Review: Children of Liberty

Children of Liberty

Author: Paullina Simons
Pages: 576
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours

Description from Goodreads:
At the turn of the century and the dawning of the modern world, Gina from Belpasso comes to Boston’s Freedom Docks to find a new and better life, and meets Harry Barrington, who is searching for his.

The fates of the Barringtons and Attavianos become entwined, on a collision course between the old and new, between what is expected and what is desired, what is chosen and what is bestowed, what is given and what is taken away.

As America races headlong into the future, much will be lost and much will be gained for Gina and Harry, whose ill-fated love story will break your heart.

First Sentence: "There had been a fire at Ellis Island the year before Gina came to America with her mother and brother in 1899, and so instead of arriving at the Port of New York, they had set sail into the Port of Boston."

Review:

From what I can gather, Children of Liberty is the first book in a new series, which leads up to her most popular series, the Tatiana and Alexander trilogy. I haven't read that series yet, though I plan to begin it in the next week or so, but my research indicates that the main characters in Children of Liberty, are the parents in The Bronze Horseman. Sadly, while an okay read, all signs indicate that Children of Liberty pales in comparison to Simons' previous works.

By far, the biggest problem here is the writing. So much of it is odd, sentences strung together in strange ways that don't add to the narrative. Much of the dialogue is stilted and unnatural. Characters will be discussing one topic and then suddenly veer off onto another one without any warning or natural progression. These weaknesses are especially prevalent in the first half of the novel, but continue throughout.

The novel is also quite slow to begin, as I did not care at all about any of the characters right off the boat. Gina is 14 when Children of Liberty begins, and she acts it, her thoughts and words childish and naive. Her mother, the annoyingly named Mimoo, never serves any purpose but to worry. Her brother, Salvo, is an asshole who treats everyone with disdain, especially his sister. Even worse, he turns out not to matter a whole lot in the overall story, not appearing once after about the halfway point. Why spend so much time on him if he doesn't matter? I suppose if the rest of the intended series is published he'll matter again, but it's awkward for now.

The historical setting at the turn of the century should have been enthralling. Ben, Harry's friend, is working to get the Panama Canal constructed to revolutionize exporting around the world. Radicals like Eugene Debs and Emma Goldman are often referenced and even make appearances. As a history nerd, these elements should have left me feeling more educated and curious, but they were poorly integrated and I found myself sorely tempted to skim. Ben just kept going on and on about his bananas. Ben's mom kept getting on her soapbox about anti-imperialism. Later, Gina becomes interested in anarchism. Yet, none of these seem to matter all that much in the grand scheme of things. So far as I can tell, the anarchism only matters because it loosened Gina's morals.

Speaking of Gina's morals, we're coming to the stumbling block that really mattered more than most of those other things: I really hate Harry. Gina wants Harry from the moment she first meets him, when she's 14 and he's 21. She pursues him for six goddamn years. That's pathetic enough all on it's own, but, worse, he's in a serious relationship the entire time, engaged for five of those years. Of course, since the book is about their romance more than anything, he eventually capitulates to her charms and they have a whole lot of sex. While he's engaged to another woman. There is nothing that can make this okay with me, and Harry was already a weak-willed, annoying, whiny liar to begin with. Gina's attraction to him made me dislike her, even though in every other respect her older self is actually fairly likable.

Still, Children of Liberty was a decent read on the whole. I appreciated the banter between Ben and Harry at least, and it was fairly fast-paced. I didn't quite dislike it, but there is so much room for improvement. I really hope The Bronze Horseman is better, but every review I've seen assures me that it is. If you're a fan of that series, don't embark on this one expecting it to be anywhere near as good.

Rating: 2.5/5

Favorite Quote: "'I know for a fact that the damming of rivers is enticing to young girls.'"

