Tag Archives: Strong Heroine

Review: The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton

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The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton

The Everlasting Rose (The Belles #2)
Dhonielle Clayton
Freeform/Disney Book Group
Published March 9, 2019

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About THE EVERLASTING ROSE

In this sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller, Camille, her sister Edel, and her guard and new love Remy must race against time to find Princess Charlotte. Sophia’s Imperial forces will stop at nothing to keep the rebels from returning Charlotte to the castle and her rightful place as queen.

With the help of an underground resistance movement called The Iron Ladies-a society that rejects beauty treatments entirely-and the backing of alternative newspaper The Spider’s Web, Camille uses her powers, her connections and her cunning to outwit her greatest nemesis, Sophia, and restore peace to Orleans.

My Review

I was a little hesitant to read THE EVERLASTING ROSE because a friend reviewed it and didn’t really like the writing and dialog. Based on her review, I kind of expected it to be trite or annoying or something, but I wanted to give it a try.

And I’m so glad I did. I fell in love with the story world and all its fantastical, steampunk elements. I loved the little floating lanterns and mini blimps and OMG the teacup dragons!

Camille won me over immediately, with her love for her Belle sisters and her desire to protect them and rescue those in danger. Even her anger felt easy to identify with. The story moves along at a quick pace, and Camille never wavers from her goal. I found myself staying up too late trying to fit in just one more chapter before going to bed because I really wanted to know what happened next.

My only difficulty was that I wasn’t already familiar with the story world, so I sometimes felt a little confused about some of the ways the Belle system worked. I’m not sure I understand the use of the leeches or how the Belles rebalanced their arcana. So I wish I’d read THE BELLES before THE EVERLASTING ROSE.

In terms of language and romance, this is a pretty mild book. Readers should be aware that two characters die by suicide on scene in the book, and the story does reference torture. Read the content section for more details.

Fans of THE RUBY AIRSHIP by Sharon Gosling should check out THE EVERLASTING ROSE.

Representation
Camille and some other characters have brown skin. Some minor characters are gay.

Recommended for ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. At one point Camille sleeps in bed with a man, but it’s less romantic and more hiding from certain death.

Spiritual Content
Many gods and goddesses exist in the heavens, disconnected from earth. They’ve left various favors behind – including the existence of the Belles. Another favor is teacup pets – tiny versions of animals like dragons or elephants.

Belles have arcana in their blood which gives them power to do magic. They mostly use this power to perform beauty treatments on others.

Violent Content and Trigger Warning – suicide
Sophia tortures her enemies (happens off-scene, but Camille witnesses the results). Camille witnesses two characters suddenly commit suicide. It happens quickly, but it’s shocking to the reader and devastating to Camille.

Drug Content
Sophia gets drunk on champagne.

Note: I received a free copy of THE EVERLASTING ROSE in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which don’t cost the reader anything when used but which help cover the costs of running this blog and occasionally provide an efficient caffeine delivery system for the blogger.

Review: Silent Days, Holy Night by Phyllis Clark Nichols

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Silent Days, Holy Night
Phyllis Clark Nichols
Gilead Publishing
Published on October 30, 2018

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About Silent Days, Holy Night

The sounds of Christmases past echo through a silent house . . .

Everyone in town knows Emerald Crest, the green granite mansion atop the highest hill: the legendary, lavish Christmas festivities that used to light up the nights— and the silence that followed when the parties abruptly stopped many years ago. And everyone has heard whispers about the reclusive, mysterious master of the manor, Henry Lafferty the Second . . .

When eleven-year-old Julia Russell steps into the great house for the first time and meets Mr. Lafferty, the entire course of her life is altered. She meets a man who is nothing at all like the rumors she’s heard from neighbors and classmates. He’s kind and extraordinarily talented—he also happens to be deaf and uses a wheelchair. And when she overhears a secret about him, Julia decides it’s time for the town to bring Christmas back to Emerald Crest—an act that will change them all forever.

