Review: Ember Falls by S. D. Smith

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

Ember Falls by S. D. SmithEmber Falls (Green Ember Series #2)
S. D. Smith
Illustrated by Zach Franzen
Story Warren Books
Published September 13, 2016

Amazon | Goodreads

About Ember Falls
The stage is set. It’s war. Morbin Blackhawk, slaver and tyrant, threatens to destroy the rabbit resistance forever. Heather and Picket are two young rabbits improbably thrust into pivotal roles.

The fragile alliance forged around the young heir seems certain to fail. Can Heather and Picket help rescue the cause from a certain, sudden defeat?

My Place Beside You

My Blood For Yours

Till The Green… Ember Falls

My Review
I enjoyed the strong fantasy-esque voice throughout Ember Falls and found Pick and his sister Heather to be cool characters. I struggled with the sheer number of named characters in the story, though, and found it really difficult to keep track of who everyone was. I sometimes got Pick and Perk confused because of their similar names. Other times characters would be introduced by name without any indication of who they were or why their name might matter, if that makes sense.

The huge vocabulary of story-specific terms made the story feel like it had a definite place, but often terms were introduced quickly or one on top of each other and I never felt like I had a good sense of their significance or meaning.

Pen and ink drawings show various characters and scenes throughout Ember Falls. They added a lot of detail to the story as well.

I think the thing I found most difficult, though, was the lack of character descriptions. Without the illustrations to clue me in, I wouldn’t have known the characters were rabbits until the second chapter. Their movements and expressions don’t relate to rabbit movements or expressions. I kept wondering if they twitched their ears when they were nervous or had heightened hearing because, well, rabbit ears. Ha. No real mention of any of that.

I liked the themes of sacrifice and honor. Pick struggles through the story with the knowledge that his family has been enslaved by Morbin Blackhawk and the birds of prey. He longs to rescue them, but the mission would place the survival of the rest of the rabbit army, and its prince, in jeopardy.

Reading the first book in the series first might have cleared up some of my confusion. Hard to say. I found it hard to get a sense of what had happened in the first book versus what was true backstory, so I’m not really sure. If you’re interested in the series, I do recommend starting with the first book rather than with Ember Falls.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Characters are rabbits, wolves, and birds of prey.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to the fact that Heather and Prince Smalls are intended to marry.

Spiritual Content
Brief note that former heroes have become sort of saints in the eyes of the rabbits. An order of rabbits wears blue robes and appears to be some kind of spiritual group, but their beliefs are unspecified.

Violent Content
Battles with swords, some proving fatal. Wolves attack, biting rabbits. Birds carry small rabbits off to become slaves. Masters threaten slaves with death. No gory descriptions.

Drug Content
Emma uses tonics to treat the wounded, some she appears to have discovered herself.

 

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Review: You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon

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

You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone
Rachel Lynn Solomon
Simon Pulse
Published on January 2, 2018

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone

Eighteen-year-old twins Adina and Tovah have little in common besides their ambitious nature. Viola prodigy Adina yearns to become a soloist—and to convince her music teacher he wants her the way she wants him. Overachiever Tovah awaits her acceptance to Johns Hopkins, the first step on her path toward med school and a career as a surgeon.

But one thing could wreck their carefully planned futures: a genetic test for Huntington’s, a rare degenerative disease that slowly steals control of the body and mind. It’s turned their Israeli mother into a near stranger and fractured the sisters’ own bond in ways they’ll never admit. While Tovah finds comfort in their Jewish religion, Adina rebels against its rules.

When the results come in, one twin tests negative for Huntington’s. The other tests positive.

These opposite outcomes push them farther apart as they wrestle with guilt, betrayal, and the unexpected thrill of first love. How can they repair their relationship, and is it even worth saving?

My Review

I read this book over my hospital stay in December, and it was a really great distraction from everything else going on before my daughter was born. (Everything’s good—we’re both healthy and doing well now.) I found it super easy to get lost in the story of two sisters waiting for the results of a genetic test and dealing with their anxiety over the results in vastly different ways. Both girls felt real and individual. I could tell whose point-of-view I was in just from reading a single paragraph.

While Adina has some mixed feelings about some casual sexual encounters in her past, she clearly feels empowered by her desirability. She comes across confident and eager for sex, but frustrated that she’s not able to trigger a transfer from lust to love in her partners. I found that complexity moving and believable. For me personally, I wish it had less explicit sexual content, but I liked the writing and the way the author showed a lot more about Adina’s character through her perceptions of herself and the way she related to men.