Review + Guest Post + Giveaway: Salvation Blog Tour

Salvation

Author: Anne Osterlund
Pages: 288
Publisher: Speak
Publication Date: January 10, 2013
Source: Author for review

Description from Goodreads:
A smart, unexpected romance from an award-winning author.

Salvador Resendez--Salva to his friends--appears to have it all. His Mexican immigrant family has high expectations, and Salva intends to fulfill them. He's student body president, quarterback of the football team, and has a near-perfect GPA. Everyone loves him.

Especially Beth Courant, AKA the walking disaster area. Dreamy and shy, Beth is used to blending into the background. But she's also smart, and she has serious plans for her future.

Popular guy and bookish girl--the two have almost nothing in common. Until fate throws them together and the attraction is irresistible. Soon Beth is pushing Salva to set his sights higher than ever--because she knows he has more to offer, more than even he realizes.

Then tragedy strikes--and threatens to destroy everything that Salva has worked for. Will Beth's love be enough to save him?

Thoughtful and romantic, this is a beautifully written story about following your heart and fulfilling your potential.

First Sentence: "The night was insane."

Review:

I was completely thrilled when Anne Osterlund asked me to take part in the blog tour for her upcoming novel Salvation. Prior to this novel, she has three works published: Academy 7, Aurelia, and Exile. All three were delightful reads, with Aurelia having been my favorite. Still, blog tours can be nerve-wracking, because if you don't like the book, it's seriously awkward. In this case, I needn't have worried, as Anne has impressed me yet again with her variety as an author and her lovely storytelling.

My very favorite thing about Salvation is the subject matter. As we readers know, YA fiction tends to focus on a particular type of character: white and upper middle class. Sure, there's nothing wrong with those sorts of character, but there are a lot more types of people in the world, and fiction is meant to reflect life.

In Salvation, both of the main characters, Salva and Beth are both very poor, but very bright, standing a chance to get out of their town, where most people work at the onion factory. Beth lives in a battered trailer with her mother, who struggles with alcoholism. Luckily, Beth has a trust put aside for her education, if not for anything else. Salva, however, needs to get a full ride to whatever college he attends, which should be possible since he has a good shot at being the valedictorian.

Salva, short for Salvador (and also a pun on the title), is also Mexican (and note the lack of whitewashing on the cover!). He and his friends rule the school, the most popular kids at Liberty High. Beth has had a crush on him since eighth grade, but he's never paid any attention to her before. This changes when he needs her help to pass AP English, his weakest subject. Of course, in working together, they grow feelings and it's super cute.

Their relationship comes to be very slowly, really before either one of them particularly realizes it. Salva and Beth have so many preconceived notions about one another, whether good or ill, and watching them come to appreciate one another for real is just touching. Also, they flirt with Shakespeare, which has to be the best way to flirt. Never have I liked the death scene in Romeo & Juliet more. Best of all, once they finally do get together, it's really awkward, just the way fledgling relationships are with parents and how to act at school and how to act with one another.

Towards the end, I worried things were going to a bad place plot-wise, one of melodrama and needless tears, but Anne brought things together. All of the plot threads come together to make a satisfying ending, though not an unreservedly happy one. Of all of her books, I think this one definitely has the most serious message, one that will be wonderful for teens. Salvation is all about taking action, fighting for rights, doing your best, and finding your passion.

Salvation is written in third person limited, following Salva and Beth. The book might have been more powerful in first person, because, as it is, I never was able to completely bond with the characters. I really love Salva, but Beth proves a bit trickier. Beth is a quiet character, and I think really seeing through her eyes would have been a beautiful thing, because she clearly does not see things the way that I do.

If you're looking for YA with diversity in both race and socioeconomic status, Salvation is a delight. Populated with lifelike characters and a lovely message, I highly recommend Osterlund's latest to lovers of contemporary novels.

Rating: 4/5

Favorite Quote: "There was something to be said for paint spattered all outside the lines."

