Recent Reads - Someone You Can Build A Nest In

Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell - I heard this book recommended in a podcast and it looked intriguing when I read the summary. I opted to listen to the audiobook and overall I enjoyed it. Now, how do I describe it? The cover gives young adult horror fantasy vibes, and that's certainly a start. It's not gory or graphic but certainly uncomfortable in a body horror kind of way, and there are elements that are not going to sit well with every audience.

Let me do a bit of story summary to start. The protagonist is a shapeshifting monster named Shesheshen whose hibernation is interrupted by hunters come to murder her. She manages to pull herself together - literally using discarded bones and chains and a bear trap to form a skeleton! - and fight back, but she's chased away from the ruined manor where she lives and is injured when she falls from a cliff. A human woman named Homily finds Shesheshen, and mistaking her for a fellow human, insists on nursing her back to health. Shesheshen continues in her human form disguise, using Homily's help to escape the hunters, but soon finds that she genuinely likes Homily. Homily is kind and caring, and as they grow closer Shesheshen decides Homily would make an excellent nest in which to lay her eggs. But the young would consume their host, and Shesheshen realizes that's not how humans do things.

Before Shesheshen can explain to Homily what she really is, she finds out that Homily's family - and in particular, her mother - is single-mindedly hunting the monster that put a curse on the family, and Homily is trying to help kill that monster too. Now Shesheshen is in a real predicament - she's wound up in a romantic relationship with a member of the family intent on murdering her. Shesheshen has to outwit Homily's mother, figure out why they believe they are cursed, and at some point tell Homily the truth, but the danger to them both is increasing the more time they spend with Homily's family. Plus Shesheshen really needs to lay those eggs soon.

This is a very inventive premise, with both the story telling and world-building done really well. The humor is dry and ironic, and Shesheshen's voice as the viewpoint character is both naive and ruthless. She is a surprisingly sympathetic and relatable character that happens to be a monster. Yes, she has disgusting gustatory habits, and a grossly weird ability to suck objects and animal body parts of all kinds into her naturally shapeless self and construct chains and sticks and bones into an imitation of a human shape (that's the body horror element). Seeing how humans behave from the perspective of a monster is both humorous and interesting.

I didn't care for Homily as a character. It's revealed that she has been a victim of abuse at the hands of her family, which makes her sympathetic, but I felt she was weak and insipid. Surely her tendency to accept blame, overcompensate, and attempt to earn affection was a response to how she had been "othered" and victimized, but I felt it was overdone. In general, that was what I didn't care for in this book - the effort to normalize and lionize queer and trans identities and throw in what felt like pop psychology felt heavy-handed. Although it's a fantasy setting so could be whatever the author wanted, it was all very medieval feeling except for the modern-day pop psychology. The romantic relationship between Shesheshen and Homily is a strange one because it's kind of a same-sex, but also sort of asexual, and on top of that, Shesheshen isn't human . . . so it's weird, but don't worry that it's graphic. There's one kiss, which I'm sure was intended to be very romantic, but I thought it was just incredibly awkward and wierd. 

As far as the plot and storytelling, I felt the denouement and wrap-up after the "final battle" was too long and drawn out, and didn't give any information about anyone or anything other than Shesheshen and Homily. It felt like the characters were transferred into a domestic fiction novel showing them as housemates and parents and romantic partners and to me it didn't really fit with the rest of the story. It could have been just an epilogue instead of several more chapters, in my opinion. An actual epilogue, which would be ironic, since there was a character named Epilogue! 

I'm not sorry I listened to it, because it was very entertaining, but I don't think my life has been enriched by it either. Important to note, because I do have a tag "hours I will never get back" that I give to books that I considered an actual waste of my time, and I'm NOT giving this one that designation. Entertaining, diverting, humorous, quirky, good story telling . . . just not edifying or enlightening.

