It’s been a year since John lost his girlfriend, Leah, to suicide. Living with his uncle keeps his mind from the tragedy and his screwed up family-until he gets into trouble and a judge sends him back home. With a neglectful mother and abusive brother, John’s homecoming is far from happy.
As he tries to navigate and repair the relationships he abandoned years ago, Emily, the girl next door, is the only bright spot. She’s sweet and smart and makes him think his heart may finally be healing. But tragedy isn’t far away, and John must soon face an impossible decision: save his family or save himself.
Mal, the daughter of Maleficent, and her best friend Jay, the son of Jafar, live on the Isle of the Lost, where their villainous parents were banished from the fairytale kingdom of Auradon twenty years ago. Surviving on leftovers shipped in from Auradon and prevented access to magic, the villains scrape by. But all long for the day when the magic returns and they can take revenge on those who imprisoned them. For Mal, that day comes when Carlos, Cruela de Vil’s son, creates an invention that sparks changes in the Isle, and the possibility of escape seems just within reach. Oh, also the possibility of destroying her longtime rival, Evie, the Evil Queen’s daughter. So that’s a plus.
The team of four have to work together—a tall order considering they’re better versed in how to trick and betray one another than they are in how to actually be friends. Some parts of the story show the point-of-view of Prince Ben, son of Belle and the Beast (wait, isn’t he a prince now?) and the trials of his coming of age and beginning to take on some royal responsibility. Strange dreams connect him and Mal, but they don’t know each other yet.
My daughter and I enjoyed reading the Ever After High books by Shannon Hale, so I picked this book up at a book fair thinking it was similar and we’d also enjoy it. And I was right—I did enjoy the story. I think I had the same experience with Ever After High books, where because I’d read Shannon Hale’s Book of a Thousand Days, I wanted that kind of finesse in the EAH books, too, and it’s just not that kind of story. So that happened here, too. I’ve read The Ring and the Crown, and the writing and characters are a lot more complex, so it took some adjusting for me to get into this book. They’re totally different kinds of books, and that’s okay. I just had to adjust.
I thought the story set up the series well. The end leaves a lot of questions unanswered, and shows some real growth on the part of the team of four villains. Carlos is totally my favorite. He’s so sweet and super smart. I loved that de la Cruz worked in the engineering element with his character. So great!
One noteworthy difference is that Ever After High pulls its storyworld from a broader spectrum of fairytales, whereas Isle of the Lost draws its characters from those in Disney movies. I can see that as being a positive or a negative, depending on how you look at things. Overall, I think readers who enjoyed Ever After High would enjoy Isle of the Lost.
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Cultural Elements
Often fairytale retellings are pretty white, but I love that de la Cruz went a bit diverse with her story here. Carlos is the Latin son of Cruella de Vil. Jay is the Middle-Eastern son of Jafar.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
The islanders live off of leftovers and garbage shipped in from Auradon, so some of that stuff is kind of icky. For instance, they eat old wilted food and stuff like that. Nothing crude per se, but kinda ick.
Romance/Sexual Content Jay has a reputation as being a player. He flirts with a lot of girls, but nothing beyond that comes into the story.
Spiritual Content The Isle of the Lost exists under a dome that prevents the villains from using magic, but magic begins to make its presence known.
Violent Content Because the characters are the children of villains, their homes are generally unhappy. Their parents treat them cruelly—mostly in the way they speak and withhold affection. (Sad but not really violent, I know, but I thought it worth mentioning.)
Drug Content
At a party, one character encourages the others to do shots of toad’s blood. It’s unclear whether this causes any intoxication or is just a silly/gross challenge.
Fall is flying by! In Central FL, it’s finally cool enough to walk to your car without breaking a sweat. I’m gearing up to go to YALLFEST in Charleston next month, so I’m super excited about that. I’m sure I’ll be tweeting and will write up a post about my experience there afterward. If you’re going to be there, leave me a comment! I’d love to meet up.
This month, I received a few more books in the mail. Actually, I’m kind of cheating here, because I received Every Exquisite Thing and The Secret of Goldenrod a couple of months ago and somehow they never made it into my calendar of books for review. So I’m including them here. The other two I got through BookLook Bloggers, which is a partnership between Zondervan and Thomas Nelson through which I get many of my Christian titles for review.
I also received my second ever OwlCrate box this month, and I absolutely loved it! I have a feeling I’ll be wearing the Lost Boys beanie on my Charleston trip. (Don’t judge! Upper 60s is COLD to this Florida girl!) I’ve already been wearing the Sleeping Beauty themed bracelet all over the place. So fun.
