The Witches of Cambridge by Menna van Praag

Title: The Witches of Cambridge
Author: Menna van Praag
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: February 9, 2016
Rating: 4/5 

The Gist: Amandine Bisset has always had the power to feel the emotions of those around her. It's a secret she can share only with her friends all professors, all witches when they gather for the Cambridge University Society of Literature and Witchcraft. Amandine treasures these meetings but lately senses the ties among her colleagues beginning to unravel. If only she had her student Noa's power to hear the innermost thoughts of others, she might know how to patch things up. Unfortunately, Noa regards her gift as a curse. So when a seductive artist claims he can cure her, Noa jumps at the chance, no matter the cost.

Noa's not the only witch in over her head. Mathematics professor Kat has a serious case of unrequited love but refuses to cast spells to win anyone's heart. Her sister, Cosima, is not above using magic to get what she wants, sprinkling pastries in her bakery with equal parts sugar and enchantment. But when Cosima sets her sights on Kat's crush, she conjures up a dangerous love triangle.

As romance and longing swirl through every picturesque side street, The Witches of Cambridge find their lives unexpectedly upended and changed in ways sometimes extraordinary, sometimes heartbreaking, but always enchanting.

Review:

The Witches of Cambridge is a lovely book with just a touch of magic within its pages.  It tells the story of five women, of finding love, of losing love, and of learning to love your own gifts.  Amendine fears that she is losing her husband while also trying to help her mother, Heloise deal with the death of the only man she has ever loved.  Noa's inability to prevent her self from blurting the truth as she sees it have prevented her from having a true friend, let alone a true love, and she soon finds herself at the mercy of a mysterious man with a power all his own.  Cosima wishes for the unrequited love of a child and her sister Kat refuses to admit to love, even to herself.  Together these wonderful women weave a web of magic as they see out their heart's desire and learn to heal themselves.

Menna van Praag writes fantastic worlds where magic is in the everyday and her characters are bound to witch their way into your heart.  She tells a powerful story of friendship, love, loss, and finding yourself.  The women are all very different characters and the plot revolves through their points-of-view.  This keeps the plot moving at a steady pace, though while four of them move in and out of each other's stories, Noa ended up feeling a little disjointed as her story (admittedly the most interesting one) occurs outside of the sphere of the others.  She doesn't have much contact with the other witches, and they are so wrapped up in their own issues that it takes a little too long for them to realize that she is in trouble.  I also have to admit that I wasn't nearly as invested in the sisters' story lines.  I think this is because they are introduced later than the other characters and I was less invested in their tales.

The magic in The Witches of Cambridge simmers just at the surface, with a wonderful sprinkling throughout the plot.  Except for Cosima, the witches are much more passive with their powers, having things happen to them rather than because of any actions that they have taken.  Cosima uses her magic in her bakery, creating fantastic treats for all sorts of reasons, including the attempt to bring her the only thing she has ever wanted - a daughter.  I particularly loved Heloise's storyline as she dealt with the death of her husband and the long grieving process.  We get to watch her 'come back to life' and even find love again, all the while, her magic blooms around her. 

Unfortunately, the ending comes together a little too quickly and easily and I felt some moments that could have been truly poignant were glossed over.  Mostly though, it is great story with some beautifully written characters.    

The Dress Shop of Dreams by Menna Van Praag

Title: The Dress Shop of Dreams
Author: Menna Van Praag
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: Dec 30, 2011
Rating: 4/5

Cover Impressions: This cover is a wash of magic.  From the beautiful dress to the lovely swirling colors. The font stands out without overwhelming the delicate tone.

The Gist: Since her parents’ mysterious deaths many years ago, scientist Cora Sparks has spent her days in the safety of her university lab or at her grandmother Etta’s dress shop. Tucked away on a winding Cambridge street, Etta’s charming tiny store appears quite ordinary to passersby, but the colorfully vibrant racks of beaded silks, delicate laces, and jewel-toned velvets hold bewitching secrets: With just a few stitches from Etta’s needle, these gorgeous gowns have the power to free a woman’s deepest desires.

Etta’s dearest wish is to work her magic on her granddaughter. Cora’s studious, unromantic eye has overlooked Walt, the shy bookseller who has been in love with her forever. Determined not to allow Cora to miss her chance at happiness, Etta sews a tiny stitch into Walt’s collar, hoping to give him the courage to confess his feelings to Cora. But magic spells—like true love—can go awry. After Walt is spurred into action, Etta realizes she’s set in motion a series of astonishing events that will transform Cora’s life in extraordinary and unexpected ways.