From the publisher:

Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorophous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor. When her rest is interrupted by hunters intent on murdering her, she constructs a body using a metal chain for a backbone, borrowed bones for limbs, and a bear trap as an extra mouth. However, the hunters chase Shesheshen out of her home and off a cliff. Badly hurt, she's found a nursed back to health by Homily, a warmhearted human, who has mistaken Shesheshen as a fellow human. Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent coparent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshen's eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out. But as they grow close, she realizes humans don't think about love that way.

Shesheshen hates keeping her identity secret from Homily, but just as she's about to confess, Homily reveals why she's in the area: she's hunting a shapeshifting monster that supposedly cursed her family. Shesheshen didn't curse anyone, but to give herself and Homily a chance at happiness, she has to figure out why Homily's twisted family thinks she did. As the hunt for the monster becomes increasingly deadly, Shesheshen must unearth the truth quickly, or soon both of their lives will be at risk. And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with, rather than in, the love of her life.

This is a standalone novel  (#33) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

Since I listened to most of this in October, I counted it for Pick Your Treat in the October Mini-Challenge.

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - Before Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast

Before Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Brittany Fichter - This book takes the familiar fairytale and adds some backstory, twists, and a hint of allegory. Since the tale is set in a fictional kingdom in a world where magical forces exist, it has a bit of a fantasy feel to it as well.

We're introduced to Prince Everard when he is still a child. He feels the weight of the expectations of his father the king, and despite loneliness and the fears of not measuring up, he does his best to develop the stoicism and singlemindedness his father demands so that he'll be ready for the throne one day. A chance encounter with a young girl results in disaster, and Ever is long haunted by the hard-hearted choice his father pressured him into. The eve of his coronation, he makes another foolish and hard-hearted decision that plunges the kingdom into chaos and brings a curse upon the Fortress.

Isabelle is the girl who stumbled into the path of Ever's horse and was injured and crippled as a result of the accident and Ever's temper. We don't get to see as much of her during childhood, but as a young woman she is devastated when her fiance rejects her right before the wedding, saying she is not suitable to be his wife because of her disability. Soon after, Isa's father stumbles into the cursed Fortress and thus Isa is compelled to go live there among the shadows. All she knows is that there is something she must do to break the curse, and her resentment at all the prince has taken from her threatens to overwhelm her. Not that Ever is happy about her presence either - it's a constant reminder of the destructive power of his anger, and he's ashamed of that and of the shadowy monster he has become as his strength is sapped by the curse.

As in the fairytale, Isabelle resolves to make the best of the situation and without even realizing, she begins to bring the Fortress back to life. It's implied that she must discover her strength and her connection to the Fortress power on her own and willingly choose to wield the power for good. And that Ever must learn humility and how to love selflessly before he can be healed and strengthened. Of course, all of this must happen before the enemy, an evil princess of a neighboring kingdom, can destroy them all. 

There's a very sweet love story in all of it, predictable because of the well-known tale on which it's based, but given some new perspectives because of the personalities the author has given these two characters. I liked the shadowy servants of the Fortress, affected by the curse, especially the trusted steward Garin, who is something of a guardian angel. The final resolution of how the curse is broken takes a slightly different route than I expected, and I think it was done quite well.

From the publisher:

Can the accursed prince and broken beauty move beyond their hatred for one another, not only to break the curse and save their kingdom . . . but to find love as well?

Prince Everard's father forged him into a warrior. Upon the king's death, however, Everard loses himself in his pain and brings a dark curse upon himself and the great Fortress that has long guarded the people of Destin.

The prince's sin doesn't solely affect those of his citadel, however. Isabelle, the daughter of a local merchant, has suffered the prince's hasty temper before, and it changed her life forever. So when Everard's curse cuts off his people's source of protection, and he demands that she, a crippled commoner, help him break it, her shock and horror are rivaled only by her indignation and even stronger desire to protect her family.

