Down with the Shine by Kate Karyus Quinn

Title: Down with the Shine
Author: Kate Karyus Quinn
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Rating: 4/5

The Gist: Lennie always thought her uncles’ “important family legacy” was good old-fashioned bootlegging. Then she takes some of her uncles’ moonshine to Michaela Gordon’s annual house party, and finds out just how wrong she was.

At the party, Lennie has everyone make a wish before drinking the shine—it’s tradition. She toasts to wishes for bat wings, for balls of steel, for the party to go on forever. Lennie even makes a wish of her own: to bring back her best friend, Dylan, who was murdered six months ago.

The next morning gives Lennie a whole new understanding of the phrase be careful what you wish for—or in her case, be careful what wishes you grant. Because all those wishes Lennie raised a jar of shine to last night? They came true. Most of them came out bad. And once granted, a wish can’t be unmade…

Review: 

Kate Karyus Quinn has this way of writing a new novel that makes me want to go back and re-read all her other books so that I can savor them the way that they deserve.  She never shies away from the darkness and, while that is what makes her so appealing to many readers, it may also result in some scenes that are rather intense for those on the younger end of the YA spectrum.

The characters in Down with the Shine are all incredibly complex and interesting.  Lennie is a snarky teenage outcast with reason to feel like the world owes her one good night.  I loved her strange relationship with her uncle, especially in the scene where they had been explaining the magic behind their moonshine and Lennie thought they were trying to have the sex talk.

Where the novel falls, unfortunately, is in the ending, which can't really be discussed without giving away the plot.  Despite this, I enjoyed the writing and the story enough to give it 4 stars.  

A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry

Title: A Fierce and Subtle Poison
Author: Samantha Mabry
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Release Date: April 12, 2016
Rating: 2/5

The Gist: Everyone knows the legends about the cursed girl--Isabel, the one the señoras whisper about. They say she has green skin and grass for hair, and she feeds on the poisonous plants that fill her family’s Caribbean island garden. Some say she can grant wishes; some say her touch can kill.

Seventeen-year-old Lucas lives on the mainland most of the year but spends summers with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico. He’s grown up hearing stories about the cursed girl, and he wants to believe in Isabel and her magic. When letters from Isabel begin mysteriously appearing in his room the same day his new girlfriend disappears, Lucas turns to Isabel for answers--and finds himself lured into her strange and enchanted world. But time is running out for the girl filled with poison, and the more entangled Lucas becomes with Isabel, the less certain he is of escaping with his own life.

Review:

A Fierce and Subtle Poison features some absolutely beautiful writing and an incredibly lush landscape.  It is wonderful to see a non-American setting as it is not all that common in YA.  There was a fantastic incorporation of story telling, culture, and folklore.  I am always a sucker for Magical Realism and love seeing more of it within the YA genre.  

Unfortunately, the novel also features a white main character with a hero complex.  Though he is called out on it, it really impacted my enjoyment of the novel, to the point where I really hated him.  As a matter of fact, I did not find any of the characters particularly appealing.  It also featured two father figures, both of whom were horrible people and terrible role models. 

While the story should have been an exciting murder mystery, it just didn't feel that way.  Instead, it seemed like most of the novel followed the main character as he ran through the rain for one reason or another.  There also seemed to be no reason that the kids couldn't have informed the police at several different points throughout the plot. 

While I appreciate the writing, I just couldn't get past my loathing for all the characters and it made this one less than enjoyable. 

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 Weight of Feathers by Anne-Marie McLemore

Title: The Weight Of Feathers
Author: Anne-Marie McLemore
Publisher: Thomas Dunne
Release Date: Sept 15, 2015
Rating: 3/5

The Gist: For twenty years, the Palomas and the Corbeaus have been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows—the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find.

Lace Paloma may be new to her family’s show, but she knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply touching one could mean death, and she's been taught from birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it’s a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace’s life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees.

Review:  

Cluck and Lace come from performing families that have been feuding for longer than either of them have been alive.  Each holds a touch of magic and a fear and hatred towards the other.  The families each carry with them a list of crimes committed by the other tracing back to a mysterious flood that took a member from each side.  The fued has been going on for so long that the younger generation doesn't appear to have any idea what it stems from, they simply continue to perpetrate crimes against each other as taught by their elders.  