The tug-of-war between Adina and Tovah to rebuild or sabotage their relationship felt like a train wreck I couldn’t look away from (in a good way). The tension only increases when one sister receives a positive test result for Huntington’s.

I don’t know much about Huntington’s apart from the descriptions in this book, so I’m not a good resource for how accurately it’s represented. But many scenes showed Adina and Tovah’s mom and her changing moods and behavior in stark, raw ways that made it clear how much a positive result would impact each girl’s life plans and made it impossible not to empathize both with the girls and their family.

Readers who enjoyed Dana Reinhardt’s We Are the Goldens will find similar focus on sister relationships and strong writing.

Content

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Cultural Elements
Adina and Tovah have been raised in a practicing Jewish family. Tovah embraces her faith in part because of her mom’s diagnosis. Adina rejects her faith wholly, even to the extent that she doesn’t believe in God. For her, Mom’s diagnosis is evidence that there is no God.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently. One sister uses much more profanity than the other.

Romance/Sexual Content
An eighteen-year-old girl begins a sexual relationship with her teacher. Some exchanges between them contain explicit details. She also reflects on other casual sex encounters from her past—some of which she has very mixed feelings about now. In one scene, she masturbates, thinking about her new lover.

One girl begins a dating relationship and describes some of the progression of the physical side of it—kissing, cuddling inside a sleeping bag together, and approaching having sex. She learns her best friend has been having sex with a boyfriend.

Spiritual Content
Adina and Tovah celebrate Sabbath with their family and attend weekly services. They speak Hebrew. One sister talks about how frustrated she feels around the winter holidays when people wish her a Merry Christmas because it assumes she’s part of something she isn’t.

Violent Content
One girl wrestles with anxiety and depression, at one point planning to die by suicide.

Drug Content
Some scenes show teens drinking alcohol.

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

Review: Beauty by Robin McKinley

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Beauty
Robin McKinley
Open Road Media
Published on November 8, 2014 (Originally published October 25, 1978)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When Beauty’s family falls on reduced circumstances, she, her father, and two sisters move to a remote village rumored to be near an enchanted castle. Beauty and her sisters face their new lives bravely, learning to do chores and care for their new home. One night, after a long journey, their father returns home with a magical rose and a chilling story. He has met the Beast and ruler of the castle and now owes a debt: either his own life or the life of one of his daughters. Ever practical Beauty decides she must be the one to take her father’s place. But her new life in the castle turns out to be far different than anything she could have imagined. Invisible servants tend her needs, and the Beast, who seemed terrifying at first, soon becomes dear to her. A family emergency forces Beauty to choose: stay in the castle and let her sister make a terrible mistake, or risk everything to return home and warn her.

Beauty is one of the first young adult novels I ever read, and I happened upon it totally by accident in a used book stall at a flea market in the mountains of western North Carolina. I’ve since read other fairytale retellings by Robin McKinley, and have never been disappointed by any of them. Beauty used to be one of my go-to reads for those awful days when I was too sick to read and absorb something new, but still longed to escape reality in a book. It’s been years since I’ve read it, and still I couldn’t stop reading until I’d reached the end of the tale.

The style isn’t my favorite—it’s a lot more narrative than the kinds of books I usually prefer, but the descriptions are so vivid and Beauty’s character so clearly drawn that I always get sucked straight into the story anyway. This is a definite must-read for anyone who adores fairytale retellings. You’ll recognize a lot of familiar elements in other fairytales retold that authors drew from McKinley’s style and way of reimagining things. (In fact, one of my newer favorite authors who writes reimagined fairytales, Kenley Davidson, draws some inspiration from McKinley’s stories, and I think it’s one of the things that first drew me into her work.)

If you’re looking for clean young adult fiction, this is a great choice. McKinley has other books you might be interested in as well: Spindle’s End, her retelling of Sleeping Beauty; Outlaws of Sherwood, her retelling of Robin Hood; and her fantasy duo, The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. I recommend them all.

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are white and straight.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A brief kiss and a few mentions of blushing or attraction.

Spiritual Content
A couple references to prayer. One character exclaims, “Merciful God.” The Beast’s castle is populated with invisible servants which Beauty often describes as a “breeze.” She begins to hear and understand them to be individuals as her time in the castle progresses.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Wine is served with dinner.