---

I gave Anne this prompt, and she did something delightful with it (and made me a fictional character, SQUEE!): From your emails and your blog, I can tell how close you are to your characters. What is it like having them in your head? What do they do to get out? Do they ever get together with characters from other books and
have a tea party?

SALVATION Blog Tour: An Epic Launch

AKA The Hazards of a Tea Party

By Anne Osterlund

          The invitation arrives via e-mail. I laugh as I read, then make the announcement.
          “So everyone,” I tell my characters, even though I know they’ve been spying and are already aware. “In honor of Salva and Beth’s upcoming release of their brand new book, Salvation, Christina has invited us all to a tea party at A Reader of Fictions.”
          Instant bedlam. The girls are all digging through their closets.
          Dane, from my earlier book, Academy 7, says flat-out that he doesn’t do tea parties. “What”—he says—“does a contemporary novel in which everyone’s life is a mess have to do with a tea party?”
          I point out that Salvation isn’t his story so the choice of accepting the invitation isn’t up to him. “Salva?” I question the real hero.
          “Will there be food?” Salva asks, spinning a football.
          “Absolutely.”
          “Touchdown.” He tosses the ball straight for the bucket at the edge of the porch, then gives Robert, from Aurelia and Exile, a high five. They are both on board.
          By now the girls have all congregated in Aurelia’s closet. (Aerin’s is empty, and Beth’s is a disaster). Twenty minutes later, we—minus Dane—arrive at A Reader of Fictions.
          The voice of our host, Christina, comes from a distance. She’s telling us all to make ourselves comfortable.
          A yummy smell wafts from an open door. Salva instantly disappears in that direction.
          Aurelia, formerly known as the crown princess of Tyralt, takes command. She directs Robert in the shifting of the table (toward a window with lots of light), then picks out the napkins (bright colors in honor of the celebration), and tells everyone where to sit.
          No one listens to her.
          Robert refuses to sit down before Aurelia.
          Aerin is hovering in the background—not because she really misses Dane, but because she has never participated in a tea party before and she doesn’t want to be in the way.
          Beth, who is supposed to sit in a central chair as a guest of honor, instead stumbles around, folding napkins and trying to be helpful. Trying is the operative word for this particular heroine. Her jeans are poking out from beneath her borrowed skirt. And she’d having a hard time balancing in high heels.
          Just then Christina arrives—bearing a porcelain teapot. Salva—who is wearing plain black jeans and a black t-shirt—also returns, laden with a heavy tray of holiday goodies (chocolate-covered cake balls, frosted-snowman sugar cookies, and mint-cheesecake brownies).
          Robert immediately poaches a brownie.
          And Beth trips over the phone cord, crashing into Salva.
          Who crashes into Robert.
          Christina leaps back, dropping the tea kettle.
          Then my other characters leap into action.
          Aerin—in a feat of martial-art expertise—rescues the tea.
          Aurelia rescues Robert.
          And Salva, who hit the ground hard, has somehow managed to cushion Beth’s fall, yet tilt the tray so that it hasn’t lost a single cookie.
          Ah, I think, this is what tea parties have to do with SALVATION.

---

Giveaway:
I'm offering up my ARC and swag for Anne's four novels to one winner. Simply fill out THIS FORM and leave a comment by January 7! US/CAN.

Audiobook Review: Astray

Astray

Author: Emma Donoghue
Narrators: James Langton, Khristine Hvam, Robert Petkoff, Suzanne Toren, Dion Graham
Duration: 6 hrs, 31 mins
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Source: Own

Description from Goodreads:
The fascinating characters that roam across the pages of Emma Donoghue's stories have all gone astray: they are emigrants, runaways, drifters, lovers old and new. They are gold miners and counterfeiters, attorneys and slaves. They cross other borders too: those of race, law, sex, and sanity. They travel for love or money, incognito or under duress.

With rich historical detail, the celebrated author of Room takes us from puritan Massachusetts to revolutionary New Jersey, antebellum Louisiana to the Toronto highway, lighting up four centuries of wanderings that have profound echoes in the present. Astray offers us a surprising and moving history for restless times.