 

In the middle are Cluck and Lace.  An unfortunate accident throws them together, though neither knows the background of the other, and they are forced to confront generations of hatred and misinformation.  As their love for one another grows, they seek out the truth behind the flood and an end to the violence.  

 

The magical families and their history was the most fascinating part about The Weight of Feathers.  Each family creates an air of mystery during their performances, but still take great pains to hide those things that are truly magical about them.  While the Paloma's dance in the water, the Corbeau's dance in the trees, each building fears and superstitions regarding the realm of the other.  Throughout the novel, we piece together parts of history to create a narrative them speaks of terrible tragedy and disasterous decisions. 

 

While the families themselves created an enthralling universe, unfortunately, the main characters did not.  Cluck and Lace had no real sense of chemistry and nothing in common.  Despite Cluck claiming passion and excitement at Lace's mere touch, it did not come across on the page.  I was interested in the mystery of them, in the mystery of their families and in what the future would bring for them, I just couldn't root for them as a romantic couple.

 

The plot is a slow and steady burn towards the truth which culminates in the families having to face the reality of their circumstances, however, nothing really seems to change for anyone other than Cluck and Lace.  I really did LIKE this book but, while the writing was lovely and the magical elements were wonderful, there was simply too much riding on a lackluster romance for me to love it.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 15 and up
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Fist Fighting, Familial abuse
Inappropriate Language: Bitch
Substance Use/Abuse: None

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.

Book Review: Don't You Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn

Title: Don't You Forget About Me
Author: Kate Karyus Quinn
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: June 10, 2014
Rating: 4/5

Cover Impressions:  So pretty, though I don't quite connect the tree with the story.  I would have loved to see something around the Rehabilitation Center or the Forget-Me-Nots.

The Gist: At first glance, Gardnerville is a magical place where the dying experience a miracle cure and no one ever gets sick.  However, no great magic comes without a price and Gardnerville is no exception.  In cycles of four years, the teens in town undergo a transformation.  Some might walk off never to return, others might set a building on fire.  In fourth years, things get even more dangerous and lives are often lost.  Skyler struggles to forget the fourth year when her sister, Piper, led the town's teens on a parade that ended in a plunge off a bridge.  Popping pills and avoiding people, she tries to numb the pain but she cannot escape the fact that a fourth year is coming, and her own inner demons are calling from the depths. 

Review:
I loved Another Little Piece and was very excited to see what Kate Karyus Quinn had in store for this novel.  Again, I adore her world building.  The town of Gardnerville is like nothing I have encountered before.  Magic simmers just below the surface and erupts with volcanic power and devastating consequences.  I am a huge fan of the premise that great magic requires great sacrifice and the way KKQ has created an idyllic small town with a very dark secret was whimsical, but with a serious bite. 

Each inhabitant of Gardnerville seemed more interesting than the last.  Each had their own story and I loved seeing them play out through Skyler's story.  I found it hard to sympathize with Skyler as she numbed her pain with pills but I could see how she struggled to maintain a grip on a reality she had spent so long altering.  I was not a fan of the love interest and could really have done without it or him.  Likewise, the "Bad Guy" (whose name I have forgotten).  Perhaps I could have enjoyed his character a little more, had it not been for the fact that he was a teacher who was (at one point) involved with a student.  The ick factor on that one is just too high for me and I cannot deal with it nor get past it. 

KKQ's manner of storytelling continues to be unique and intriguing.  We chase Skyler's memories through the rabbit hole and end up in a place that is even more dark and disturbing than the Gardnerville we had thought we had known.  I will say, though the twists were interesting and well-planned, I did figure them out far in advance of the plot.  This is certainly not meant to be a deterrent for another reader, I just was so hoping for a shocking surprise and didn't get it. 

I love Kate Karyus Quinn's writing and will be signing on for anything else that she writes. 

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age:  15 and up
Sex: Alluded to
Violence: A number of violent deaths: drowning, suicide, etc Sexual Abuse of a Child
Inappropriate Language: Bastard, Asshole, Fucking, Pissed, Shit, Bloody
Substance Use/Abuse: Drug use

ARC Book Review: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

Title: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Author: Leslye Walston
Publisher: Candlewick Books
Release Date: March 25th, 2014
Rating: 5/5

Cover Impressions:  Just beautiful.  The design of the feather is incredible and I love how the title was incorporated.  The colors work really well together.  Gorgeous.

