's happening and who is responsible, and to save lives.

The author is an emergency room physician and it shows. Everything about the hospital scenes feels realistic. Maybe not so much how the doctor gets to tag along after the detective as he interviews suspects, but their relationship is sweet. The book does contain violence, and a lot of drug use and death. The author wants to both entertain and educate, and he achieved that with this reader. 

It seemed like it was setting up a sequel but I don't see one on the horizon. This is an author I would read again. 

The Galesburg Public Library owns The Last High in our Libby Overdrive collection, and the print book will be available soon.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

From the publisher: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Dannie Kohan lives her life by the numbers.

She is nothing like her lifelong best friend—the wild, whimsical, believes-in-fate Bella. Her meticulous planning seems to have paid off after she nails the most important job interview of her career and accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal in one fell swoop, falling asleep completely content.

But when she awakens, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. Dannie spends one hour exactly five years in the future before she wakes again in her own home on the brink of midnight—but it is one hour she cannot shake. In Five Years is an unforgettable love story, but it is not the one you’re expecting.

In Five Years is a beautiful story of love and friendship. Main character Dannie is incredibly Type A and has her perfect life all mapped out. On the same day she nails a job interview for a prestigious NYC law firm, she gets engaged to her boyfriend David, and everything looks like it’s going as planned. But fast forward four and a half years, Dannie and David are still not married when the man from her “dream” walks into their lives in the form of Dannie’s best friend, Bella’s, boyfriend. This sends Dannie into a tailspin that threatens to derail everything she’s worked for. 

Even though the book deals with some heavy topics, Serle still manages to keep it lighthearted and sweet. This is the perfect read for a winter day in the middle of a pandemic. It is especially perfect for anyone who has COVID-brain and feels like they can’t concentrate on anything for longer than 15 minutes right now. That has been me for the past 9 months, which has made reading a chore. But I read two thirds of In Five Years in one sitting. I could not put it down.

It’s hard to explain why I liked this book so much without giving away the twists and the ending. The main love story is, indeed, not the one you’re expecting, but it’s just the one I needed to read about right now, and that love story was my favorite part of the book. Also, even though it’s billed as “romance”, the book also has a mystery element, with the twists that occur for everyone throughout the book, and a bit of a fantasy/science fiction element, with Dannie’s “dream” of the future. I enjoyed the genre-blending and think it helped make the book a page-turner.

I loved Dannie and Bella’s relationship. It’s good to see strong female friendships, and this definitely had that. Dannie and Bella have been there for each other through everything since they were children, and there is A LOT that they have stuck by the other through. Check this out if you're looking for a story about empowering, enduring friendships.

There’s not much I didn’t like about this book. I don’t normally like stories that have sad endings, or even worse, incomplete or abrupt endings. But while In Five Years sort of has both of those, I actually loved the ending. It wraps up just enough to leave you satisfied and feeling very hopeful. There are a few secondary characters that I wish were more fleshed out. Dannie’s parents, for example, are talked about frequently but we get very little information or actual interaction with them. I think some more background or interaction with a few of these characters would have helped make the story and atmosphere stronger, but that is a minor critique. Overall, this is a great book if you’re looking for a fast read that is uplifting and captivating.

The Galesburg Public Library owns In Five Years as a print book. The ebook is also available on the Libby app and the Axis 360 app, and a downloadable audiobook is available on the Axis 360 app.

The Body in the Garden by Katharine Schellman

From the publisher: London 1815. Though newly-widowed Lily Adler is returning to a society that frowns on independent women, she is determined to create a meaningful life for herself even without a husband. She's no stranger to the glittering world of London's upper crust. At a ball thrown by her oldest friend, Lady Walter, she expects the scandal, gossip, and secrets. What she doesn't expect is the dead body in Lady Walter's garden.