Review:

Short story collections have never been my favorite reading, because they tend to be so uneven. A few stories will really move the reader, leaving the reader wishing for so more of them. Others bore or frustrate, an experience to be got through. With this being the case, keeping my attention and interest up throughout is difficult. On audio, I think this may have been exacerbated, because, without an excellent narrator, they can provoke in the reader a tendency to zone out.

These stories vary in subject matter, but all confront a sense of not belonging, of being astray in one sense or another. These historical tales might be appreciated by some for their own merit, and I didn't dislike them, but, for me, the best part of Astray were hearing the historical inspirations for Donoghue's stories. Every single story in this collection is based upon true historical incidents, some quite directly and others more loosely. At the end of each story, a narrator would inform the reader of these historical incidents, and I always looked forward to that, as most of the stories included quite shocking material.

Though a couple of the stories did hold more appeal for me than others, for the most part, I had trouble focusing and didn't get too much from them. Partly, this stems from a lack of characterization which can plague the shorter forms of writing. Also, some of the narrators really did not sit well with me. One in particular made me want to claw my ears out to put an end to her perky, know-it-all voice speaking with terrible imitations of accents.

Donoghue's afterward again relates the historical aspects of the stories, as well as going into greater detail on her thought process in crafting these stories. She narrated this herself, and both the content and her brogue are lovely. Getting a window into her interpretations of the stories singly and collectively really made for an interesting and unique reading experience.

If you love Donoghue's writing, Astray will be a must-read for you, if only to get a view into the workings of her brain. The stories themselves did not hold any special charm for me, but might have done more so had I read a print copy rather than listening to them.

Rating: 2.5/5

The Fox - Nada Surf (+ Giveaway)

The Bay of Foxes

Author: Sheila Kohler
Pages: 207
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication Date: June 26, 2012
Source: Review copy from Penguin in exchange for an honest review

Description from Goodreads:
In 1978, Dawit, a young, beautiful, and educated Ethiopian refugee, roams the streets of Paris. By chance, he spots the famous French author M., who at sixty is at the height of her fame. Seduced by Dawit's grace and his moving story, M. invites him to live with her. He makes himself indispensable, or so he thinks. When M. brings him to her Sardinian villa, beside the Bay of Foxes, Dawit finds love and temptation—and perfects the art of deception.

First Sentence: "Dawit is sitting in the back of the café in the shadows, when he notices her."

Review:
Before I started, all I had to go on was this brief description above and a blurb, which describes the novel as 'erotic.' With that in mind, I was really expecting something very different than what I found. I was expecting melodrama, but what I found was a sort of calm, spare prose, lovely and bare. I had no idea what The Bay of Foxes would be like or that I would enjoy it so much.

Personally, I would not describe this novel as erotic. Certainly, sex is a main theme of the novel, but there are no graphic, lurid, romanticized descriptions. I don't think this book is about living vicariously through Dawit's sex life. It's more about the impact sex has upon his life.

However, I suspect that this label may have been used as a way to scare some readers away and perhaps entice others. While the book isn't erotica, I imagine that it would offend a number of readers. This novel touches on issues that are tender for a number of people: torture, prostitution, and gay sex, for example. If you are easily offended, this book probably isn't for you. It's unashamedly dark and creepy.

Part of what intrigued me about this book before I read it was the comparison to Patricia Highsmith, which is on my version of the cover, although not pictured above. I've read a couple of Highsmith's novels and, though she may be incredibly insane, I really think few people can do creepy like she can. Well, Kohler definitely deserves the comparison to Highsmith. If you enjoyed The Talented Mr. Ripley or Strangers on a Train or some other Highsmith novel, you definitely should not miss checking out The Bay of Foxes.

