Category Archives: Book Review and Content

Review: The Baker’s Daughter by D. P. Cornelius

Book Review and Content, Historical, , , , , ,

The Baker's Daughter by D. P. CorneliusThe Baker’s Daughter
D. P. Cornelius
Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas
Published February 1, 2017

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About The Baker’s Daughter
While chaos reigns over WW II Berlin, seventeen-year-old Liddy returns to her family’s bakery only to be confronted by a new customer — Keppler, a Nazi officer. Marek, a young man with a secretive past, labors just a few paces away in the kitchen, but where do his loyalties lie? With the Nazis? With Liddy?

Liddy’s father, Klaus, secures a night job as a prison guard where anti-Nazi dissident, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, is being held. Klaus smuggles out the pastor’s letters, but tensions rise as Keppler establishes a tenuous relationship with Liddy’s young brother, Willy. Does the Nazi officer wish to recruit Willy, or is Keppler there to spy on Liddy’s family?

From air raids to the Hitler Youth, Liddy becomes enmeshed in a world of spies intent on betrayal. When Liddy makes a critical mistake that endangers a loved one, she faces a decision that puts her own faith on the line and her family’s safety in jeopardy.

My Review
I generally love World War II stories, possibly because when I was little, my mom read The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom aloud to us, and then in my early teens I discovered the Zion Covenant by Bodie and Brock Thoene.

I liked that The Baker’s Daughter referenced some real life people. Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes a brief appearance, and Liddy’s family discusses some of the principles he teaches. Also, Betsie Ten Boom, Corrie’s sister speaks with Marek’s mother in a scene set in a concentration camp. It was cool to see them in the pages of this story.

One of the other things I liked was the tenuous friendship between Liddy and the Nazi officer Keppler. I liked that he wasn’t portrayed as simply an evil man. When Liddy looks past his cold exterior, she finds he nurses some wounds that have festered into deep bitterness, and she continues to reach out to him and to challenge him to love others and to question his actions from the perspective of what God would want him to do.

While I enjoyed some things about the story, I struggled with other elements. Adults make up most of the viewpoints in the story– Herr Keppler, Liddy’s mother, Marek’s mother. Some of the pivotal scenes happen in these adult points-of-view. I would classify this as general or adult fiction, not young adult fiction. Even the younger viewpoints don’t really read like YA.

Another thing I found frustrating was the fact that so many of the most interesting parts of the story happen off-scene. What does Marek’s role in the resistance look like? What dangers does he face on a regular basis? Why was his heritage and the danger it placed him in revealed so late in the story? It seemed to me a missed opportunity for tension. At one point, the story jumps ahead a year, and Liddy recaps some of the missed events in a letter to her grandmother. Some of those sounded exciting. In particular, the arrest of some of Marek’s resistance compatriots. Were the Nazis closing in on him? Was he worried?

The ending of the story left a lot of things vague. It also has more of a recap tone, which missed any strong sense of emotions on how Liddy felt about the events that took place just before.

On the whole, I thought there were some cool elements to the story. I liked that The Baker’s Daughter followed a typical German family in Berlin in Nazi Germany, and I liked the cameo appearances by well-known real-life heroes. The Christian world-view and themes are strong and well-represented. Readers looking for overtly Christian books will like the clear message of God’s redemptive love and forgiveness.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
German and Jewish characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Liddy and Marek seem to feel some attraction for each other, but their relationship doesn’t develop physically.

Spiritual Content
Marek spent a lot of time in a Catholic church. Liddy and her family are Christians and pray together as well as talk about spiritual precepts. Liddy begins to challenge the Nazi soldier who frequents her family’s bakery, asking him why he’s so critical and encouraging him to show love and kindness toward others. Later, she speaks to him about forgiveness and how God’s love is unconditional.

Violent Content
A bomb injures a boy and young woman.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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Review: Breaking by Danielle Rollins

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Breaking
Danielle Rollins
Bloomsbury
Published June 6, 2017

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About Breaking

Charlotte has always felt ordinary compared to her two best friends at the prestigious Weston Preparatory Institute. Not enigmatic and daring like Ariel or beautiful and brilliant like Devon, Charlotte has never quite met the standards of the school—or those of her demanding mother. But with Ariel and Devon by her side, none of that mattered. They became the family she never had.