Katharine Schellman’s The Body in the Garden is a fun, well-researched cozy mystery set during the Regency era. Main character Lily loved her husband, who left her a young widow. His family convinces her to return to London, hoping she’ll remarry. She is grieving and unsure how to live the rest of her life, reluctant to rejoin the ton. Her husband’s oldest friend, a naval captain, is in London while his ship is repaired, and he naturally becomes her escort and ally.

The author’s note makes the connection between the story and historical facts. She believably adds two people of color to the story – an heiress from the West Indies and the naval captain, who has an Indian mother. The story isn’t original – the helpful street urchins, the gruff but sincere policeman, the members of the upper crust solving a mystery – but the author brings freshness to her telling. There are hints of romance to come in a sequel. The Body in the Garden would make a terrific movie – someone should snap it up in this day of Bridgerton on TV.

The Galesburg Public Library owns The Body in the Garden as a book, an ebook, and a downloadable audiobook.

Vagablonde by Anna Dorn

Vagablonde is a darkly humorous, rollercoaster ride through the Los Angeles music scene about a woman who wants two things, the first is to live without psychotropic medication, and the second is to experience success as an artist. A cautionary tale about viral fame, Vagablonde speaks directly to our time in biting detail.

Anna Dorn is a writer from Los Angeles. She is a former criminal defense attorney with a JD from UC Berkeley Law and has written for various legal and pop culture outlets. It’s not too far off then to think that her book about Prue Van Teesen, a lawyer-turned-rapper battling anxiety and depression, is probably a bit autobiographical. Prue has never felt totally happy with being a lawyer, but it keeps her parents content, pays the bills, and allows her the free time to create and hang out with her girlfriend. When she meets Jax at a concert, he invites her into his “Kingdom” (a group of musicians and some other questionable characters) and she decides to take her art more seriously. To do this, Prue believes she needs to stop taking Celexa, an antidepressant she’s been on for the last 10 years. The Kingdom becomes Shiny AF, the newest viral sensation with their single “Dearly Queerly.” Prue begins spending less time on her law career and more time on her music career, and all the shenanigans that come with it. She drinks more, takes a lot of drugs, and even ends up befriending one of her clients, creating an ethical dilemma for her and her employer.

Vagablonde excels in transporting readers to a scene most probably aren’t familiar with — at least I assume the lawyer/rapper pool of humans is a small one. Some have criticized the book because Prue is “unlikeable.” This is true, Prue is not a great person (the way she cares for her two cats, Missy and Ennui, is more than a little concerning), but an unlikeable character doesn’t equal a bad book. Vagablonde is fun, it’s silly, and it takes on a big subject without getting too bogged down in the details of mental health struggles. It’s not a perfect book by any means, but it’s good if you’re looking for something a little weird, a little fun, and a little not-too-deep.

Basketful of Heads by Joe Hill

 From the publisher: #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill asks, "With a cursed Viking axe, what can you accomplish?" and June Branch is ready to answer!

It seems like Joe Hill is everywhere lately: his graphic novel series Locke & Key was adapted on Netflix, with the next season expected later this year. His novel NOS4A2 became a TV series on AMC. Several of his other books and short stories have been adapted for the screen as well. In Basketful of Heads, Hill returns to the graphic novel format for this horror gore-fest that reads like a combination of Stephen King and Quentin Tarantino.

June comes to Brody Island to visit her boyfriend Liam, who's just finishing up a summer internship with the local police department. June's peaceful visit is interrupted though when news breaks that four violent inmates have escaped from the local prison. Liam and June wait at the chief's house while the police search for the prisoners, but things take a turn for the dangerous when the escapees break in, kidnap Liam, and threaten June. Armed with only a strange Viking axe from the chief's personal collection, June must defend herself, get help, rescue Liam, and find out what the inmates are really after..