Another awesome thing about The Bay of Foxes is getting to learn a little bit about Ethiopia. My knowledge of African history is extremely limited, so I was able to learn a lot even from the relatively brief references herein. I love seeing this diversity in the characters, as well. Also, look at this beautiful and not whitewashed cover!

The only thing that I was meh about was the ending, which does the thing where this book has actually been written and published by one of the characters thing. I have always hated this trope, mostly because I don't feel like it really adds anything to the story. Every time I read one that does that, I make the DUN DUN sound from Law & Order.

The Bay of Foxes is wonderful literary fiction, especially for readers that love twists and psychological thrillers.

Thanks to Penguin, I can offer one copy of The Bay of Foxes to one of my readers! US only. Otherwise, just fill out the Rafflecopter below!

Rating: 4/5

Favorite Quote: "Like all colonizers, he thinks, she is ultimately the dupe."

"It's how you feel for me now, not how you felt
It's how you deal with envy, not how you dealt

Recognise and send away, set it asail
Serenity inside of me

We're in a different war
With ourselves, and with some of you
So many things that can't be true"

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Shelcha - Yael Naïm

The Far Side of the Sky

Author: Daniel Kalla
Pages: 460
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
Source: Tor/Forge via NetGalley

Description from Goodreads:
On November 9, 1938—Kristallnacht—the Nazis unleash a night of terror across Germany that paves the way for Hitler’s “Final Solution.” Meanwhile, the Japanese Imperial Army continues to rampage through China and tighten its stranglehold on Shanghai, a besieged and divided city that becomes the last haven for thousands of desperate European Jews.

Dr. Franz Adler, an Austrian Jew and renowned surgeon, is swept up in the wave of anti-Semitic violence washing over Vienna and flees to China with his daughter. There, at a Shanghai refugee hospital, Franz meets an enigmatic nurse, Soon Yi “Sunny” Mah. The chemistry between them is intense and immediate, until Sunny’s life is shattered when a drunken Japanese sailor attempts to rape her and murders her father.

The danger escalates for Shanghai’s Jewish refugee community as the Japanese ally themselves militarily with Germany and attack Pearl Harbor. Soon, the Japanese overrun the European enclaves within Shanghai. Facing starvation, disease and the threat of internment—or worse—Franz struggles to keep the refugee hospital open while protecting his own family and fights to outwit the Nazis and save the city’s Jewish community from a terrible fate.

The Far Side of the Sky focuses on a short but extraordinary period of Chinese, Japanese and Jewish Second World War history, where cultures converged and heroic sacrifices were part of the everyday quest for survival.

First Sentence: "The shadow still swayed over the pavement."

Review:
Yet again, I find myself seriously impressed with the breadth and variety of WWII historical fiction. I honestly feel like whenever I read a WWII novel, whether I like it or not, I learn something new and fascinating. The Far Side of the Sky is no exception. I never previously knew that thousands of German and Austrian Jews escaped to Shanghai.

The story of these refugees has a double impact, since it allows Kalla to draw connections between the German's treatment of conquered territories and the Japanese treatment. I think this is seriously important for people in America to know. I have witnessed that here in the U.S., our schooling and basic mood towards Germany remains largely negative because of everything that happened in WWII. However, that same stigma definitely does not exist towards Japan or the Soviet Union. While, certainly, there were times where hatred or distrust for those countries eclipsed everything else, I don't think that their crimes have really caught in our consciousness the same way, largely because so much has been written and popularized about Hitler and the Holocaust.

The Far Side of the Sky begins in Austria on Kristallnacht. Franz's brother is brutally murdered by the SS, as are some of his family's neighbors. His brother's wife, Esther, has a huge gash on her arm. Thankfully, Franz is a doctor and can help. The opening is dramatic and makes its point. Franz Adler must get his family (himself, his daughter Hannah, Esther, and, hopefully, his aging father) out of Austria. Practically the only country accepting Jews at this point, fairly early in the war though it was, was China. The only reason China was open was because China really didn't have much of a say in anything at this point.