My Review
What a sweet story! Silent Days, Holy Night is sort of framed—where an older Julia (26) returns to Ember Crest mansion to celebrate Christmas and she thinks back to when she was eleven, the first time she met Mr. Lafferty, the mansion’s owner, and what it took to bring Christmas to him, and then continues the celebration in the present.

I liked Julia’s close-knit family and community and the way they protected Mr. Lafferty by respecting his wishes for privacy. Julia’s relationships with her parents, her grandparents, and her best friend Piper were all really nicely done, too. Julia’s inquisitive nature kept everyone on their toes and made me laugh. Other tender moments brought tears to my eyes, like when Mr. Lafferty hugs her for the first time. Such a great moment.

Silent Days, Holy Night is such a cozy story. It’s perfect for curling up with on a cold afternoon with hot chocolate or warm tea in hand. Even though the story centers around Christmas, its celebration of faith, family, and community make it the perfect read for any day of the year.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are white or not physically described. One man is deaf and in a wheelchair.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Julia and her family pray at different points in Silent Days, Holy Night. Anytime Julia says something she knows she shouldn’t say or isn’t true, she asks Jesus to forgive her. She works on a Christmas performance which will celebrate the birth of Jesus with songs and stories.

Violent Content
A couple boys fall and get hurt.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of Silent Days, Holy Night in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Girl King by Mimi Yu

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

The Girl King
Mimi Yu
Bloomsbury YA
Published on January 8, 2019

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About The Girl King

All hail the Girl King.

Sisters Lu and Min have always understood their places as princesses of the Empire. Lu knows she is destined to become the dynasty’s first female ruler, while Min is resigned to a life in her shadow. Then their father declares their male cousin Set the heir instead—a betrayal that sends the sisters down two very different paths.

Determined to reclaim her birthright, Lu goes on the run. She needs an ally—and an army—if she is to succeed. Her quest leads her to Nokhai, the last surviving wolf shapeshifter. Nok wants to keep his identity secret, but finds himself forced into an uneasy alliance with the girl whose family killed everyone he ever loved…

Alone in the volatile court, Min’s hidden power awakens—a forbidden, deadly magic that could secure Set’s reign…or allow Min to claim the throne herself. But there can only be one Emperor, and the sisters’ greatest enemy could turn out to be each other.

My Review
Wow. Where to start! The Girl King has so much going on in it. I loved all three of the characters telling the story. Lu and her sister Min almost couldn’t be more opposite. Where Lu is bold and brash, Min is timid and constantly worries about disappointing or offending anyone. As Lu runs from home and the man who would kill her to secure his seat as emperor, she learns to depend on and value others. Left behind, Min gains a new boldness herself when her bitterness at being overlooked grows to overtake the shyness that’s kept her quiet until now.

And then there’s Nokhai, who wants to live a simple life in hiding, and instead has this huge task (saving the princess, saving his mentor, ultimately saving his people) thrust upon him. He’s smart and sweet and totally not charmed by Lu’s position or her temper.

Beyond the characters, The Girl King has a rich story world packed with history and conflict between ethnic groups. It felt very real and added lots of layers to the plot and the characters’ relationships.

For me the only struggle was with the amount of violence in The Girl King. I’m kind of a pansy where it comes to that sort of thing, and lots of the descriptions had me cringing. I might have skimmed over the aftermath of one particular battle late in the story. So I wish it hadn’t been so graphic in that way.

But I enjoyed the story and the characters so much. I felt like all three main characters grew so much through The Girl King, and the plot carried me away. Next year when the sequel comes out, I’m sure I’ll be looking for it.
If you like books by Leigh Bardugo (I loved Six of Crows, but I think Shadow and Bone probably makes a better comparison here, and I haven’t finished reading that one.) then you will want to check out The Girl King.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Most of the characters are described as having ochre or tawny skin. Lu’s empire contains lots of different ethnic groups. Some have been persecuted and killed.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat infrequently. I didn’t keep a tally, but I’d say probably a dozen times or so. Some of the instances are intense because one character uses a curse to dehumanize and belittle another.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl. At one point, it looks as though the characters will do more, but they stop themselves.
At one point, a soldier threatens to rape a boy.