All the while, Destin's enemy crouches at the foot of the Fortress's mountain, waiting for the right moment to capture the stronghold that has stood for a thousand years.

This is a fairy tale retelling (#20) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Recent Reads - Ticker

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Ticker by Lisa Mantchev - It took me awhile to get moving on this one again, but once I got into it, I really enjoyed this YA steampunk novel. Penny Farthing is a girl with a clockwork heart - her damaged heart has been replaced with a Ticker, but it's showing signs of failing too. The brilliant surgeon who invented it wants to give her an upgrade, but he's on trial for murder, and it's discovered that there is a very dark side to his experiments and wishes to "augment" people who have injuries or physical defects.

As the doctor's trial is wrapping up, the Farthings' factory is bombed and Penny's parents disappear, and Penny teams up with her brother Nic and a couple of friends to find them - and find the doctor who escaped from the courthouse in the chaos. What is really going on and is Dr Warwick behind it all?

Finally, Penny reluctantly accepts help from Marcus Kingsley, a young military commander, to find her missing family and the research that has gone missing with them. And while the story is full of action at breakneck speed, there's also a rather sweet romance slowly developing in the background.

This is an action-packed race through the fictional city of Bazalgate, with interesting world-building and shifting loyalties. I occasionally got lost in the descriptions of imaginative mechanical devices and then realized that a relationship shift or motive hadn't been clear. There are places where it feels like the logic or plot details might have a few holes, but they seem to be small ones, and I enjoyed the story almost as much this time as I did the first.

A girl with a clockwork heart must make every second count.

When Penny Farthing nearly dies, brilliant surgeon Calvin Warwick manages to implant a brass "Ticker" in her chest, transforming her into the first of the Augmented. But soon it's discovered that Warwick killed dozens of people as he strove to perfect another improved Ticker for Penny, and he's put on trial for mass murder.

On the last day of Warwick's trial, the Farthings' factory is bombed, Penny's parents disappear, and Penny and her brother, Nic, receive a ransom note demanding all of their Augmentation research if they want to see their parents again. Is someone trying to destroy the Farthings . . . or is the motive more sinister?

Desperate to reunite their family and rescue their research, Penny and her brother recruit fiery baker Violet Nesselrode, gentleman-about-town Sebastian Stirling, and Marcus Kingsley, a young army general who has his own reasons for wanting to lift the veil between this world and the next. Wagers are placed, friends are lost, romance stages an ambush, and time is running out for the girl with the clockwork heart.

This is a book featuring a grieving character (#14) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

©2008-2024 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - The Wendy

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The Wendy by Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown - In this reimagined version of the tale of Peter Pan, Wendy Darling is the adventurous protagonist, and many of the familiar characters from the classic make appearances in slightly different - yet recognizable - roles.

Wendy is an orphan in London in 1789, and more than anything else she wants to be a ship's captain. Despite her intelligence, determination, and aptitude for science and swordplay alike, she is ridiculed by her peers and dismissed as a silly girl. She is fortunate enough to find a seasoned sailor who is willing to teach her and prepare her for the Navy, but when the time and opportunity comes she doesn't win a posting in the Navy after all. She is recruited for a secret mission and finds herself at a lonely post in Dover studying and watching for any sign of the greatest threat to England - magic! Magic in the form of the "everlost" beings who are kidnapping children from the streets of London.

With the help of new friends Michael and John, and the faithful dog Nana, Wendy does indeed sniff out the arrival of magical forces in Dover, and confronts the everlost. Surprisingly, the leader of the everlost, who calls himself Peter Pan, seems willing to negotiate with Wendy and even wants to win her favor. When Wendy submits her report to the Home Office, she is summoned to meet with the formidable Captain Hook and hopes she can impress him with her military skills and earn a spot on the crew of his ship in order to continue the hunt for the everlost.