Until the unthinkable happens—Ariel dies by suicide. And less than a month later, so does Devon.

Everyone accepts the suicides as tragic coincidences, but Charlotte refuses to believe that. And when she finds mysterious clues left behind by Ariel, Charlotte is thrust down a path that leads to a dangerous secret about Weston Prep. There’s a reason Weston students are so exceptional, and the people responsible are willing to kill to protect the truth…

My Review

The opening chapters of Breaking confused me a little bit because it starts with a far-off memory and zooms into the present. At first I thought Ariel and Devon were Charlotte’s imaginary friends (which is totally my mistake. I don’t know why I thought that.) and I kept getting confused by references about them until I figured it out.

Then I found the plot and the visceral writing style drew me straight into the story. I liked Charlotte from the beginning, and found it easy to root for her. The plot has this tense, desperate sense to it. I’m not usually a big reader of suspense, but I really got into this.

The most difficult thing about the book, for me, was the amount of violence in the story. It definitely relates to the plot. There are definitely things that happen which Charlotte herself condemns. In one part, though, revenge seems to trump everything else. I wasn’t crazy about that.

The ending leaves room for an additional story, but it could be that it’s simply meant to have an open ending. There is another book in the series which came out last year called Burning and seems to be about an event referenced in Breaking but features entirely different characters.

If you like dark superhero origin type stories, Breaking might be perfect for you. Read on to see possible content triggers and other information.

Content

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Devon is black. Zoe is Asian and French.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Ariel speculates about a teacher’s genitalia in a brief comment. The girls bought sexy underwear earlier, planning to save it for when they decide to have sex with their boyfriends. Charlotte describes a lot of desire and arousal in her feelings for Jack. Several scenes feature her fantasizing about being with him (in mostly general not specific terms). Her feelings do factor into the plot, though. At one point a shift in her relationship with Jack makes Charlotte suspect that something big is wrong.

The story features some intense kissing between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Charlotte tells us that Ariel’s mom is a devout Christian.

Violent Content
Here’s where the big guns come out.

Overdose death. Drowning death. We see Charlotte wrestle with discovering both these situations. Fire kills animals in a shelter. Fire kills inmates in a detention center—we learn about both of those secondhand. Casual references to bullying. Eventually we learn that one of Charlotte’s friends broke another girl’s arm as part of a bullying incident.

As the story progresses, the references to violence become darker. At one point, a girl threatens the life of a tiny kitten. Charlotte causes a car accident which injures a man. Later, Charlotte finds the dead body of a security guard moments after his throat has been cut. She finds another suicide victim. She witnesses a woman being burned alive from the inside—that description in particular was pretty graphic.

Drug Content
Charlotte remembers her friend Devon encouraging her to try one of the pills in her mom’s purse. She remembers drinking alcohol with her friends in several scenes. Charlotte drinks alcohol alone in her room and at a party. At one point she drinks a bottle of unknown liquid, something she suspects might be GHB, planted by her friend Ariel.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Shadow Magic by Joshua Khan

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

Shadow Magic (Shadow Magic #1)
Joshua Khan
Disney-Hyperion
Published April 12, 2016

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About Shadow Magic

Thorn, an outlaw’s son, wasn’t supposed to be a slave. He’s been sold to Tyburn, an executioner, and they’re headed to Castle Gloom in Gehenna, the land of undead, where Thorn will probably be fed to a vampire.

Lilith Shadow wasn’t supposed to be ruler of Gehenna. But following the murder of her family, young Lily became the last surviving member of House Shadow, a long line of dark sorcerers. Her country is surrounded by enemies and the only way she can save it is by embracing her heritage and practicing the magic of the undead. But how can she when, as a girl, magic is forbidden to her?

Just when it looks like Lily will have to leave her home forever, Thorn arrives at Castle Gloom. A sudden death brings them together, inspires them to break the rules, and leads them to soar to new heights in this fantasy with all the sparkle and luster of a starry night sky.