Spiritual Content
Some tribe (called Kith) members have the ability to shape shift into an animal. Shamanesses and those who’ve studied under them learn to use magic.
A shamaness placed a curse on a family as a means for revenge. Her spirit continues to haunt one family member.

Violent Content
The Girl King contains quite a bit of graphic violence. Assassins chase the princess. Descriptions of the battle get pretty graphic. Later, a soldier threatens a boy, acting as if he means to rape him. He meets a pretty violent end.
After a battle in the sky (you had to be there), soldiers and participants fall to the ground, leaving bloodstains and carnage everywhere below. Some of the descriptions of that are pretty vivid, too.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Christy by Catherine Marshall

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

Christy
Catherine Marshall
Turtleback Books
Published June 27th 2006 (first published January 1st 1967

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About Christy
At nineteen, Christy Huddleston left home to teach school in the Smokies — coming to know and care for the wild mountain people, with their fierce pride, terrible poverty, dark superstitions…and their yearning for beauty and truth. But in these primitive surroundings, Christy’s faith would be severely tested by the unique strengths and needs of two remarkable young men — and challenged by a heart torn between desire…and love.

My Review
Christy is one of those books I’ve read probably almost a dozen times. I think I first read it at thirteen or fourteen years old. Most recently I listened to the audiobook version, which I enjoyed, too. I’ve been meaning to actually post a review of it for years, though, since I still talk about it pretty regularly. I’ve mentioned it in several list posts.
So what makes it so special? Wow. Well, I love the spiritual journey. Christy relates her faith in this unassuming, humble way, and it comes across so genuinely. I feel like you could argue that the whole young protégé learning from an older, wiser woman has been done lots before, but for some reason, it never bothered me in this book. I think because it just feels so organic to me. Every time I read the book I get lost in Christy’s journey, and it makes me want to love others more and open myself to a deeper spiritual life.
I love the colorful cast of characters, especially the people of Cutter Gap. Fairlight Spencer, Christy’s best friend in the Cove, and Ruby Mae, with her chattering and adoration for Christy. I always catch myself grinning in the scene about Creed Allen and his raccoon and when the doctor gives Christy a hard time about her overly keen sense of smell.

For me, listening to the story gave me a little more distance, so for the first time I feel like I was able to step back and see the story as a whole a bit more. Usually I’m so caught up in each moment and each relationship that I feel like I don’t get to see the Cove as a whole and the arch of Christy’s journey that first year as a teacher. I still wish there was more to the story. I still cry every time the typhoid epidemic begins. I still get all teary at the end. Every. Time. Can’t help it, I guess.

Maybe because of the age that I was when I first read Christy but I feel like this is a great book for kids in seventh and eighth grade. Certainly it’s a great read for teens and adults alike, but there’s something about those early teen days that make me feel like this story is a great fit for the age. I guess it’s because Christy is very much on the journey toward understanding who she is and how she fits into her larger community, and that journey seems to begin for a lot of people in their early teens.

I absolutely recommend this book. As I’ve said, it’s one of my favorites, and has been for years (let’s not say how many). I love it so much. If you’ve read it and want to chat about it, YES! Let’s. If you haven’t read it, then go read it. And then let’s chat about it! Haha. But yes, read it.

Recommended for Ages 13 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some brief kissing. Christy attends a Cove wedding at which the bride and groom celebrate with a couple of more crude traditions – descriptions are brief and very vague.

Christy learns about one woman’s past in which she was sexually abused and assaulted by a family friend. Details are vague, but sensitive readers may still find this triggering.

Spiritual Content
Christy volunteers to teach school in Cutter Gap after hearing a missionary speak at her church. She believes she’s been moved by God to be part of the mission school, but learns through her experience at Cutter Gap how little real love and selflessness she possesses on her own. Through mentorship with Alice Henderson, another mission worker, and her experience with the mountain people, she begins to develop a deeper faith and spiritual life which overflows into the way she loves and serves others.

Violent Content
Christy witnesses and deals with some schoolyard fighting in which children get injured, sometimes by bigger kids. A couple of people get shot, one fatally so.

