The Clearing by Simon Toyne

 "Never go back into the woods.

That's what she and Maddie had vowed to each other after they had escaped.

Never go back and never look back.

Maddie had done both."

And now she was missing.

Midsummer's Eve. The Forest of Dean. A local legend known as the Cinderman--a local legend who supposedly haunts the woods and preys on young women. An off-grid commune in the forest called The Clearing. Two sisters (Adele and Maddie)...one missing, the other desperate to find her. An Earl and his son. And Dr. Laughton Rees, a criminologist who's been tracking cases of missing women. She heads to the insular community of Cinderfield to help investigate Maddie's disappearance, not knowing there are other dark secrets in play. 

My thoughts:  I think I've found a new favorite author. I really enjoyed this mystery. Toyne creates a real sense of urgency as the evil in Cinderfield starts to close in on Rees and Adele. The tension is palpable. Good writing and good suspense made this a very compelling read. And I really liked Laughton Rees. I very much want to read Toyne's previous mystery with her now. There is one major plot twist at the end of this one that had me questioning the feasibility of it in regards to the timeline. But then I decided to let it go and just enjoy the moment.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina

 

The plot:  Anna Horn's life is not easy -- she's bullied and tormented at school, she doesn't seem to fit on the rez either, and she's haunted by a ravenous, mythological entity her uncle told her about when she was seven. The tribal stories she once knew are being forgotten, her parents are arguing, her 15-year-od sister, Grace, is sneaking out at night, and there's something mysterious going on in suite 808 at the casino/hotel where she works. And young women from the reservation are disappearing. As Anna struggles to put all the pieces together, Grace goes missing, too. Now it's a race against time if Anna is going to save her sister.

My thoughts:  This novel is both a coming of age story and a mystery with hints of Native American lore and a touch of supernatural horror. The chapters alternate between the days leading up to Grace's disappearance, and the hours afterwards. It was a little confusing at first, but once I got used to the switches in time, I found the narrative to be very compelling. And I really liked Anna and sympathized with all her struggles. And I liked the Native American myths and stories she remembers and tells. But it's also a dark story at times. The plight of young Native American women who go missing or are murdered every year is a heartbreaking one, and Medina does a good job of highlighting this crisis. This novel is propulsive, suspenseful and very well-written.  

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading! 

Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim

 "I was not born a monster."

Two sisters:  Channari and Vanna.

Channi, the oldest, was cursed by the demon witch, Angma, with the face of a snake when she was just a child. Her blood carries the killing poison of the Serpent King. Her younger sister, Vanna, on the other hand, is so beautiful foreign kings are vying for her hand. Her heart emits a magical radiance that Angma covets. 

Channi is determined to protect her sister from Angma, their greedy father, and all her suitors, especially the cruel King Meguh, not just because she loves her sister, but because she made a promise to their dying mother to keep Vanna safe. Even if it costs her her own life. 

"One sister must fall for the other to rise."

My thoughts:  This novel is a prequel to Elizabeth Lim's Six Crimson Cranes, but Channi's story stands on its own. And it's quite the adventure, with demons, talking snakes, and a nine-eyed witch. Channi is determined, impulsive, and strong-willed, a fighter who never gives up; she also longs to be loved. She's carried a lot of hurt and shame over the way others have treated her because of her monstrous face. I had a lot of sympathy for her. 

She meets an unexpected ally in Hokzuh, half-dragon, half-demon, who has his own reasons for going up against Angma. He's sarcastic and harsh, but he can also be kind, and he sees something of himself in Channi. I liked him. The other thing I really liked about this book is Lim's vivid descriptions and all the magic in it. It's an entertaining fantasy, but also sad. Though having read Six Crimson Cranes, I knew going in that Channi's story wasn't necessarily a happy one. 

Still I'm glad Melody and I chose this as our first buddy read of 2024. Be sure to check out her review of this one.

Happy Reading!

Same Time, Same Place by David m. Barnett

Daisy is the night security guard at the Manchester Museum of Social History. She's rigid and guarded, doesn't relate well to others, and likes to follow the rules and stick to her routine. She and her sister live with their mother, who is dying from cancer, so that they can take care of her. And because of a childhood trauma, Daisy doesn't believe she deserves happiness in her life. 

Nate works the day shift at the same museum. He's garrulous and friendly and likes to joke around with Daisy in the fifteen minutes their shifts overlap, but his life is far from perfect. He's divorced, and while he's determined not to be like his own abusive and alcoholic father, he's struggling to connect with Ben, his ten-year-old son.

My thoughts: I really liked both of these characters! They're so different but both a bit broken, and the way their lives intersect throughout this book made me smile. A small mystery involving some missing items at the museum brings them together resulting in some humorous and heartwarming interactions. I loved how they found hope and happiness together. This is an entertaining and fun story, and Daisy's and Nate's quiet romance is sweetly captivating. 