Review: 
The Dress Shop of Dreams is a really lovely story.  It is one that you know will wrap up in a happy ending, but the journey to get there is really fun.  All of the characters in this book are well developed and have a touch of magic all their own.  Despite there being rivals for one man's affection, there is a decided lack of girl on girl jealousy that is really refreshing.  Cora is unique in her outlook on the world and her obsessive counting which accompanied the narration just enough to be charming, without becoming tedious.  There are several plot lines that weave through one another in a delightful way and a number of smaller mysteries that are sprinkled throughout the plot.  These helped move the plot along and allowed it to avoid stagnating as we approached the answers to the big mystery - what actually happened to Cora's parents.  That particular plotline was a little disappointing as it was fairly predictable.  Despite a slightly slow start, The Dress Shop of Dreams wrapped up beautifully and left me really satisfied.  I am looking forward to delving into more of Menna Van Praag's world.    

First Frost

Title: First Frost
Author: Sarah Addison Allen
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: January 20, 2015
Rating:  5/5

Cover Impressions: Pretty, Pretty, Pretty.  I got an advance ecopy of this book but the cover makes me want to run out and buy one for my shelf.  I LOVE the colors, the lights in the background, the light dusting of frost on the apple - SWOON!  I am a huge fan of covers that become more and more interesting as you read the novel and start to understand the meaning behind each image and this is definitely one of those books. 

The Gist: It's October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly. As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree... and all the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store.

Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley’s Candies. Though her handcrafted confections—rose to recall lost love, lavender to promote happiness and lemon verbena to soothe throats and minds—are singularly effective, the business of selling them is costing her the everyday joys of her family, and her belief in her own precious gifts.

Sydney Waverley, too, is losing her balance. With each passing day she longs more for a baby— a namesake for her wonderful Henry. Yet the longer she tries, the more her desire becomes an unquenchable thirst, stealing the pleasure out of the life she already has.

Sydney’s daughter, Bay, has lost her heart to the boy she knows it belongs to…if only he could see it, too. But how can he, when he is so far outside her grasp that he appears to her as little more than a puff of smoke?

When a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family, each of them must make choices they have never confronted before. And through it all, the Waverley sisters must search for a way to hold their family together through their troublesome season of change, waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.

Review: All right, get prepared for gushing.  I LOVE Sarah Addison Allen.  I have read everything that she has written and am pretty sure that I will soon be embarking on a re-read because I loved this book so much.  She is a master at creating worlds where a touch of magic is just accepted.  Which is total genre kryptonite for me.  I love when magic just IS - the family that is just a little bit odd, on edge of society but relied on by even the most noteworthy and standoffish citizen in their time of need.  My love is doubled with this also includes a beautiful old house that has been in the family for generations and holds a magic all of its own.

Speaking of the house.  First Frost has a house that is actually one of my favorite characters.  It runs hot and cold depending on its mood, it locks people out and responds to threats of violence.  It has a remarkable apple tree that blooms during the first frost and throws apples at those people who fall out of its favor.  Sarah Addison Allen has a remarkable way of creating a home that makes me long to crawl through the pages in order to live there.

The characters are wonderful.  We first met them in Garden Spells.  Now, Bay is a teenager and the sisters (Sydney and Claire) are struggling with a whole new set of problems.  The family is so sweet and loving that I could read about them for the next 10 novels.  (How about it SAA?  Can I have 10 Waverly novels?)
As always, the writing is just lovely and it has some of the most beautiful imagery.  Even the villain of the novel has a story that steals your heart.  A must read for fans of the author or lovers of magical realism.   

Notable Quotables: Simmering soup on a cold day was like filling a house with cotton batting.  The comforting scent of it plumped and muffled and cuddled.

Another Bite at The Apple by Dana Bate

Title: Another Bite At The Apple
Author: Dana Bate
Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: November 25th, 2014
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions: Super cute cover. Love the color combination of the red background and the green apple.  I would like the font to be a little more substantial, but overall it is a nice design.
I'm not sure what the title has to do with the book.  I get it, Sydney is starting over but there is a bigger connection to bread in the plot than to apples.   

Review: 
Sydney has always dreamed of writing about food.  Her first love are human interest stories that feature the people behind the food.  But, food writing is an exclusive club and after any unsuccessful attempt at breaking in, she takes a job that while not exactly fulfilling, pays the bills.  That is, until budget cuts leave her out in the cold.  Picking up the pieces, she begins working at a local farmer's market, writing for the newsletter and blogging again.  When she throws her dating hat back in the ring (years after a terrible break up) Sydney suddenly finds herself with a story that could allow her to land a job at any newspaper - IF she is willing to risk losing her new friends and her new romance in the process. 

