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.

 

  

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

 From the publisher:

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Darkest Minds comes a sweepingly ambitious, high-octane tale of power, destiny, love and redemption.

HER NAME WILL BE LEGEND

Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.

Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family's sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt's promises of eternal glory. For years she's pushed away any thought of revenge against the man--now a god--responsible for their deaths.

Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.

The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore's decision to bind her fate to Athena's and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost--and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

 

If Lore sounds like a cross between The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson, you're right. If you enjoy one or both of those, you'll probably enjoy Lore. If you're not familiar with either franchise, but do have an interest in Greek mythology, hidden societies, and revenge, you'll also probably enjoy Lore. As indicated by the publisher, this YA but entertaining for adult readers novel follows Lore as she tries to distance herself from the society that her family has been a part of for almost 2000 years. The descendants of the famous heroes like Perseus and Heracles hunt down the remaining original gods, as well as those who were once mortal but have achieved immortality in a previous Agon. I found this to be a unique twist on the demigod/descendant motif that's so popular right now. 

Lore is well-written and action packed. I believe the body count is probably close to that of The Hunger Games, but with more on-screen violence. I found the dialog and pacing to be well done, and I'd definitely like to see more of this world. While Lore reads as white, two of the main supporting characters are Korean and Black, and there's some LGBTQIA+ representation as well. 

Whether you're looking for something similar to a familiar series, or want to dive into a novel that will have you looking up lesser known figures from Greek mythology, I highly recommend Lore. 

Lore will be available from Galesburg Public Library after it is published in January of 2021. Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and Hyperion and NetGalley for the full e-ARC.

Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

From the publisher: A groundbreaking thriller about a vigilante on a Native American reservation who embarks on a dangerous mission to track down the source of a heroin influx. 

As a bit of hardboiled genre fiction, Winter Counts is a bit of a mixed bag. Virgil Wounded Horse is an enforcer on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He’s a man happy to take cash off your hands in exchange for delivering a beating to baddies in need of a message. But when his nephew overdoses and almost dies, he gets caught up in a much larger and more righteous crusade against conspirators, drug cartels, and Native American politicking.

What author David Heska Wanbli Weiden does here essentially amounts to reinterpreting the hardboiled detective novel within the context of Native American life in the present day. The template remains the same, though. Virgil is aloof, grumpy, and morally dubious. He has a soft spot for his nephew, but he has complicated past romantic relationships with his inability to feel. He wants to do the right thing, but his independence and insistence on working alone often works to self-sabotage. The problem, then, is that all of this is only signaled rather than developed. Weiden constantly tells us how damaged and compromised Virgil is, all predicated on his lack of compunction for visiting violence upon others, but everything else about Virgil is little more than hagiography. He is always shown to be an upstanding guy who makes the ethical decision, cares for this loved ones, and protects those who need protecting at the expense of his own safety. Nothing is complicated here, and after an effective setup, the plot zips by without offering any twisty-turny fun, only actually demonstrating a couple narrative developments which are simply explained in exposition so that the readers know why what’s happening is happening. There’s also very little insight into Native American community or culture here, which is particularly frustrating as the premise offers all sorts of specifics that have never (or at least very rarely) been explored in “detective” fiction.

For all that, it remains an easy read with memorable (if shallow) characters. For fans of private eye literature, Winter Counts offers a pivot that many may find refreshing, and if it doesn’t fully succeed in transplanting the action in a meaningful way, it still offers something of a shift from more generic treatments.

Winter Counts is available for checkout from the Galesburg Public Library in hardcover or audiobook, as well as through ADML as an eBook.

Creepy Reads: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

 From the publisher:

It began with rumours from China about another pandemic. Then the cases started to multiply and what had looked like the stirrings of a criminal underclass, even the beginning of a revolution, soon revealed itself to be much, much worse.

Faced with a future of mindless man-eating horror, humanity was forced to accept the logic of world government and face events that tested our sanity and our sense of reality. Based on extensive interviews with survivors and key players in the ten-year fight against the horde, World War Z brings the finest traditions of journalism to bear on what is surely the most incredible story in the history of human civilisation.

 

So...yeahhh....I downloaded this audiobook on January 26, 2020, based heavily on the extraordinary cast (more about that later). I didn't start listening to it until a couple months ago, and I just finished it a couple days ago (I'm a slow listener) (and was distracted by 19 hours of Stamped from the Beginning). Taken by itself, World War Z is an incredible novel about a devastating pandemic. In these Interesting Times? Hoo boy. 