Happy Reading!

Similar read:  Bear Necessity by James Gould-Bourn

Another classic...

 

I became acquainted with D.E. Stevenson a few years ago when I first read Miss Buncle's Book, a novel I absolutely love. So when I saw that my library had a copy of The Young Clementina, I knew I wanted to read it as my Classic by a Woman Author for this year's Back to the Classics Challenge. It was first published in 1938. And I'm very glad they republished it in 2013 because it's a charming novel.

Only it's not young Clementina's story. It's the story of Charlotte Dean, a country parson's daughter, and her younger sister, Kitty, and Garth Wisdon, the handsome and serious boy from the manor house on the hill. It's a story of love lost...and found again, of lies and betrayal, of quiet resignation, of family and friendship, forgiveness and hope, and second chances. 

I wasn't sure about this book when I first started reading it, but I ended up loving it. Unassuming and candid Char is someone I think I could be friends with; her story drew me in and kept me happily reading until the end. I know I haven't given you a full picture of what this novel is about, but what makes this book so good is the way the story unfolds on its own, revealing its hidden treasures one by one. And I didn't want to spoil that for anyone. Just know that The Young Clementina is well-written, and worth reading. And the ending brought happy tears to my eyes.

Happy Reading!

In the Waning Light by Loreth Anne White

 

The story: Twenty years ago, Meg Brogan's older sister, Sherry, was raped and murdered. Meg herself nearly died that same night. When she woke from her coma she couldn't remember what she'd seen or what really happened to Sherry. Now, a successful true crime writer, Meg's returned to Shelter Bay, Oregon, to investigate her sister's murder. But no one in town wants her to rake up the past. And as Meg digs deeper, she begins to realize everyone around her is keeping secrets or telling lies about what happened that night. But she refuses to give up. Even when it puts her own life in danger. 

My thoughts:  Loreth Anne White knows how to write a compelling and suspenseful mystery. And Meg makes for a memorable character; she's stubborn, and feisty, and a little fragile at times as she struggles to retrieve her own uncertain memories of that awful day. My other two favorite characters were Blake Sutton, Meg's high school sweetheart whom she hasn't seen since she was eighteen, and his young son, Noah. Blake's keeping his own secrets about that day, which only added to the tension between them. The one thing I didn't love was reading all the snippets and excerpts from The Stranger Among Us, the book Meg is writing about her sister. I didn't feel like it added anything to the story. But the rest of the book is really good. So even though this is not my favorite Loreth Anne White novel, I still liked it a lot. 

Happy Reading!

Other books by Loreth Anne White that I've read:

In the Barren Ground

In the Dark

Woman 99 by Greer Macallister

A Gilded Age historical fiction novel

First line:  "Goldengrove devoured my sister every time I closed my eyes."

When Charlotte's parents have her older sister, Phoebe, committed to Goldengrove Asylum, Charlotte decides to channel her inner Nellie Bly and get committed to the asylum herself in order to rescue her sister. Only she doesn't tell anyone her plans. And it only dawns on her once she's locked up in the asylum as just another anonymous indigent 'madwoman' that it might not be so easy to find Phoebe, or to get back out.

"I'd planned to find Phoebe, then inform the doctors that we were both sane, there had been a mistake, and we were leaving....I would save my sister the way she had saved me. But I could see now that what I'd imagined was only one of many, many possibilities and far from the likeliest one. Like Nellie Bly, I'd found it relatively simple to get in; how hard would it prove, I now wondered, to get out?"

I didn't like this one as much as I thought I would when I first started reading it. Probably because I found Charlotte's voice, as well as many of her actions, frustrating. She never would have succeeded in her quest to rescue her sister without the help of the other women in the asylum. I mean, who decides to get herself thrown in an asylum without a good plan of how to get back out? But maybe Macallister's main point was to show how unfairly women were treated back then, and how easy it was for the men around them to deem them mad and have them locked away for the rest of their lives. She certainly does an excellent job of portraying life in the asylum! Charlotte's personal life, and romantic drama, were less interesting to me. And I thought it all wrapped up a bit too neatly at the end. But the things that bugged me about this one might not bug you. And there were things I liked about it. So if you're interested in this time period, or in the stories of the women who were put in these asylums, definitely give it a try.

Happy Reading! 

An entertaining bookish drama...

"Femi makes three you know. Three, and they label you a serial killer."

For our next buddy read, Melody and I chose My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. It's set in Lagos, Nigeria, and centers around two sisters:  Ayoola and Korede. Korede is the older sister, and the narrator of the story. She's a nurse; she's also the responsible, careful and controlled one who knows how to clean up after her sister's messes. Even when those messes involve blood and a dead body. I had a lot of empathy for her. I also felt a bit impatient with her at times, too, wanting her to show some backbone and stand up to her sister. Especially when Ayoola takes an interest in Tade, the young doctor she likes. But Korede's relationship with her sister is tangled and complicated.