 

Review: A Bird, a Girl, and a Rescue by J. A. Myhre

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

A Bird, a Girl, and a Rescue (Rwendigo Tales #2)
J. A. Myhre
New Growth Press
Published September 13, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About A Bird, a Girl, and a Rescue
Eleven-year-old Kiisa had no idea why her parents would send her away to boarding school. She wondered why they couldn t all stay together in their beautiful African valley home. But no matter what she said they were firm: she must go, and she must go to this school.

As she said a tearful goodbye to her father, he whispered, For such a time as this. . . . Remember that phrase, and try to open your trunk soon. You ll find something unexpected inside. When Kiisa opened the trunk, she was astonished to find a small heap of black and white feathers that quickly unfolded into a little bird, a wagtail to be exact. Her surprise only deepened when the bird started to speak, My name is Njili. I am one of the Messengers, though a small one. I have been sent to assist you with the Rescue. Kiisa had no idea what she meant, but she would soon find out.

My Review
I liked the foreign setting of this story and some of the cultural details. Even though it’s set in a made up place, the author clarifies that some of the events in the story were based on things she witnessed while living in Africa serving as a doctor. I thought Kiisa was an interesting character and identified with her homesickness and her feelings of otherness at school.

While I liked that the author talked about prejudices girls face with regard to playing sports, I guess I found it odd that even though Kiisa was talented, she played for a while without being truly interested in soccer. I wondered if someone would do that when faced with all the teasing and pressure to quit that she must have faced. I also wanted that part to tie into the rest of the story somehow. It ended up being this sort of side vignette that didn’t really relate to the story’s major plot—the rescue Kiisa would need to perform.

Other elements of the plot seemed disjointed, too, or like they kind of came out of nowhere. I liked the idea of animals as messengers from God and found that to be an imaginative idea, but I expected them to mentor Kiisa in her faith as well as help her with the practical steps toward a rescue.

I liked Kiisa’s relationship with her family, her dad especially. The setting made me think a little bit of Katie Quirk’s A Girl Called Problem, also set in a small village in Africa. Readers who liked Escape from Sudan might also like A Bird, a Girl, and a Rescue.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Characters are African—takes place in an imaginary place in Africa.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Kiisa encounters Messengers, animals which speak to humans and are sent by God to help with His purposes.

Violent Content
Rebel soldiers with guns attack Kiisa’s school, taking one girl hostage. They set fire to the building where Kiisa and other girls sleep. A crocodile tries to attack two girls in the water. No graphic descriptions or details.

Drug Content
None.

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

 

Happy New Year from The Story Sanctuary!

Lists, News and Fun, , ,

Happy New Year!

We hope you had an amazing holiday season with friends and family and had time to reflect on your faith. This year is sure to bring some great things, and we’ll look forward to celebrating them.

So… my Christmas went a little differently than I planned. I celebrated Christmas from a hospital bed and shortly after, my daughter was born. We’re biased, of course, but she’s beautiful and already an amazing adventure.

Both me and my girl are healthy and doing well. I expected to have a few more weeks to get things in order for her to arrive, but here we are. As far as the blog, Gabrielle and I have some great reviews already in the works and will continue to share them. I’ll probably slow down accepting reviews again until I settle into being the mom of two.

In keeping with the New Year tradition of setting resolutions, I thought it would be fun to post some blogging resolutions– goals for how things happen here at The Story Sanctuary this coming year. So here goes…

Story Sanctuary New Year’s Resolutions

  1. Continue posting reviews! We try to post reviews or updates about three times per week. Over the last year, we posted an average of 13 posts per month. The goal is probably closer to 16. You can check out the books we already have on our review list by visiting the 2018 Reading List.
  2. Add more lists! I love participating in Top Ten Tuesday posts and even creating my own bookish lists. This year I hope to post two per month.
  3. Give away more books! Last year we had some amazing giveaways from Disney and a few more as part of various blog tours I participated in. This year I hope to do a better job passing on some of the best books I receive for review to you, my awesome readers. So watch for those. I would love to do one each month, maybe as a part of my Monthly Wrap-Up posts.
  4. Write a guide for parents on choosing literature! This has been a goal for the last couple of years, actually, and something I’m passionate about as a parent. I’d love to break down my own process of how my daughter and I decide what books she’s ready for and share it with others who may have some similar questions and concerns. I’ll update on this as I get my data together.
  5. Social media better. Y’all, I am so not consistent on social media. My Pinterest account languishes for months with no updates. My Twitter feed becomes a desert with the occasional tumbleweed auto-post from my blog. I’d like to do better at connecting with readers via those outlets so I can meet readers and talk more about great books!