My Review

I picked this book up largely because I read DREAM MAGIC, the second in the series, earlier this year and really enjoyed how unusual and clever it was. So I liked this first book, too, but I think I expected more to happen? I mean, a lot happens, but it’s all things that the second book references, so I guess I kind of had all the spoilers before I started reading.

Nevertheless, I still really enjoyed reading this book. I loved getting to see how Thorn and Lily become friends and Thorn’s relationship with Hades, the giant bat, and even his complex relationship with Tyburn, the executioner. I liked that each kingdom has some specific form of magic, and that each one had its own distinct cultural vibe.

There’s also some interesting emphasis on women’s rights. As Lily discovers her magic, she’s warned that if anyone finds out she can do magic, she’ll be burned as a witch. It’s culturally acceptable for men (and even expected in male rulers) to have magical ability. But people see a woman with magic as untrustworthy and too temperamental to handle it. Lily chooses to keep her magic secret, but she and her friends believe people should not treat women this way.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 12.

Representation
Each kingdom has kind of a specific cultural vibe. The most prominent in the story is a kingdom whose magic is fire, and has a strongly Middle Eastern feel to it.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
One brief kiss.

Spiritual Content
Lily rules a kingdom of undead. Her family’s powers include necromancy—summoning ghosts and raising people from the dead as zombies.

Violent Content
Battle scenes between soldiers and zombies under the command of a masked sorcerer. Someone attempts to poison Lily but winds up killing her dog instead. Someone pushes a girl into the moat to her death. Lily and Thorn both face moments of peril. There are some vivid descriptions of Hades the giant bat eating other animals, like sheep.

Drug Content
None.

Review: The Wonder of Us by Kim Culbertson

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Wonder of Us
Kim Culbertson
Point
Published April 25, 2017

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About The Wonder of Us
Riya moved to Berlin, Germany, with her family for junior year, while Abby stayed behind in their small California town. They thought it would be easy to keep up their friendship—it’s only a year and they’ve been best friends since preschool. But instead, they ended up fighting and not being there for the other. So Riya proposes an epic adventure to fix their friendship. Two weeks, six countries, unimaginable fun. But two small catches:

They haven’t talked in weeks.

They’ve both been keeping secrets.

Can Riya and Abby find their way back to each other among lush countrysides and dazzling cities, or does growing up mean growing apart?

My Review
I worried that this story would be too light and cheesy for my taste, but I was so wrong. I loved the way the story of Riya and Abby’s friendship develops and unravels and their scrambling attempts to fix things. Though the girls are in late high school, the story is clean and sweet, definitely something to consider for younger teens just beginning their foray into young adult literature. Might be a good fit for someone who enjoyed the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or Sarah Dessen’s books.

The setting rotates through major European cities, which was another really fun element. I liked that both girls had such different personalities that they experienced the cities in different ways and valued different things about them. Those differences made it easy to see why their friendship was a challenge but also why it had been so rewarding to them.

The one element I struggled with was Abby’s relationship with her mom, who had recently divorced her dad. Abby clearly blames her mom and doesn’t find a lot of resolution in her relationship through the story. While I know that wasn’t the point of the book, I would have liked to see at least a little bit of hope there or a broadening in Abby’s understanding of her mom’s decisions.

On the whole, though, I enjoyed the story a lot and think it’s a great summer read.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Riya and her cousin Neel are Indian. Abby is white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A couple brief instances of British profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
A few brief kisses.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Neel and his friend order beer (they’re of age to drink). Riya and Abby go to some teen clubs where they drink soda.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Review: The Dragon with the Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

The Dragon with the Chocolate Heart
Stephanie Burgis
Bloomsbury
Published May 30, 2017

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About The Dragon with the Chocolate Heart
Aventurine is the fiercest, bravest dragon there is. And she’s ready to prove it to her family by leaving the safety of their mountain cave and capturing the most dangerous prey of all: a human. But when the human she finds tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate, Aventurine is transformed into a puny human girl with tiny blunt teeth, no fire, and not one single claw.

But she’s still the fiercest creature in the mountains — and now she’s found her true passion: chocolate! All she has to do is get herself an apprenticeship (whatever that is) in a chocolate house (which sounds delicious), and she’ll be conquering new territory in no time…won’t she?