The major problem that I had with Another Bite at the Apple was Sydney.  She was irritating, self-deprecating to the extreme and very judgemental.  With the exception of finding herself unemployed, every problem in the book is one of Sydney's own making.  She was overly naive for a woman her age and either had no idea of the consequences of her actions or didn't care enough to consider how other people would be impacted.  She was completely bitchy to her eventual love interest and was so difficult on each of their dates I started to assume that he must have been a serious sucker for punishment to keep coming back for more.  She spent most of the book whining about how her sister was more popular and pretty than she was and was spoiled by her parents.  Sydney appears to be an expert at pointing out other people's flaws but is completely unable to see those same flaws in herself. 

The storyline itself is lackluster.  It takes a long time to get going and, when it does, becomes a cringefest while the reader waits for everything to blow up in Sydney's face. And boy does it ever!  All of Sydney's terrible decisions come to light in a 24-48 hr period of "Oh my God, there is no way this could all happen to one person."  After that, there is the inevitable warp up with ends just a little too cleanly.  True, Sydney has fixed some relationships and learned some valuable lessons, but I hated how all the consequences of her actions were wiped away.  No one suffered any negative effects of the plot and Sydney got the ultimate happy ending. 

Admittedly, this book was not my usual fare.  I thought the connections to food and a sweet romance would hold my interest (as they have in other women's fiction titles - see Sarah Addison Allen), but they just didn't cut it.  I don't think I will be signing up for any more of Dana Bate's novels.

Book Review: Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: Lost Lake
Author: Sarah Addison Allen
Publisher: MacMillan
Release Date: January 21st, 2014
Rating: 4.5/5

Cover Impressions:  I do like this cover, but it doesn't quite have that magical feel for me that Allen's other books do.  I think it is sort of missing something and I would have loved to see the alligator featured somewhere. 

Review:

Lost Lake in Suley, Georgia has been home to Eby and a group of regular visitors since she and her husband bought the magical cottage ground.  As the population ages and visitors are lured away by a new waterpark attraction, Lost Lake is beginning to be forgotten. Eby agrees to sell the property and prepares to spend one last summer in the place so beloved by so many.  Kate has spent the last year in a fog, mourning the death of her husband.  She took a backseat as her mother in law, Cricket, managed their affairs of her and her daughter, Devin.  On the morning that they are to move in with Cricket, Kate's eyes finally clear and she realizes how miserable Devin's life has become.  On a whim, they escape to the one place where Kate felt happy and at peace: Lost Lake.  Once there, Kate begins to discover that the world still holds magic and romance and that returning to her old life may be more difficult than she expected.

I have read all of Sarah Addison Allen's books.  I am a huge fan of her special brand of magical realism and the way that her characters find those elements that have been missing in their lives.  I will admit, Lost Lake started off a little slow.  I was finding myself more inclined to do other things in the evening rather than rushing through my mommy routine in order to jump back into this book.  By about halfway, this issue resolved itself and I became much more invested.  The plot was a little predictable overall, but still held moments that were pleasantly surprising. 

The characters were all very well fleshed out and dynamic.  I would have liked to see a little more of Devin's point of view as her alligator-chasing was one of my favorite elements on the novel.  I also throughly enjoyed Selma and her charms.  She had an ability to snag any man, even enticing him away from his wife, but a finite number of chances to do so.  I would love to see a novel or novella that featured her or others that practiced her brand of magic.  Other character highlights included Bulahdeen and Lisette.  I loved the way that Allen incorporated their backstories and added depth to them and to the novel itself.

Sarah Addison Allen has a wonderful way of interweaving magical elements with a contemporary story in the most believable way.  No one doubts that ___ sees an alligator, or that Selma's tiny charms weld magnificent power of men.  The book abounds with beautiful coincidences could never be mere coincidences and show how mysterious and miraculous life can be.  Ultimately, Lost Lake is a story of family, grief and the power to overcome loss at its most painful.  Every character experiences growth through this story and it is their strength and love for one another that allows them to forgiveness and hope.

Lost Lake is a wonderful story and an excellent addition to the already impressive list of Sarah Addison Allen.  I fully believe that for as long as she is writing, I will be reading her books. 

Notable Quotables: 

"Like heat from a fire, the closer to water you are, the stronger you feel it."

"Just when you think you know the ending, it changes."
  