Through sheer luck and connections, Franz and his family escape to Shanghai. Though better, tensions in Shanghai are also running very high. Shanghai is inundated with foreigners, all in an uneasy truce and all ruling over the Chinese. The Japanese, however, are the ones really calling the shots, in their bid to take over the world from the east as Hitler moved from the west. Atrocities such as the Rape of Nanking are covered, although not in detail, quite clearly.

I found the writing style a bit awkward in the beginning, although I suspect that some of that will be fixed in the final version. Kalla seemed a bit unsure whether he should have his characters use German at all or whether he should just write in English. While I see the temptation to use the actual language, switching to English for the bulk of the conversation is more awkward. The reader can figure out that they would probably be speaking in German.

The characters are just great, which, as you all know, is the most important aspect of a book to me pretty much every time. I especially loved Sunny, a half-white, half-Chinese nurse in Shanghai. She's so incredibly intelligent and brave. Powerful women ftw! I was so caught up in their story by the end, and so desperate for things to turn out well for them.

If, like me, you can't get enough WWII fiction, I would definitely recommend searching out The Far Side of the Sky.

Rating: 4/5

Favorite Quote: "Simon shook his head. ‘The Nazis in Germany…the Japanese here in Shanghai…Treating people as less than human because of the shape of their faces or the sound of their names. Sometimes it feels like the whole damn world is unraveling.’"

"Too many screams in my throat
Too many faces
Too many plans
that I wanted to change
So many words
If I can only tell you
There's no other love
But the one I live with you

Still don't know how
We let all this happen
Will this war last forever and ever?
They've burned my hands
Cut my hair and steal my soul
But do you really want to know?"

All These Things That I've Done - The Killers

The Baker's Daughter

Author: Sarah McCoy
Pages: 279
ARC Acquired from: Crown Publishing Group via NetGalley
Brief Summary:
Reba, a reporter for Sun City in El Paso, moved there from her home in Virginia, trying to get away from the memories that haunt her, memories of her father's behavior, who returned from the Vietnam War a broken man. She planned for El Paso to be merely a blip on her radar, before she continued west for a job with a better paper. She now feels stuck, though, engaged to Riki, a Border Patrol agent. Although she cares for him, she fears showing him her real self and wonders if their love is enough. For an article on Christmas customs in different cultures, she goes to the German bakery to interview Elsie Schmidt, who grew up in Germany during the Nazi years. Through her relationship with Elsie and Jane, Elsie's daughter, Reba learns about strength and facing tough memories.

Review:
The Baker's Daughter was not what I expected it to be, not really at all. For one thing, I thought the story would focus on Elsie, which, if you consider the main character the person who most of the pages are focused on, she would be. Really, though, the tale seems to be more about Elsie's affect on others, as viewed through the lens of Reba.

This device works incredibly powerfully. Elsie had a great impact on many lives, but, by using Reba as the frame story, McCoy is able to bring in additional themes and commentaries in a natural manner. The story could have been told from the perspective of Tobias just as easily, but I think something would ultimately have been lost. By incorporating Reba into the tale, McCoy is able to draw connections between Nazi Germany, the Vietnam War and the border wars between the U.S. and Mexico.

McCoy tells the story primarily using an omniscient narrator, who follows along with the perspective of one character at a time, but there are also epistolary sections. With this combination of formats, the reader follows along with a handful of characters. What makes this so impressive is that every character was likable, though flawed--especially Reba. They all had unique voices and interesting tales to tell.

The Baker's Daughter left me feeling full of hope and inspiration. McCoy's is a message of hope and the triumph of the human spirit over tragedy, so long as you face up to your fears. I suggest reading prepared; if you don't have any fresh bread or cake from a bakery, you are going to be super hungry!

Rating: 4.5/5

"Another head aches, another heart breaks
I am so much older than I can take
And my affection, well it comes and goes
I need direction to perfection"