This is a pretty straightforward gore-fest, with a few plot twists and some morbid humor thrown into the mix. Imagine the Kill Bill movies, except instead of a sword she has an axe that leaves its victims alive after their heads are cut off. Throw in a mystery about why the inmates came after Liam, and the result is a bloody, sometimes funny page-turner that will please fans of horror and crime stories alike.

Basketful of Heads is available now in Galesburg Public Library's graphic novel collection.

Forget Me Not by Alexandra Oliva

 

From the publisher: She was born for all the wrong reasons. But her search for the truth reveals answers she wishes she could forget in this suspenseful and deeply moving novel.

Forget Me Not pulled me in and kept me reading. I found it intriguing and moving. A rich couple have a daughter, who dies in a terrible accident as a teenager. The mom descends into mental illness and uses frozen embryos to impregnate herself in an attempt to recreate her dead child. But of course she can’t – and the new child pays the price for not being her older sister.

Linda, the protagonist, is very relatable. Now an adult, she is trolled on social media for merely existing. She has a troubled relationship with her famous father. She moves frequently as her address is outed online, and she has no friends until an outgoing neighbor (with a dog!) reaches out to her. But can she trust that Anvi is truly a friend? Or is she using her? Then the walled home where Linda grew up with her disturbed mother catches fire – and the past which has settled is stirred up again.

I liked that we got more than one narrative point of view. I enjoyed the Seattle setting. But what Oliva does really well is create a number of sympathetic and believable characters. Even the mother isn’t painted as evil.

Forget Me Not is set in a near future, and the social media, gun culture, and virtual reality details feel true. This could make a great movie in the right hands.

There is a subplot that I found distracting and not necessary. If I could speak to the author (who I actually did meet at a library conference a few years ago), I would say – stop trying to trick us. You don’t need the tricks. You are a good writer and your stories can stand on their own without the subterfuge. There was another “big secret” that I guessed early on as well. But those were minor distractions. I found Forget Me Not great escapist reading and recommend it to lovers of psychological thrillers.

I read an advance reader copy of Forget Me Not from Netgalley. It is scheduled to be released on March 2, 2021. The Galesburg Public Library will own it in print and as an ebook and electronic audiobook. In the meantime, we also own Oliva’s first book, The Last One, in print, audio, and ebook, and I recommend it as well.

Daughter of Black Lake by Cathy Marie Buchanan

From the publisher: In a world of pagan traditions and deeply rooted love, a girl in jeopardy must
save her family and community, in a transporting historical novel by nationally bestselling author Cathy Marie Buchanan.

It's the season of Fallow, in the era of iron. In a northern misty bog surrounded by woodlands and wheat fields, a settlement lies far beyond the reach of the Romans invading hundreds of miles to the southeast. Here, life is simple--or so it seems to the tightly knit community. Sow. Reap. Honor Mother Earth, who will provide at harvest time. A girl named Devout comes of age, sweetly flirting with the young man she's tilled alongside all her life, and envisions a future of love and abundance. Seventeen years later, though, the settlement is a changed place. Famine has brought struggle, and outsiders, with their foreign ways and military might, have arrived at the doorstep. For Devout's young daughter, life is more troubled than her mother ever anticipated. But this girl has an extraordinary gift. As worlds collide and peril threatens, it will be up to her to save her family and community.

Daughter of Black Lake is a very nice piece of historical fiction with a little bit of magical realism. It's set in first century AD Britain, against the backdrop of the invading Roman empire. It's a time period I'm not very familiar with, and I was definitely taking breaks to look up Roman cities (other than Londinium, I know that one) to get an idea of the geography. The POV switches from Devout to her daughter Hobble frequently throughout the novel. While clearly labeled, it can be a bit disconcerting, and I found myself at times struggling with the shift, and this was in a sustained reading session without interruptions. Overall, I found this to be a well-written historical escape with good characterizations and captivating setting. 

Daughter of Black Lake is available through Galesburg Library via interlibrary loan. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Riverhead for the ARC.

 

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

 

From the publisher: In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction that explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust.