ARC Book Review: Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Title: Hyperbole and a Half

Author: Allie Brosh
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: October 29, 2013
Rating:4/5

Cover Impressions: I love the bright colors of the book and the artwork will be easily recognizable for people who are already fans of Allie's blog, however, I am a little concerned that it might not necessarily draw in new readers. 

Review:

Having been a follower of Hyperbole and a Half (add link) for quite some time, seeing this title was extremely exciting for me.  I have read so many of Allie's posts that I really feel like I know her.  As if I could send her a text in the middle of this book about how brilliant it is and she would send back a winky and a few random emoticons as if it was just another night, chatting with an old pal.

The book features individual stories, some hilarious, some poignant, accompanied by drawings that look like they were done by a three year old awesome illustrations.  Highlights include Warning Signs, Dinosaur (The Goose Story, and The Party.  Some of these stories are incredibly funny - tears rolling down your face kind of funny.  Don't read it in public because people will move away from you on the bus kind of funny.  I am a particular fan of anything Allie writes about her childhood as she was a particularly insane precocious child.  Other sections provide remarkable insight into depression and mental illness.  Allie does not hold anything back and is honest with her readers in a way that most people can't even be with themselves.  There were many point where the author discussed the darker nature of her personality that left me thinking "OMG, I do that".  Not only did I recognize this in myself, but it made me feel less alone and I wanted to call Allie up and tell her so that SHE could feel less alone. 

I will note that, for regular readers of the Hyperbole and a Half blog, there is not a great deal of new content, though I certainly did not mind re-reading.  That being said, Allie Brosh has a lifelong fan in this reader.  Recommending for many of my friends and anxiously awaiting anything else that Allie has planned to write. 

ARC Book Review: Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

Title: Bellman & Black
Author: Diane Setterfield
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: November 5th, 2013
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  The EARC that I received featured the first cover but this appears to be the cover being used for the paperback.  The image below, is the cover for the hardcover.  While I do like the image for the paperback with the emphasis on time and the blue/black feathers, the hardcover version is much mroe appealing.  I love the image of the Rook and the black ribbon as well as the scrollwork in the corners.  It feels much more gothic and fits well with the overall tone of the novel.

The Gist: When William Bellman was a boy he killed a rook on a childhood dare.  The arc of trajectory of the stone plays an important role in determining the outcome of William's life.  As a young man, he begins working for his Uncle's textile mill and discovers and incredible acumen for the business.  Years later, with his young family secure and his business thriving, William's luck takes a turn for the worst.  Having lost almost everything, he strikes a mysterious deal with an even more mysterious stranger and sets his sights on the business of death.  

Review:
I distinctly remember reading The Thirteenth Tale and falling in love with the author's style.  It was an engrossing read with a well-planned mystery.  I was expecting something similar from Bellman & Black.  While Setterfield's writing style remains beautiful, and dark, and gothic, the plot of Bellman & Black simply did not hold up to its predecessor. 

Having read the synopsis I was anxiously awaiting the clandestine meeting of Bellman and Black.  It took a very long time to get to the magical part of the story.  This interrupted my reading in the first 1/3rd because I was constantly waiting for the dark stranger to appear and to strike a deal. In fact, I feel like I spent the length of this entire novel waiting.  I was waiting for the "mysterious stranger" to appear, waiting for Bellman to come into his own, waiting for his daughter to become a more interesting character.  I spent so much of the novel waiting for something interesting to happen that I was not actually enjoying what I was reading. 

There were some aspects of the novel that gave me glimmers of hope for a more successful outcome.  The scenes involving the fever, for example, were incredibly well written.  They were truly painful and simply written, but even through the language and phrasing I could see the pain that these sweeping deaths caused.  This is where Setterfield shone; in the language of suffering 

I thoroughly enjoyed the character of Bellman at the beginning of the book.  He was young, energetic and full of life.  As the book wore on I became more and more tired of the individual that William Bellman became.  The plot was almost entirely character driven, which was unfortuate, because, by the end of the book, I simply didn't like the main character.  I would have been a much happier reader if some of the other characters had been more fleshed out.  There was great potential in Bellman's daughter Dora, and the seamstress, Lizzie but, unfortunately, they remained flat characters with little impact on the story.   

The ending left me feeling unsatisfied.  I spent the entire book waiting for the appearance of Black and when we finally get to learn his secrets they were not nearly as exciting as I had hoped.  The end scene was actually incredibly anti-climatic.  I spent several days after reading trying to piece together my feelings and force my way into liking the story, but I simply couldn't.  I remain a huge fan of the beautiful way in which Setterfield is able to string words together but, in this particular novel, there was not enough plot to hold my interest.    