Unfortunately for Wendy, Hook is arrogant and erratic, and wants only to destroy Peter Pan and his kind. He doesn't listen to Wendy, and tries to keep her safely imprisoned at his country estate, believing that she will eventually give him more information about Pan's whereabouts.

This very well-written retelling does an excellent job of making Wendy the hero of the story, and although written for a modern Young Adult audience, the style seems like it could have been written alongside J.M. Barrie's work. The presence of magical elements such as fairies and flying ships and the everlost boys that cannot be killed puts this firmly in fantasy territory, yet the historical research was thorough enough that the story has a historical setting feel. There are hints of romantic feelings, and all the main characters are young adults, with all the young men wanting Wendy's attention in some way, but Wendy is focused on her mission and quite innocent of how they are attracted to her. In a sense, this story is Wendy's coming-of-age tale, with a conclusion that is satisfying while also leading inevitably to the sequel.

This is a book about secrets (#11) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for January 13, 2023

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This week I'm featuring lines from a YA novel I've just started on my Kindle. I've had it for a little while, and can't remember why I purchased it, but it's quirky and interesting so far. Tell me what you think - have you read it?

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Hook grinned at Wendy Darling's report - a wicked grin that promised vengeance for the king, vengeance for England, and vengeance for his own right hand all at once. Whatever game she thought she was playing, she would be no match for him.

~at 56% of The Wendy by Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown

When the world doesn't want

you to be who you are,

you must become more yourself

than you knew you could be.

London. 1789. More than anything in the world, Wendy Darling wants to be the captain of a ship, but women aren't allowed in the Royal Navy. When she learns the Home Office is accepting a handful of women into its ranks, she jumps at the chance, joining the fight against the most formidable threat England has ever faced. Magic.

But the secret service isn't exactly what she hoped. Accompanied by a reimagined cast of the original Peter Pan, Wendy soon discovers that her dreams are as far away as ever, that choosing sides isn't as simple as she thought, and that the only man who isn't blinded by her gender . . . might be her nation's greatest enemy.

 

The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.

*Find a snippet, short and sweet.

*Post it, and share in the Linky.

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By the year 1780, London was bursting at the seams. Almost a million people had been stuffed into every nook and cranny, and a good number of these had no idea where they had come from. Nestled in baskets and swaddled in rags, they had appeared overnight on the doorsteps of almshouses all over the city.

~From the beginning of The Wendy by Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

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First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.

*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.

*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

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And here is the weekly bookish question in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

This Week's Question: Are there any new books you're excited to read in 2023?

My Answer: I don't watch for new releases very often, so I'm not usually right on top of all the newest books about to hit the shelves. I do usually pre-order novels from a couple of favorite authors (Anna Lee Huber, Connilyn Cossette, and Deanna Raybourn) as soon as I know about them, but I've fallen behind and haven't yet read the most recent releases from those ladies, even though I own them! Of those, the next one I plan to read is A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber. The next in that series, A Fatal Illusion, will release this summer and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it! The next novel in Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series will release in spring, and there's a new Connilyn Cosette novel expected in late summer.

Since I also occasionally review books, that's where most of my brand new releases come from, but I'm not always familiar with the books or even the authors when they become available.

Book Blogger Hop

 ©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Recent Reads - The Twenty-One Balloons

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The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene DuBois - The Online Book Club theme for August was Newbery Medal Books, and when I started looking at the Newbery lists, this title caught my eye. The description of this Newbery Medal winner from 1947 looked charming. and this covert art was attractive too. The copy I read had a more bold and colorful cover design.

The introduction sets the stage for this story about Professor William Sherman, who wanted to live by himself floating along under a balloon, but instead briefly became a citizen of Krakatoa.

There are two kinds of travel. The usual way is to take the fastest imaginable conveyance along the shortest road. The other way is not to care particularly where you are going or how long it will take you, or whether you will get there or not.