Max (son of Anne Bancroft and Mel) Brooks' best selling The Zombie Survival Guide came out in 2003, the same year that The Walking Dead comic premiered and helped usher in the wave of zombie-mania that's still getting fluids everywhere. Following up in 2006, World War Z takes place in the same world as his previous book. There's a viral source, it's spread by bodily fluids, and it reanimates the dead. WWZ  is a gripping account of the 10 years the world spent battling zombies, told through first person accounts from around the world. It traces the virus' emergence in China, then across the globe. World leaders and countries' responses are detailed, as well as the development of weapons and resistance. Critical battles are analyzed by both soldiers and commanders alike, and the cultural and environmental impacts are pondered. 

I'd read the book once years ago and really enjoyed it. When I saw that there was an audiobook with a stellar cast, I picked it up right away.  The cast list includes Nathan Fillion, Simon Pegg, Martin Scorsese, Jeri Ryan, Henry Rollins, Mark Hamill, Kal Penn, Alan Alda, and the late, great Rene Auberjonois and Carl Reiner, among others. The cast offers a captivating look into people around the world dealing with a plague that has changed everything they know. It is genuinely creepy in some parts, and then there's the whole 'world dealing with a pandemic' and 'actions government officials take (and don't take)' parts, and it may not be the best thing for you to listen to right now. You know you. But I do highly recommend this book in whichever flavor is your favorite.

Please note that the movies World War Z has nothing in common with the book besides the title.

World War Z is available from Galesburg Public Library in both Playaway (audio) and paperback formats. 

 

 

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

 

Fifteen years ago, five ordinary teenagers were singled out by a prophecy to take down an impossibly powerful entity wreaking havoc across North America. He was known as the Dark One, and his weapon of choice—catastrophic events known as Drains—leveled cities and claimed thousands of lives. Chosen Ones, as the teens were known, gave everything they had to defeat him.

After the Dark One fell, the world went back to normal . . . for everyone but them. After all, what do you do when you’re the most famous people on Earth, your only education was in magical destruction, and your purpose in life is now fulfilled?

Of the five, Sloane has had the hardest time adjusting. Everyone else blames the PTSD—and her huge attitude problem—but really, she’s hiding secrets from them . . . secrets that keep her tied to the past and alienate her from the only four people in the world who understand her.

On the tenth anniversary of the Dark One’s defeat, something unthinkable happens: one of the Chosen Ones dies. When the others gather for the funeral, they discover the Dark One’s ultimate goal was much bigger than they, the government, or even prophecy could have foretold—bigger than the world itself. And this time, fighting back might take more than Sloane has to give.

Things I Liked

• Despite the fact that Roth is writing a sequel to Chosen Ones, the book didn’t end on a cliffhanger. It leaves just enough unanswered that I will read the sequel, but I still felt satisfied with the conclusion
• It has a well-written, very sweet love story. And a very interesting sort-of-but-not-quite love triangle that I was not expecting.
• I really enjoyed the wide cast of characters. Although I would’ve loved to learn more about some of them (hopefully in the sequel!), they were interesting, and an inspiring group in a very real way. They are flawed and broken, but they are strong and tenacious. I also liked that the characters are a very diverse group, with an array of races, backgrounds, and sexual orientations represented.
• The story is interspersed with letters, news articles, journal entries, and passages from fake textbooks that give more background into the story and clues as to what is going to happen. The different media provided a fun break from the narrative and was an interesting way of furthering the story.
• The book has a few great plot twists that I was not anticipating.
• The story is a very interesting mix of dystopian and fantasy. It’s hard to decide which category it fits best in. It takes place in an alternate Chicago, where five teens have to save the world, but the world also has magic in it, which is used in varying degrees. It also has a bit of science fiction mixed in, when alternate universes come into play. This clash of genres could have easily gone badly, but Roth makes them work together in a unique way that was exciting to read.

Things I didn’t like

• Even though it didn’t end on a cliffhanger, it also didn’t feel finished. I didn’t know until after finishing it that there would be a sequel, so the ending seemed especially abrupt. I still have unanswered questions, but hopefully they will be answered in the second book.
• The pacing got a little bit slow at times, especially when Roth gets very detailed about places and architecture of Chicago.
• While I liked the story and plot, the villain’s actions were very strange. In the end, his reasoning and motives seemed wildly disproportionate to his actions, which made me question the entire storyline a bit.

Overall, this was exactly what I needed for a quarantine pick me up. While it is maybe not the most original plot, I thought it was told in an original way, from an adult perspective years after they’ve saved the world. Despite being an adult novel, it’s very reminiscent of a young adult dystopian novel (plus magic), which I loved. If you’re from the Chicago area and you like dystopian or fantasy books, I would give it a try. Roth grew up in the Chicago area and lives in Chicago, so the details about the city are abundant (sometimes too abundant) and specific. I would recommend Chosen Ones for fans of Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, or fans of dystopian novels in general.

The Galesburg Public Library owns this book in regular print format, as well as an ebook through both the Libby and Axis360 apps.