My Review
The Dragon with the Chocolate Heart is one of the most fun books I’ve read in a long time. I loved Aventurine’s spunky nature and her passion for chocolate. The story consistently shows her struggle with baffling human customs contrasted with her more familiar dragon ways. I loved the characters from Aventurine’s wily friend Silke to the strict chocolatier Marina.

On her journey, Aventurine discovers a love for chocolate which will certainly appeal to chocolate-loving readers, but she also learns to value humans despite how strange and different they are from dragons. When her new human friends become threatened by her dragon family, Aventurine must use all her wits and newfound understanding to bring the two sides together peacefully in the same way she’s had to make peace with her dragon and human self.

Readers who enjoyed Tuesdays at the Castle or Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George definitely need to give this book a read! Keep some chocolate handy to snack on, because you’re surely going to crave it.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Brief reference to Aventurine’s friend having brown hands. Not much in the way of race or description details given other than that.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
The story contains dragons and some magic elements, mostly in that some humans use magic to fight dragons or affect certain tasks, like food preparation.

Violent Content
Humans and dragons are enemies. Dragons eat humans (not shown in the story, but briefly discussed) and humans tried to kill dragons they encountered in the past.

Drug Content
Enchanted hot chocolate turns Aventurine into a human.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Review: Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Jess, Chunk and the Road Trip to Infinity
Kristin Elizabeth Clark
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books for Young Readers
Published November 8, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity

The last time Jess saw her father, she was a boy named Jeremy. Now she’s a high school graduate, soon to be on her way to art school. But first, Jess has some unfinished business with her dad. So she’s driving halfway across the country to his wedding. He happens to be marrying her mom’s ex-best friend. It’s not like Jess wasn’t invited; she was. She just told them she wasn’t coming. Surprise!

Luckily, Jess isn’t making this trip alone. Her best friend, Christophe—nicknamed Chunk—is joining her. Chunk has always been there for Jess, and he’s been especially supportive of her transition, which has recently been jump-started with hormone therapy.

Along the way from California to Chicago, Jess and Chunk will visit roadside attractions, make a new friend or two, and learn a few things about themselves—and each other—that call their true feelings about their relationship into question.

My Review

My favorite part of the story was the relationship between Jess and Chunk. They had a lot of shared rituals and games—from the use of the term Black Hole to indicate a topic that must immediately be dropped, to a back-and-forth exchange of synonyms as a game.

I loved the way the author juxtaposed Jess’s insecurities about her body during her transition and Chunk’s insecurities about his weight. I felt like Jess’s experience was really easy to understand and empathize with, but she’s also a flawed character. Her self-focused thoughts and obsession over her feelings about her transition leave her blinded to the feelings of others. At first, this causes a lot of friction, but Jess does begin to recognize how cruel or thoughtless she’s been to others. There’s a lot of hope to be found here, and a lot of heart, too.

While Jess’s mom is extremely supportive of her transition, her dad withdraws and struggles much more overtly with Jess’s identity. Showing Jess’s dad’s reaction and also her feelings about his words added a much greater understanding and level of empathy to the story, because we saw not only her dad’s genuine struggle to understand why this was happening and the way his struggle made Jess feel rejected and unloved.

Overall, Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity is an emotional journey wrapped in a road trip and packed with all the stuff best friendships are made of and even a little romance. Fans of John Green and Emil Ostrovski will enjoy the quirky, deep friendships.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Jess is a transgender girl who has recently started hormone therapy as part of her transition. Another character comes out as pansexual, meaning he is attracted to others of any gender.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
One kiss between Jess and a boy. Jess also talks about her journey realizing she’s transgender as opposed to previously believing she was gay. At one point she briefly mentions one key moment was in paying attention to what she fantasized about—touching rather than being touched. It’s brief and only about as explicit as I just was.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Jess worries about her safety as she and Chunk travel through from California to Chicago, through some areas known to be unfriendly toward transgender people. At one point she hears a story about someone who was attacked.

Drug Content
At one point Jess drinks beer with friends she makes on the road trip.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.