"I am more haunted by her actions than she is."

Ayoola, on the other hand, has an angelic face with a "music video vixen body." She's "incapable of practical underwear" and "completely oblivious to all but her own needs." And she gets away with anything and everything. As Korede describes her, "Ayoola is inconsiderate and selfish and reckless, but her welfare is and always has been my responsibility."  And that's the heart and soul of this novel.

With its very short chapters and easy-to-read narrative style, it was tempting to fly through this book in one day. But I'm glad I didn't. Braithwaite's amazing prose deserves to be savored. I really got caught up in Korede's and Ayoola's sad yet compelling story.  I loved this novel. And reading it with Melody just made it better. Be sure to check out her review and see what she thought about this one.

Happy Reading!

P.S. Here are Melody's questions for me about this particular read...and my answers:

Q. Sisterhood seems to be the core of this story. How do you feel about the sisterly bond between Korede and Ayoola? Do you like any of the sisters?

A. I think their sisterly bond is a strangling and suffocating one. Especially for Korede. (Who I liked better than Ayoola.) They're so co-dependent and stuck in their self-defined roles. I don't think either of them will ever be able to change or grow as long as they're together.

Q. What do you think of Korede's crush with Dr. Tade Otumu? Do you think she has a chance with him if Ayoola and Tade didn't get to know each other?

A. I think Korede's crush on Tade is one of the few normal and humanizing things about her. And I think their friendship could have grown into something more if Ayoola's beauty hadn't gotten in the way. Then again, I don't know if Korede could ever have let down her guard enough to open up to Tade and let him into her life or let him see who she really is. And if she did tell him all her secrets I doubt he would have been able to love her.

A Fairy Tale

I'm not a huge fan of fantasy stories involving the Fae, so I don't often check out books where they play a large role. But when my niece recommended A Fairy Tale by Shanna Swendson I couldn't resist giving it a try. And I'm glad I did. It's very entertaining. The two main characters, Sophie and Emily, are both spunky and smart. It reads fast. And it's fun. I actually ended up liking it a lot. It begins with Emily getting abducted by the Fae; her sister, Sophie, knows she must once again enter their Realm in order to rescue her. But Sophie has another role to play in Faerie...one she doesn't even know about. Yet.

Here are a few snippets to give you a taste of this fairy tale:

"According to Sophie's fairy indoctrination, time did funny things in fairyland. Emily could spend what felt like months here and return to the real world at the moment she left it, or she could spend what felt like minutes, only to return to the real world and find that a century had passed. Needless to say, she preferred the former option. It would be less detrimental to her career."

"If they'd told her they'd make her the greatest dancer ever in exchange for her sister, Sophie would never have agreed to the bargain. But she'd assumed she'd be the one to pay the price. ...She should have known. In all the stories, it was someone else who was taken as payment for a favor--a first-born child, a beloved daughter, a lover, a sister. ...Then again, there was always a loophole, a way to redeem the one who'd been taken or to sidestep the bargain entirely. She just had to find the loophole."

And then there's my favorite Fae, Eamon, who likes books and chocolate chip cookies:

"His silver hair gave him a shimmering halo. Although his face looked young, his eyes were ancient. They were the color of the mercury in old thermometers, a quicksilver color that shifted with light and motion. They were the most bewitching eyes she'd ever seen, and she felt as if she could have stared into them for hours--until she reminded herself that mercury was poisonous."

Happy Reading!

Sisters in books...

Title: The Moon Sisters by Therese Walsh

First Line: The night before the worst day of my life, I dreamed the sun went dark and ice cracked every mirror in the house, but I didn't take it for a warning.

Characters:  Olivia and Jazz Moon, two sisters grieving the death of their mother. Olivia, who sees sounds and tastes words, is exasperating and impossible; she's also a dreamer who goes blind staring at the sun. Jazz, who can't compete with her younger sister, is down-to-earth, responsible, and angry; she also feels like it's her job to watch out for her sister.

My Thoughts:  When they're together, Olivia and Jazz bring out the worst in each other; around Jazz, Olivia seems incredibly selfish and spoiled, while Jazz seems rigid and controlling. I liked them much better apart. Luckily, they both do some growing up over the course of this novel. My favorite character was Hobbs, the tattooed train-hopping wanderer the two sisters meet along the way. I knew about synesthesia--the stimulation of senses other than those receiving input (like hearing colors, or tasting sounds)--before I read this novel, but glimpsing the world as viewed through the eyes of someone (Olivia) who has this 'faulty wiring' was fascinating. And I love the way Walsh writes--there's just enough poetry in her words to make her prose sing. Most of all, I liked the way she divided her novel (and Olivia's and Jazz's journey) into the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. What a great way to tell this story!

Similar read: When Venus Fell by Deborah Smith