Also, if you missed my post yesterday about my Steampunk Book Fairy Costume, go back and check that out! My mom made it for me for my birthday this year, and I can’t wait to wear it to a costume party next weekend.
And, like always, here’s the list of books I reviewed this month. Check out the ones you may have missed, and let me know if you’ve read any or plan to!
This was one of the most fun reads ever. We listened to the story on a road trip months ago. Entertained the whole car and we are still talking about it!
This would be a good go-to for a creepy read this season, though there’s more emphasis on the tactical military side than the scary zombie-like enemies the characters face.
I loved the first book in this man vs machines series, so I was super excited that I didn’t have to wait long for the second book. My only complaint is that it ends on a cliffhanger and now I have to wait for the third!
Really fascinating premise– Cease stars in a reality-drama, a TV show in which she plays Joan of Arc competing against other historical figures to be voted top couple with one of the boys.
This was another fun story in which kids jump to another world in which one of them has been foretold to save the goblins. Loved the voice and characters.
This was such a fun read! I loved the way Teagan used science throughout the story and the lessons about friendship and forgiveness were perfect and heartfelt.
This haunting story based on true events prompted me to spend an hour looking up more information about the situation that inspired the tale. I loved the writing and the characters immediately grabbed me by the heart.
For my birthday this year, my mom surprised me with something incredible. She made a costume for me! Not only is it a pretty freaking awesome outfit, she also incorporated some of the authors and stories that most inspire me, and even a reference to my own recently completed manuscript. So today I’m going to show off my spectacular gift and talk a little about each piece.
Newsboy Cap and Steampunk Goggles
We already had the newsboy cap, but the steampunk goggles are made using this tutorial from Dark Revette. I love the gears and chains on the sides of them.
Steampunk Story Choker Necklace
The center piece is an old watch casing from my grandfather, who use to repair jewelry and watches. Inside and around it are small metal gears and 3D stickers of typewriter buttons. I think she got those from a craft store like JoAnn’s. Charms hang below– check out the rabbit and clock face, a nod to Alice in Wonderland.
Pen Nub Earring
Inspired by Steampunkonda, she made this earring that looks like a fountain pen nub.
Author Cameo Charms
This part is one of my favorites. Tiny frames show the faces of a few of the authors who’ve most inspired me. I printed tons of pictures to place in the frames, but these are the ones I’ll be wearing to a costume party next weekend. Pictured, from top left to bottom right: Nova Ren Suma, Jane Austen, Markus Zusak, R J Palacio and Emil Ostrovski.
She also included charms here to represent some of my favorite stories, specifically, a mockingbird for To Kill a Mockingbird and a crow for Six of Crows. The whole piece attaches to the corset on the left side.
Wrist Cuffs
The right cuff has a watch face and gears. Very steampunk. The left cuff has at its center, a vial of broken glass. Weird, right? Unless you knew that Broken Glass is the working title of my completed contemporary YA manuscript. So cool that she included this.
Opened Book Ring
She actually made this ring from a tutorial on a web site called When Women Talks, which is currently offline. I’ve created a pinterest board with the pins that inspired the costume, so you can find out more and see those images yourself by checking that out.
Steampunk Boots
For these, she modified a pair of combat boots I had in my closet. All the additions are attached in ways that would allow them to be removed afterward, in case I want to wear the boots for something else.
Fairy Wings
These came from a craft store– Michael’s, I think. I love that they’re black– makes me think of Six of Crows!
Handwriting Corset and Book Pages Skirt
These two pieces make the bulk of the costume. The corset has the author cameos attached and book pages tacked along its bottom edge to give the top and skirt a seamless look. Under the corset, I’m wearing a peasant blouse sort of top.
The skirt began with another piece I had already. It’s a layer cake skirt that I picked up in Tokyo, actually, and wore as part of my punk rock Halloween costume last year. (I got the combat boots for that costume as well.) The book pages are sewn and stapled to the skirt. She added some tulle underneath to give it a more tutu-like shape. Those are real book pages from a copy of one of my favorite novels.
Under the skirt I’m wearing my Hamlet leggings– another piece I happened to already own. They were a Christmas gift from my aunt.
That takes you through the whole outfit. I’m super excited to get to wear it next weekend, and I’m already trying to think of other places I could potentially dress up. I’m going to a couple of bookish events in the next six months, but I don’t think anyone really dresses in costume for those, so I’m kind of conflicted about whether I could do it. It would certainly be eye-catching and memorable.
A huge thank you to my mom, who researched all sorts of ideas and crafted the whole costume around new bits and pieces we already had. Another big thank you to my sister-in-law Michelle who took many of these gorgeous photos so I could share this with everyone. (The ones that look cheesy are ones I took: the earring, the boots, the choker necklace and the cameo charms.)