Professor Sherman was an arithmetic teacher, and found it dull and unimaginative. He dreamed of being by himself in quiet surroundings, with nothing to do but float wherever the wind would take him. He designed a large balloon with a basket he could live in comfortably for up to a year. When he first floated up into the sky he enjoyed his adventure immensely and soon was high above the ocean. 

Trouble arrived in the form of gulls that eventually punctured his balloon. As he lost altitude he employed all his ingenuity in keeping the balloon as high above the water as possible until the last possible moment. It was with great relief that he was able to land on a small island, but he was quite surprised to find that he was on Krakatoa, and that it was NOT uninhabited, as everyone thought.

The unique citizens of Krakatoa have an unusual society but they welcome Professor Sherman cordially. He learns about how they came to live on Krakatoa, about their source of wealth, and about the interesting rules of their society. But just as he is starting to get settled, the rumbling and grumbling of the volcano indicate a dangerous eruption is imminent and they must all evacuate!

The story is imaginative and humorous, full of little ironies, and a witty blend of realistic and fantastical story telling. In some places it sounds almost believable, but there's a tongue-in-cheek type of humour that keeps it light. The illustrations throughout add to the light and witty tone. I thought the ending was rather unsatisfactory, but overall a very enjoyable book that I wish I'd been able to give to my kids when they were young.

Professor William Waterman Sherman intends to fly across the Pacific Ocean. But through a twist of fate, he lands on Krakatoa, and discovers a world of unimaginable wealth, eccentric inhabitants, and incredible balloon inventions. Winner of the 1948 Newbery Medal.

The original version of this review originally appeared on HS Coffee Break as part of the Online Book Club for August 2021

 

©2008-2021 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - The Hobbit

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The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - Well, who isn't familiar with the classic story of Bilbo Baggins and how the wizard Gandalf got him to join a company of dwarves on an epic adventure to win back the dwarves' gold? It's a story that most students know, thanks to the movie, but it turns out not many students have read the book. This was the novel our high school literature class read to end the year, and it's a perfect choice to illustrate the Hero's Journey plot.

We meet the hobbit, Bilbo, in his comfortable home - a hobbit-hole - and his quiet, comfortable life. Until Gandalf the wizard selects Bilbo as the burglar needed to accompany Thorin Oakenshield and the dwarves on a mission to The Lonely Mountain to reclaim their gold from the dragon Smaug. No wonder Bilbo initially refuses the Call to Adventure! Of course he does go on this Hero's Journey after all, with Gandalf as the mentor and the dwarves as traveling companions.

They soon encounter hardships - trolls and goblins, dark and dangerous caves, and mysterious forests. Bilbo matches wits with the creature Gollum and gains a reward - a magic ring that turns the wearer invisible. This ring proves invaluable when the dwarves are captured by the wood-elves, as Bilbo's luck and cleverness combine to keep him from being captured. He is able to free his friends and they continue their journey to the Lonely Mountain. 

Bilbo faces the dragon Smaug and manages to do some burgling, but when Thorin sees the treasure, he is soon overcome by the dragon-sickness which puts the entire company in danger once again. Smaug takes out his anger on the village of Lake Town, but is killed by one of the men. The men of Lake Town and the wood-elves come up to the mountain to claim what they think is their fair share of the dragon's hoard, and Thorin's greed leads to a tense standoff before Bilbo once again saves the day.

In addition to the Hero's Journey elements to the plot, The Hobbit also provided excellent examples of motifs, figurative language, and an empathetic lead in Bilbo himself. An entertaining and exciting classic that appeals to all ages, and never disappoints.

I read this novel and studied it along with students in my high school literature co-op class. We learned about the hero's journey plot and how Bilbo's adventures followed that pattern. We also discussed Tolkien's use of elements reminiscent of epic tales. 

Our discussion and study was guided by the textbook Illuminating Literature: Characters in Crisis from Writing with Sharon Watson.

©2008-2021 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - From Sky to Sky

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee - thank you!