News of the World is a soft, slow-moving, meditative look at a certain time and place (Texas in the 1870s). I don’t know anything about this time in history, but it seemed well researched to me – at least, everything was believable.

This book is a western. There are attacks and shootouts. But action is not the main point; the relationship between the two characters is. I also really enjoyed the information about people who travelled around entertaining people with news stories from other places, and the nostalgia for newspapers and printing presses.

The native people are not treated as bad guys or as good guys. Nor are the white people. There are very bad men in the book, and good people as well. There are also people in the grey area between bad and good. The natives and most of the settlers are on the periphery of the story. The focus is on the aging Captain Kidd and his growing love for his charge, the kidnapped child Johanna.

News of the World has just come out as a movie starring Tom Hanks and I’m eager to see it now that I’ve read the book. I found the book overall quietly moving, and the characters of the Captain and Johanna very real. I recommend it to fans of contemplative historical fiction.

(On a side note, I am a big fan of the TV series The Mandalorian on Disney+, a western set in space. It is also about a lonely man and the child who comes in to this care. If you are also a fan and especially like that aspect of The Mandalorian, you may enjoy News of the World.)

The Galesburg Public Library owns News of the World in print, as an ebook, and as an electronic audiobook.  

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

From the publisher:
Named an Indie Next Pick and #1 LibraryReads Pick for January 2021
One of the "Best New Books Coming Out in 2021" ––PopSugar
One of the "Most Anticipated Thrillers of 2021" ––She Reads
One of the "Best and Most Anticipated Thrillers of the Year" ––Mystery and Suspense Magazine
One of the "Most Anticipated Books of 2021" ––CrimeReads

A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, Rachel Hawkins's The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.

Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?

Disclaimer: I've never read Jane Eyre. Before this book, I vaguely knew there was a secret wife upstairs, but that was about it. I did skim the Wikipedia entry for the plot, but this review will be based on the book itself, without comparisons to the original classic.

As described by the publisher, it follows Jane (if that really is her name) as she moves up the social ladder from dog-walker to girlfriend to fiancee of Thornfield Estates' most eligible widower. Struggling to fit in with bored Birmingham housewives, Jane also struggles with the constant reminders of the superlative woman who came before her, as well as running from her own past.

I really enjoyed this novel. Thrillers and suspense aren't my usual cup of tea, but I was entranced by this one.  I was guessing at who the murder was up until about 75% of the way through. I would have liked to have seen more character development and backstory for Eddie and Bea, as they are narrators later on. There are time jumps as well as POV changes, but I didn't have any issues in following them. Overall though, I think this is a great thriller and recommend it.

The Wife Upstairs will be available from Galesburg Public Library after its January 5, 2021 release date. Thank you very much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys

 From the publisher:
 

After attacking Devil’s Reef in 1928, the U.S. government rounded up the people of Innsmouth and took them to the desert, far from their ocean, their Deep One ancestors, and their sleeping god Cthulhu. Only Aphra and Caleb Marsh survived the camps, and they emerged without a past or a future.

The government that stole Aphra's life now needs her help. FBI agent Ron Spector believes that Communist spies have stolen dangerous magical secrets from Miskatonic University, secrets that could turn the Cold War hot in an instant, and hasten the end of the human race.

Aphra must return to the ruins of her home, gather scraps of her stolen history, and assemble a new family to face the darkness of human nature.

 

I've been a fan of H.P. Lovecraft's mythos for a long time but hadn't actually read any of his stories in years. Last year I was reading the nice collector's edition my husband had gotten me and I simply had to stop due to the racism. Lovecraft's world-building is still fantastic, and more and more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) and queer authors like Victor LaValle and Ruthanna Emrys are coming to play in his sandbox. And they're providing enthralling takes on his works. 