Review:
This book is so incredible, yet so difficult to describe.  It is told through the eyes of teenage Ava Lavender, born under the strangest of circumstances and possessing a pair of dappled wings.  The story follows her great grandparents as they immigrate to America anticipating an easy life and streets paved with gold.  It continues through the life of Ava's grandmother Emilienne and tells the tale of her 4 great loves, all of whom came to a disastrous end.  The torch is then passed to Ava's mother, Viviane who experiences the loss of a beautiful love and is left with a pair of twins: Ava with the wings of an angel and Henry who rarely emerges from the world in his mind.  The entire family is both blessed and cursed with an ethereal strangeness that follows from one generation to the next.  It is a story of heartbreak, but ultimately one of love.

Leslye Walton's writing style is simply magical.  When I venture into the world of adult books, it tends to be in the genre of magical realism like Sarah Addison Allen's books.  It is not a genre that I tend to encounter often in YA novels and I was surprised to see how well it lends itself the novel.  That being said, there are some elements that made me wonder if this should really be considered YA.  There are descriptions of women's breasts, male masturbation, sex between teens and rape that might make some younger readers (and their parents) uncomfortable.    

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender features some of the most unique characters that I have encountered.  Nearly all of them, including the side characters, are well developed and easy to fall in love with, or easy to pity.  Ava served as our omniscient narrator and was wonderful in this role.  There is a sweet sadness in the characters that is not easy to accomplish.  None of the characters wallowed in self pity, forcing to reader to lose patience, it was clear that they were in pain, but they eventually pushed forward with life.  A particular favorite of mine was Gabe, the stoic man who stood by Viviane and helped raise her strange and wonderful children in the hope that she might one day turn her head his way and realize that he had been there all along. 

Throughout the novel, we see love found and love lost and the impact that it can have.  The novel features young love in its sweetest and most heartbreaking of forms.  We watch as these characters, with whom we ourselves have fallen in love with, suffer the pain of a broken heart and, eventually, discover that, despite their scars, love is still waiting.  With this phenomenal debut novel, I am officially signing up for anything else Leslye Walton has in store for us.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Both, probably more appealing to the girls
Sex: Sexual Language and Description of female breasts, Kissing, Sex between teenagers
Violence: Animal Mutilation, Rape
Inappropriate Language:
Substance Use/Abuse: Smoking, Underage Drinking

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: 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.

Book Review: The River Witch by Kimberly Brock

Title: The River Witch
Author: Kimberly Brock
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Release Date: April 6, 2012
Rating: 4/5

Cover Impressions: The cover is pretty but were I to see it on a bookshelf I am not sure that it would stand out enough to entice me to buy it. 

The Gist: Former ballerina Rosyln Byrne lost everything that defined her in one fell swoop.  She has retreated to a remote Georgia island in the hopes that solitude and serenity will allow her to patch up her broken life.  Instead she finds herself in the middle of another shattered family and in the path of a little girl desperately seeking something magical.

Review: Every summer I tend to feel the urge to dive into the world of magical realism.  The River Witch falls into that category, but also offers up something unexpected.  The setting of this novel makes for a fantastic summer read.  It left me longing for a big old house with lots of history and a river with more than a little danger.  As the days start to stretch, the thought of retreated to an island and escaping the stress of everyday life is more than a little tempting.

This is not a novel with a fast paced plot and the story clearly falls on the character's very capable shoulders.  Rosyln has an impressive voice and her pain is almost palpable as she reflects on losing her child and the life she left behind in her mountain home.  The music from her homeland weaves in and out of the narrative, binding it beautifully together.  Ten year old Damascus is outspoken, precocious and utterly charming.  She is especially broken by the loss of her mother and her father's inability to fulfill his role as caregiver.  While searching for answers inside a pumpkin seed, she and Rosyln slowly allow themselves to open up to the idea of being cared for.

This is not a novel for the thrill seeking or action obsessed.  The plot unwinds slowly, like a lazy afternoon, and wraps itself around your heart.  The writing is beautiful and gentle, occasionally erupting with witty moments (usually through Damascus).  Brock weaves a story of regret and eschews the easy, romantic route that sometimes defines this genre.  There are no storybook endings here, but what the reader does get is a much more realistic portrayal of human nature and the strength of history and family. 

A stunning debut novel and a wonderful addition to anyone's summer reading.

*Note: This is an adult novel, so I have no included my regular Teaching/Parental Notes.