From Sky to Sky by Amanda G. Stevens  - This novel picks up the thread of narrative from No Less Days, but with a new viewpoint character. After the crisis events that ended that previous novel, when the longevites (as the small band of immortals refer to themselves) had to mete out justice to one of their own, Zac needs time out of the spotlight to cope with that, so he stays in Harbor Vale, where David (main character from No Less Days) lives.

Then they discover two more longevites, Cady and Finn, who have come for help. Four others from their little family are dead or missing and they are trying to find out what happened. They believe that the doctor that originally gave them the immortality serum developed a 'cure', but it acted too quickly, and they are uncertain whether their friends chose the cure or had it forced on them.

Zac is ready to befriend them and include them in his circle, but David and the others are more cautious. Meanwhile, Zac's fears of closed spaces and being buried alive are escalating and his carefree facade is crumbling. Will he listen to what God is trying to tell him and stop fighting? Zac wants to keep his 'family' together and bring the new longevites into their circle, but as they track down the mysterious longevite that administered the 'cure' to the others, he realizes that uniting them all will be complicated at best. The grief, guilt, anger, loneliness, and fear have been brewing for more than a lifetime.

This is a series that should be read in order, in my opinion. Although Stevens gives enough background and explanation as this story develops, the characters and their struggles are complex enough that you will appreciate more fully if you read No Less Days first. And you should, because both books are so good!

The premise is fascinating, and the dilemmas and struggles of the characters are complex and realistic. The Biblical themes of forgiveness and reconciliation run through the story, and ring true even with human characters that are essentially immortal. They need a Savior - which some of them acknowledge, and some struggle against. 

From the publisher:

Zac Wilson can't die.

Daredevil Zac Wilson isn't the first celebrity to keep a secret from the world, but his might be the most marvelous in history: Zac doesn't age and injuries can't kill him. What's more, he's part of a close-knit group of others just like him.

Holed up in Harbor Vale, Michigan, Zac meets two more of his kind who claim others in their circle have died. Are their lifetimes finally ending naturally, or is someone targeting them - a predator who knows what they are?

The answers Zac unearths present impossibly dilemmas: whom to protect, how to seek justice, how to bring peace to turmoil. His next action could fracture forever the family he longs to unite. Now might be the time to ask for help . . . from God Himself. But Zac's greatest fear is facing the God he has run from for more than a century.

By the same author: No Less Days

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley for the purpose of this review.

©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - The Curse of the Healing Kiss

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee - thank you! 

The Curse of the Healing Kiss by Mark McClelland - This novella is written in a style that is meant to feel like it's an old French fairy tale, and with kingdoms and curses it does have that overall vibe. The story centers around a beautiful and outgoing woman named Malvinia who has a natural gift for connecting with people and making them feel comfortable. As the story opens, she has no particular wish to marry, and encourages a developing relationship between her friend Larisa and a quiet young man named Modeste. However, Modeste loses interest in Larisa and eventually turns to Malvinia, and when Larisa realizes this she is consumed with jealousy and lays a curse on Malvinia.

Time goes by, and Malvinia and Modeste are happily married, until a young prince makes their acquaintance and asks Malvinia about a magical gift she may have - a healing kiss that gives confidence and strength to anyone she bestows it upon. Despite her misgivings and her worry that she is betraying her husband, Malvinia is convinced that this gift is real and does give it to the prince. Eventually Modeste discovers the truth and that the gift is also a curse, and his mistrust and jealousy threatens to destroy their relationship.

The story starts out strong and the writing is lovely, although I found the use of a few modern words and expressions (for example, "okay" is used several times) jarring when dropped into a narrative and dialogue that tries to imitate 17th century tales. The characters are fairly two-dimensional and their inner conflicts are simply presented and not well-developed, but as this is a novella, I didn't expect those aspects of the story to be very deep. In fact, I was greatly enjoying the story right up until the last page or two, when the book abruptly ended with only one vague phrase hinting that "everything will be okay" but without any explanation. It was a lot of built-up tension and anticipation for a resolution that turned out to be nothing. Almost as if the author had no idea HOW to resolve the problem, so just stopped writing. A very disappointing and unsatisfactory final paragraph that largely negated the enjoyment of all the previous chapters.