As described by the publisher, Winter Tide picks up after the events in The Shadow Over Innsmouth. Aphra and Caleb Marsh travel back to Massachusetts with Aphra's employer and student of magic Charlie, Agent Spector, and Neko Koto. The Koto family arrived at the internment camps after all the Innsmouth residents save the Marshes had died, and they took the children in. Aphra has been living with them since, while Caleb is more concerned with reclaiming their family's books and heritage.

It took me a couple tries to get into this book, due to the combination of a slow start to the novel, jumps in the timeline, the constant distraction of new books at work, and a global pandemic in an election year. However, the story definitely picks up after the first quarter or so, and I was captivated by the end. It's not the fastest paced book, but it beautifully builds on the mythos and weaves threads and channels of blood and water, found family and birthrights, and discovering your own place in the world. I've already added the sequel and novella prequel to my To Be Read list.

Winter Tide is available from Galesburg Public Library as both an e-book and e-audiobook.    

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson

 Do you love a good gothic mystery with a touch of romance? You may enjoy books by Abigail Wilson. Her newest, The Vanishing at Loxby Manor, is due out in January 2021. It features Charity Halliwell, a young woman whose family has left England for America during the Regency era. She has gone to stay with long-time family friends – a family that includes Piers, the man she loved and lost.

Charity has secrets. Piers has secrets. His brother, sister, mother, and father have secrets. Everyone in this book has secrets. My primary criticism of this book is that it reads a bit like an exercise in writing a gothic mystery, with loaded phrases and descriptions, and people saying and doing cryptic things instead of fessing up so that the truth can be known. At times I could almost hear the “dun dun dun” noise in the background. For example:

“A door slammed somewhere in the distance, and Loxby’s old walls seemed to groan in response. Muffled footsteps resonated through the twisting corridors of the ground floor, and then an unexpected silence took hold.” (p. 22 of the advance reader copy)

Some of the plot twists are a little contrived. Some of the characters are a little flat. But still this book is a lot of fun and a nice diversion in troubled times. The book has no sex or language and minimal violence. It is not particularly religious.

I read an advance reader copy of The Vanishing at Loxby Manor from Netgalley. The Galesburg Public Library will own The Vanishing at Loxby Manor in multiple formats when it is published.

Beauty Among Ruins by J'nell Ciesielski

From the publisher: 

American socialite Lily Durham is known for enjoying one moment to the next, with little regard for the consequences of her actions. But just as she is banished overseas to England as a “cure” for her frivolous ways, the Great War breaks out and wreaks havoc. She joins her cousin in nursing the wounded at a convalescent home deep in the wilds of Scotland at a crumbling castle where its laird is less than welcoming.

Alec MacGregor has given his entire life to preserving his home of Kinclavoch Castle, but mounting debts force him to sell off his family history bit by bit. Labeled a coward for not joining his countrymen in the trenches due to an old injury, he opens his home to the Tommies to make recompense while he keeps to the shadows. But his preference for the shadows is shattered when a new American nurse comes streaming into the castle on a burst of light.

Lily and Alec are thrown together when a series of mysterious events threatens to ruin the future of Kinclavoch. Can they put aside their differences to find the culprit before it’s too late, or will their greatest distraction be falling in love?

 

Let me preface this by saying that romance isn't one of my usual genres, so this won't be from an experienced fan's viewpoint. Despite this, I've somehow found myself on the romance email lists, and of course I'll look at the blurb of every book that comes my way. I've had a little more success enjoying historical or paranormal romances, so between the cover and the description, I figured I'd give this one a try.

I very much enjoyed Downton Abbey and that definitely influenced me picking this one up. There's very much the same flavor here, given the same time period and similar setting. As described by the publisher, the book follows Lily and Alec as they deal with the War, financial hardships, and their growing feelings for each other. The 'mysterious events' provide a narrative framework for moving the story along, but I would have been just as happy without them, or if they were toned down a little. The characters are well developed, with definite growth in both Lily and Alec, the dialog is believable, and the author was kind enough to include a Gaelic and Scots glossary. Reading the publisher's description again, Lily's backstory could have stood with a bit more developing; the book opens with her sneaking up from a servants' party, but other than that there is little written on what was bad enough to send her away. 