Every night, Subhi slips out of the compound in the refugee camp and finds the treasures he believes the magical Night Sea brings him from his far away father. Every morning he shows the gifts to his mother, now barely responsive. Subhi has only known life within the fences of the permanent detention center. Up the hill from the center lives a girl named Jimmie who bears her own grief. She comforts herself with her mother’s necklace pendant, a sparrow carved from bone. She meets Subhi, and begs him to read her mother’s journal to her. Subhi shares the pages, filled with stories and songs as magical as the ones his mother once told. As conditions worsen for both Jimmie and Subhi, each must find courage, as the characters from the songs and stories of their mothers did.
Bone Sparrow is one of those stories that will haunt you. From the first page, the beautiful narrative sucked me in. I immediately loved both Jimmie and Subhi and the colorful cast of characters in and out of the detention center. It reminded me very much of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and left me reeling much the same way that story did.
The latter part of the tale shows some pretty intense violence. Up until that point it felt like a solid, literary middle grade read, but the heaviness of that violence made me reconsider whether that’s really where the book belongs. Bone Sparrow definitely deserves a place on the shelf with John Boyne’s acclaimed novel and others that shine a light on world issues, like Blue Gold by Elizabeth Stewart and Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You by Hanna Jansen.
What really left me speechless was the fact that the conditions Subhi and his family endure in the detention center are in fact based on real situations and reports. The way the Rohingya people have been treated in these camps is unbelievable. I’ve continued to read more about the people and their refugee status. I know that’s a very polarizing idea right now, but I encourage you to look up more information. I’ll post links below the content section of this review.
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Cultural Elements
Jimmie and her family are Australian. Subhi is part of a group of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, once Burma.
Note: The Rohingya people have been denied rights to citizenship by the Myanmar government and driven out or killed. Many live in refugee camps like the one described in this book.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content When a sparrow lands on Subhi’s bed, his sister warns him that this warns of death. At night Subhi believes a magical Night Sea brings him gifts from his father, who lives far away.
Brief mention of Gods in the stories written by Jimmie’s mother. The bone sparrow necklace plays a role in the stories, guiding a man to his lost love and offering protection.
Violent Content Horrible conditions plague the refugees in the camp. Some begin a hunger strike, sewing their mouths closed. Refugees barricade themselves in one quarter. A fire starts. Soldiers and refugees fight. Subhi witnesses a soldier beat a boy to death.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
After Alice’s mom dies, Alice, her sister, and her dad move to Monterey, California. There Alice tries to confront her fear of water by kayaking in the bay. A sudden storm drags her out to sea, and a mysterious boy rescues her. Alice can’t stop thinking about Henry, the young sailor who came to her rescue. Then she learns that Henry has been dead for over one hundred years, bound by a curse which can only be undone when he atones for wrongs he committed in his life. Henry warns her that their love is forbidden by rules that govern his curse. But to break the curse, Alice risks losing Henry.
This story reminded me a lot of Ophelia Adrift. Grief-stricken girl meets the ghost of a sailor and falls in love. Lots in common there, though there are some significant differences in the plotlines, too. I loved the setting of this novel—Monterey, CA. It definitely added to the story and felt real. I liked Henry and some of the other characters.
As the action ramped up, sometimes it got a little hard to believe. Things happened quickly, and sometimes just didn’t seem logical or like there was enough motivation set up for the characters to make the choices they did. Because of the prologue and the Ghost Maven abilities and artifacts, I kind of thought this might be a series. The end of the novel doesn’t really indicate that the story continues, though.
If you enjoyed Ophelia Adrift or have an interest in ghost stories, you’ll want to check out this book.
Recommended Age 13 up.
Cultural Elements
Characters are white middle class Americans.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content Brief kissing. Rumors spread about one girl’s behavior with boys at school. Later, a boy reveals he completed her homework in exchange for some intimate behavior.
Spiritual Content Since Alice’s mom died, she no longer believes in God. It seems the whole town believes in ghosts, though, even members of a local church. Alice learns of a curse which causes anyone who drowns in the bay to continue to walk among mortals, though their heart no longer beats. She also learns of a group of warriors who can destroy these undead creatures. Symbols and artifacts help defeat them.
Alice and her friend hold a séance to try to reach a girl believed to be dead. Alice’s mom communicates with the girls. Alice’s friend has psychic visions of events to come and senses things about people near her.
It probably sounds weird, but the psychic elements on their own bothered me less than the fact the in some places they were sort of mixed in with Christian ideas. In one scene, characters take refuge in a church and then rely on other symbols to protect them.
Violent Content A battle takes place between the people of the town and those cursed.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