ARC Book Review: Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen

Title: Mrs. Poe

Author: Lynn Cullen
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: October 1st, 2013
Rating: 1/5

Cover Impressions:  Kinda boring background, but I enjoy the font

Review:

I quit 70 pages in. I could not, for the life of me, find anything the least bit interesting about the main character. She is whiney and self absorbed, complaining about her situation and waiting for a man to swoop in and save her.

I became more and more frustrated by her constant struggle with her writing. Clearly, she had seen success in children's stories but was trying to write something more prolific that would pay more. I am not one to bash artistic endeavors, but perhaps in attempting to put a roof over the heads of your children you might deem to lower yourself to write something THAT ACTUALLY SELLS! She spends countless pages moaning about her monetary situation but decides to spend her time attending frivolous parties and walking the streets of New York rather than actually writing anything.

I was also bored and appalled at the characterization of Poe and his wife. They were simplistic characters with little color and nothing to hold one's interest.

With a plot that crawls and characters that make my skin do likewise - I quit.

ARC Book Review: The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen

Title: The Wishing Thread
Author: Lisa Van Allen
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: September 3rd, 2013
Rating:  4/5

Cover Impressions: This cover has that beautiful, magical feeling that keeps me coming back to this genre.  I love the natural background and the simplicity of the barefeet.  The yarn adds a wonderful pop of color and the tendrils on the font give it just that little extra detail.

The Gist: The Van Ripper women have always been strange.  Living in The Stitchery - a run down home in Tarrytown, New York, they walk the line between the modern world and the realm of magic.  The women in the family have the ability to knit spells, an ability they share with the people of the community - at a cost.  Holding the town's secrets sets the Van Ripper women apart, sometimes even from each other.  When the death of the family matriarch brings the three sisters home once more, they must learn to live with one another and with impact their decisions will have on the family for generations to come.

Review: 

Every now and then, I feel the need to leave behind the world of YA and jump into an "adult" book.  Usually when I am enticed to do this, it is by a book in the Magical Realism sphere like this one.  The Wishing Thread is a wonderful story of three sisters and what home truly means.  I loved the world of these women.  The Stitchery had that run down feeling where magic can bury itself deep in the walls and permeate the very existance of each person who steps foot there.  The sisters are all strong and unique characters with their own strengths and weaknesses.  I loved getting to know each one of them and watching as they embraced what their hearts had known all along. 
There is a touch of romance in The Wishing Thread but it never overpowers the main story.  The love interest is a kind and gentle man, willing to support Audrey in her endeavors and never balks at the idea of magic.  I really enjoyed how the women weave their spells in a very subtle but powerful way.  This is the kind of magic I love reading about - the everyday magic that takes work and sacrifice but reinforces the strength of the women who wield it. 
The Wishing Thread is beautifully written.  Lisa Van Allen has a wonderful majesty over language and weaves the story together seamlessly.  I will be looking forward to whatever works she is planning in the future.

ARC Book Review: The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler

Title: The Bookstore

Author: Deborah Meyler
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: August 20, 2013
Rating: 2/5

Cover Impressions:  This cover is very pretty and I am loving that there is just a hint of cleavage (nothing distasteful).

Review: 
The Bookstore is the story of a young woman who escapes England for the excitement of New York.  While completing her degree, she meets and falls in love with a suave and wealthy man.  When she finds herself pregnant and jilted, she takes a job at a local bookstore and contemplates the path that her life has taken.  It is a story with very little action and a plot that meanders through scenes that compel the reader to smile or grimace, rather than to laugh or cry. 

The love interest/future father was a truly despicable character.  From the first few scenes, I found myself hoping that he would meet a timely demise.  Unfortunately, Esme's infatuation with him and her inability to see how badly he was treating her, made me dislike her whenever they were on the page together.  To be fair, at least Mitchell managed to make an impression.  The Bookstore features an almost entirely male cast and I did have some difficulty keeping them straight.  I could never remember which characters worked in the store and which were homeless men thrown in with some type of attempt at social commentary. 

The Bookstore itself, The Owl, is what piqued my interest in this title.  I was hoping for a magical realm full of interesting characters.  However, I found the scenes within the store to be some of the most tedious.  The author had an unfortunate habit of referencing obscure authors and artists that I found pretentious.  I often ended up skimming during those parts.

The ending of The Bookstore was unsatisfying.  There is some character growth, but no real closure and I am still unsure as to how Esme is managing to support herself and her child without being deported.  This novel is nice for a slow read in a park/at the cottage but simply did not have enough action to distract me from the other demands on my time.