What are your reading or blogging goals for the new year?

Leave me a comment and share your reading, blogging or writing goals for this next year. They don’t have to be big or difficult. Sometimes just thinking about what you want to do and writing it down can help me feel more focused and work toward a thing. Does that work for you, too?

Review: Life Just Got Real by Sadie Robertson with Cindy Coloma

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

Life Just Got Real
Sadie Robertson with Cindy Coloma
Howard Books / Simon & Schuster
Published on June 7, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Life Just Got Real
Sixteen-year-old A.J. Smith grew up in backwoods Louisiana, repairing cars with her dad and hunting with her brothers. But when her dad dies, her mom drags the whole family to Nashville where everything is different—except A.J. And A.J. knows it will take everything she has to live original.

Kate Kelly grew up in Nashville’s best schools, jetting around the world with glamorous people and wearing clothes from her mom’s trendy boutique. But when A.J. Smith―a new girl from the sticks—shows up, suddenly she’s all the rage: her unusual sense of style, her accent, and especially her dumb converse high tops. Even Kate’s brother, Kaden, seems to be under the new girl’s spell. But Kate has bigger things to think about, including the reality show Real Life. Everyone says the show is her chance to make it big. But then the producers decide to bring A.J. into the show.

Because these girls are so different, the producers of Real Life know that their conflict will be television gold. So the cameras start to roll. Then Kaden asks A.J. to prom, Kate flips out, and things with Kate’s (almost) boyfriend Alex start unraveling fast—all on camera. As the producers try to stir up the drama, Kate’s idea of the perfect prom spins out of control. When Kate’s life goes disastrously wrong, it is A.J. who steps up to help—no questions asked. A friendship between the two girls just might grow—but only if they both live original and stay true to who God made them to be.

My Review
As a girl who also grew up peeking at engines with her dad, I loved that this is a book about a girl with mechanical tendencies! How fun. I loved AJ’s genuine character and her vulnerability. Both those things made it so easy to root for her as the story progressed.

I also identified with Kate’s driven, high-achiever nature. I liked how both girls were juxtaposed against each other not just within the frame of a reality show but also in their alternating points of view in the story.

In a couple of scenes, Kaden gets a bit pushy with AJ. While as a reader I believed in Kaden’s goodness and his good intentions toward AJ, I was uncomfortable with the way the story made his behavior seem like an admirable thing. She resisted or straight up said no she didn’t want to do something a couple of times and he kind of pushed until she caved. I don’t think this is a great model for teen relationships and can actually be a dangerous pattern. So I struggled with that.

The story explores some of AJ’s spiritual beliefs and the comfort she finds in church and Christian faith. So there’s more spiritual content here than in some other books by major Christian publishers that I’ve read lately. I loved seeing these elements grafted into the story but wished they played a role in the story’s resolution as well.

The plot got a little murky toward the three-quarter mark of Life Just Got Real. I’m not sure what the big conflict/final battle is exactly. I felt like the story sort of lost focus and became more event-driven at that point. The ending left me wanting to know more (in a good way), though I don’t see any evidence that there are plans for a sequel.

Readers looking for a clean reality show novel will want to put this one on their lists. If you liked Life in a Fishbowl by Len Vlahos or liked the concept but wanted a clean alternative, Life Just Got Real should be on your reading list.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are white. The story takes place in Nashville and focuses on a wealthy white family and a poorer white family.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
AJ reflects on the change in her Christian life since her dad’s death and realizes she hasn’t prayed much lately. She begins attending church again and tries to make her spiritual life a priority. She also introduces Kaden to her church. He develops his own belief and mentions studying the bible. He also talks to his sister Kate briefly about believing in God and how maybe that’s what he’s been missing in his life up to that point. Kate wants to be supportive but doesn’t seem interested in spirituality.

Violent Content
A boy publicly humiliates a girl by saying some unkind things about her.

Drug Content
A boy gets drunk and says some ugly things about a girl publicly. He later apologizes for what he said and did.