From the publisher:

"Love is not a diamond, destined for a single hand."

Inspired by French fairy tales of the 17th century, McClelland's novella brings emotional realism to a universal story of love, trust, and jealousy, in a fantasy kingdom where curses are all too real. The narrative revolves around two people in love: Malvinia, a sunny, outgoing woman with a knack for opening hearts; and Modeste, a man of quieter virtues. Their relationship, however, is the story's true protagonist, as its resiliency is tested by the capacity of each to grow and to sacrifice in response to forces neither of them anticipated -- a conflict familiar to anyone who has struggled to be one's true, uncompromised self while at the same time honoring the needs of another in a loving long-term relationship.

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Recent Reads - Peter Pan

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Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie - Everyone knows how the story of Peter Pan goes, right?! Yes - and also no. The novel by J.M. Barrie was one we studied in the high school literature class I teach, and we all agreed that the book is not quite the same as the Disney animated version! The events are very much the same, but the way Neverland and the character of Peter is portrayed have a different feel.

We're introduced to the Darling family, fairly ordinary in many ways, but Mr Darling has a few personality quirks and they have a dog as a nursemaid for their children. Wendy is the oldest of the three children and on the evening that Mr Darling says is her last in the nursery, she remains awake when Peter Pan comes in through the window to find the shadow he'd left behind. Peter has been the subject of many childhood stories, so she is quite excited to meet him and help him reattach the shadow. John and Michael, the two younger brothers, also awaken, and Peter Pan teaches all three of them how to fly and then takes them to Neverland with him.

While in Neverland, they encounter pirates and Indians, and have many adventures. Wendy acts as a mother to the Lost Boys, and when John and Michael show signs of forgetting their real mother, she decides that they have been away long enough and convinces Peter Pan that they must return home. Peter is firmly opposed to anything that involves growing up, and the plan is met with resistance. Throughout the adventures, Tinkerbell is antagonistic towards Wendy, but at this final crisis, it is Tinkerbell that saves Peter's life after pirate Captain Hook tampers with Peter's "medicine" that Wendy has left for him. He discovers that Wendy and the Lost Boys are all captives on Hook's ship, and finds opportunity for one more great adventure - defeating the pirates and rescuing his friends.

Barrie's book portrays Peter Pan far less favorably than the Disney movie. In the book, Peter is wholly self-absorbed in his childishness, and cares about Wendy only as she serves his imagination and thirst for adventures. He doesn't think about anyone other than himself, and practically forgets Wendy even exists any time she is out of his sight. While Disney showed him as mischievous and childish, it also gave him an aspect of heroism and chivalry that I did not sense in the book. In the movie, Neverland and all the adventures of the Lost Boys were portrayed as real, although magical; but in reading the book, it was far less clear whether these events actually happened or were entirely imagined.

Although not quite as heartwarming a children's story as one might expect, Peter Pan is still an entertaining flight of imagination. And it can raise some interesting questions about what it means to grow up, both positive and negative aspects.

Our class also noted the portrayal of the Indians on Neverland was not at all "culturally or politically correct" for our times! We marveled at the description in the book and the depictions in the Disney movie and all agreed that modern readers and viewers would see much of it as offensive and ignorant, although the original intent was surely not to offend but to play on childhood pretend games of the time, yet perhaps reflected poorly on the biased views of the time as well. 

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Recent Reads - Undertones

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Undertones by L.S. Popovich - If you've ever imagined what kinds of instruments animals might play or how they would interact with each if they lived in a human-like society, this might be the book for you! From the opening lines, the reader is immersed in a world of anthropomorphic animals that play in jazz bands, attend college, and where all kinds of birds and animals live and work together. The characters are well developed, and the creative world-building is carefully thought out and surprisingly believable.