I really enjoyed this book, and I'm very glad I took a chance on it. I definitely recommend it for romance fans, and those who enjoyed Downton Abbey. Beauty Among Ruins will be available at the Galesburg Public Library after its January 12, 2021 release date. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

 If you are a fan of Andy Weir's novel The Martian, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that he has a new novel coming out, and it's great. The bad news is it's not coming out until May. I was fortunate to read an advance reader copy from Netgalley. I will reread it or listen to the audio when it is published.

A man wakes up. He doesn’t know who he is. He doesn’t know where he is. A cool female voice is asking him “what’s two plus two?”

This book is so funny. Not like laugh out loud all the time, although I did laugh out loud at times, but the main character's humor resonates with me. Also he never swears, for reasons, which amused me to no end. (“‘Holy moly!’ I say. ‘Holy moly’? Is that my go-to expression of surprise? I mean, it’s okay I guess. I would have expected something a little less 1950s. What kind of weirdo am I?” (p. 20 of the ARC)) (I wonder if this is a reaction to complaints about all the swearing in The Martian.)

There’s a lot of joking about how hard it is to be an American scientist because you grew up with imperial units but need metrics for science. I totally want to hang with this guy. There's a great bromance (for lack of a better word). I don't want to spoil the book too much but it's a very touching relationship and reflection on friendship.  There is also a strong female character. 

I recently read another book about someone who wakes up on a spaceship alone and doesn't know who they are - Across the Void by S.K. Vaughn. Project Hail Mary is so much better. And there is a very good, scientific reason why the main character wakes up not knowing his name or immediate past in Project Hail Mary.

Did you enjoy the movie Arrival? Well, Project Hail Mary isn't really like Arrival, but it is too. Very science-y. Full of wonder. You know all those movies, books, and TV shows where all the aliens want to do is kill us? This book...isn't like those either. 

If you are a Star Trek fan, think - the best of Star Trek. Cooperation and problem solving. I was honestly crying tears of joy at the very end (or perhaps I should say my face was leaking - you'll get that after you read the book). Extra points for believable pop culture references.

I'm glad Weir has switched back to a male main character. My biggest issue with his second book, Artemis, was that I just didn't buy the internal voice of the female main character. There were a couple of places in Project Hail Mary that seemed a little silly and out of place, but only a couple. On the whole I fell into this book and didn’t want to leave. 

Project Hail Mary is a definite recommend from me. Can't wait to read it again. Can’t wait for the movie. (Two words: jazz hands. You’ll get that after you read the book too.) The Galesburg Public Library will own it in every format in which it is available in May 2021. 

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

From the publisher:
 

For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?

The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.

 

Yes, it's another A Blank of Blank and Blank YA fantasy title. But look at the rest of that cover! I really look forward to the day when West Africa will be a fantasy setting as common as 'medieval Europe', but since we're unfortunately not there yet, yes, this will be inevitably be compared to Children of Blood and Bone (see previous comment re: titles). In my opinion, it's the much better novel of the two. I added this to my Want to Read list when it came across my radar back in May, and I'm very glad I got a chance to get read it.

As indicated above, the story is told through alternating points of view, Malik's and Karina's. Both characters, as well as the supporting cast are well written, although I did find some of the council members tended to blur together. The world building is fantastic, and no prior knowledge of West African customs or folklore is necessary. I found it notable, especially in these Interesting Times, that the author chose to write Malik as someone who deals with anxiety and panic attacks. I don't think I've seen this before in a fantasy novel, and it's well written. The ending is perfectly set up for the sequel and I can't wait to return to this world again. 

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is available at Galesburg Public Library through inter-library loan.