Undertones is the name of the jazz band fronted by guitarist and vocalist Dane, a giant anteater quietly battling his ant addiction. He's a gifted musician (and mathematician, but he keeps that quiet) and the band is hoping for a big break, which appears to be in the works when a talent scout shows interest. Unfortunately, right about that time is when Dane's world starts to fall apart. While out on a date with Serena, a polar bear, they witness an assault and then become victims themselves. The attackers turn on them and when Dane wakes up in the hospital with a broken arm, Serena is missing and nobody seems to know anything about it. Dane doesn't get any co-operation or help when he goes to the police. In fact, he gets busted for possession of ants and winds up ordered to attend Domestication meetings.

While struggling to give up ants cold turkey, Dane decides he will find Serena himself, and starts following up on any leads he can. He gets some help from his friends, Nihleen the Komodo dragon and Gaston the numbat, and interacts with all kinds of characters and species. He stumbles into mob-like criminal activity, a dark underbelly of the society, and meets anarchists and conspiracy theorists. Dane will need the support and loyalty of the whole band and some other friends in order to untangle all the clues, find and rescue Serena, and stick together through danger and riots and nefarious plots.

Overall, a highly entertaining and engaging read! Full of humor and clever references to all kinds of cliches and animal jokes, along with subtle commentary on human interaction and society. There are a few f-bombs and other language flags here and there, so be aware. But aside from that cautionary note, I recommend this unusual book!

From the publisher:

Dane was a reliable guitarist until he got addicted to ants. Now he's just a giant anteater with an abysmal grade point average. On a date with lead singer, Serena, they witness a gruesome incident. Waking up in the hospital, Dane realizes Serena's missing. Going to the police only gets him a felony for possession of ants. Now, forced to lick the habit while he tracks down Serena, he's going to need a little help from the band.

Investigating familiar watering holes (while stopping for one or two drinks) leads him to an underground criminal organization. Is it a coincidence that a feline fatale attempts to recruit him for the mob? Should he expose the dirty underbelly of their society, putting Serena and his band on the line, or try to take them down from the inside? Either way, it's going to take more than the Komodo dragon on clarinet.

©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Recent Reads - Fawkes

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Fawkes: A Novel by Nadine Brandes - Thomas Fawkes has successfully hidden his infection of Stone Plague for most of his school term and believes that when he receives his color mask he'll be able to pursue a cure for the plague that turns people to stone. But his father, Guy Fawkes, doesn't show up or send a mask for the ceremony, and Thomas leaves the school in disgrace. He goes to London to find his father and demand his mask, and finds himself included in the developing plot to assassinate King James and cripple Parliament.

England is deeply divided between the Igniters who are in power, and the Keepers, who are being imprisoned and persecuted. Igniters believe that they can speak directly to White Light, and that the Keepers are the cause of the deadly Stone Plague. Keepers believe that each person should stick to their own color power and that it's the Igniters that caused the plague. The Keepers come up with the Gunpowder plot thinking that they will be able to place a Keeper on the throne and end the Stone Plague.

Thomas desperately wants his father's approval and the color mask that only a father can give his son, but as time goes on he starts to question the plot and the position of the Keepers against White Light. Especially as he gets to know a schoolmate, Emma, who is an Igniter and challenges him to seek the truth. Is White Light trying to stop the plot? And who or what is really causing the Stone Plague, and how can it be stopped?

This fascinating novel imaginatively combines the historical events and setting of the actual Gunpowder Plot of 17th century England with the magic and fantasy aspect of color powers. The magic aspects of the story are well thought out and quite seamlessly blend into motives and background for the historical events.

This book is a Children's Book (it's a YA title) for the Full House Reading Challenge 2018 hosted by The Book Date.

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