Drug Content
Men create a moonshine still in the Cove, which is against the law. A few scenes show people drinking alcohol or drunk. In one scene, a teen bride and groom drink alcohol with their friends. Christy feels very negatively about this and does not drink alcohol herself except at one point when the doctor offers her brandy “medicinally.”

Review: Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

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Bitter Kingdom
Rae Carson
Greenwillow Books
Published on August 27, 2013

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About Bitter Kingdom
The champion must not waver.
The champion must not fear.
The gate of darkness closes.

Elisa is a fugitive.

Her enemies have stolen the man she loves, and they await her at the gate of darkness. Her country is on the brink of civil war, with her own soldiers ordered to kill her on sight.

Her Royal Majesty, Queen Lucero-Elisa né Riqueza de Vega, bearer of the Godstone, will lead her three loyal companions deep into the enemy’s kingdom, a land of ice and snow and brutal magic, to rescue Hector and win back her throne. Her power grows with every step, and the shocking secrets she will uncover on this, her final journey, could change the course of history.

But that is not all. She has a larger destiny. She must become the champion the world has been waiting for.

Even of those who hate her most.

My Review
The Fire and Thorns series might be my favorite fantasy series. Which is really saying something, right? But I loved the way faith is incorporated into the story so smoothly. I love that Elisa is super smart and not the stereotypical beautiful heroine with the willowy figure. I LOVE the relationship between her and Storm. That whole feisty, grudging respect thing totally had me hooked! I’m actually smiling just thinking back on it.

I only had one hiccup in the whole story, and it’s not a major thing in terms of plot or character. Just something I thought about that seemed odd to me. Lots of times someone with a holy calling or deep faith has mandates or guidelines for physical (sexual) purity. Elisa doesn’t really seem to have been brought up with any teaching or spiritual beliefs concerning her body in that way. I just found it a little odd, but it didn’t really affect the plot or story so much.

Elisa begins the first book in the series as a girl leaving her home to participate in an arranged marriage. So in the first book, she definitely seems like a teen, especially toward the beginning. By the end of this third book, she seems so much older. After all, she’s ruling a country and navigating some pretty tricky political situations. I still very much enjoyed the book, but younger readers who crave young protagonists facing more typical teen situations might not connect with Elisa and Hector as much.

On the whole, definitely a cool series. I’m glad to see a faith-positive story out there, too.

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are described as having brown skin. Most are from a desert climate.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Elisa makes plans to have sex for the first time, including taking an oral form of birth control. She shares several passionate kisses with a man and invites him into her room to sleep with her. It’s clear they have sex and there are some vague details about it being wonderful but no play-by-play description of the event.

Spiritual Content
Elisa prays a lot and wants very much to please God with her life and her actions. (There’s no spiritual directions concerning her romantic relationships in any way. Or at least she doesn’t ever question whether sleeping with her lover would be wrong.) She remains faithful to her beliefs though there are a few moments where she realizes that what she was taught about history and the way her power works aren’t accurate.
Violent Content
Some descriptions of battle and fatal or near fatal injuries. Some descriptions of torture. One torture victim pleads to die by suicide. A swarm of scorpions kills a traveler.

Drug Content
None.


Review: A Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

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A Crown of Embers
Rae Carson
Greenwillow Books
Published on September 8, 2012

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About A Crown of Embers
She does not know what awaits her at the enemy’s gate.

Elisa is a hero.

She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country’s ruler should be secure. But it isn’t.

Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from foreign realms and even from within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled.

To conquer the power she bears, once and for all, Elisa must follow a trial of long-forgotten—and forbidden—clues, from the deep, hidden catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her go a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man whom—despite everything—she is falling in love with.

If she’s lucky, she will return from this journey. But there will be a cost.

My Review
I sometimes forget how refreshing and wonderful it can be to read about a really smart girl. I like that Elisa cares about people around her and that her faith is a deep part of her life. One of my favorite things in A Crown of Embers had to be watching the relationship between her and Storm develop. They started as unlikely allies, but seemed to really grow to respect each other, and I liked that a lot.

Court politics plays a large role in the plot of A Crown of Embers. Elisa struggles to balance what she wants with what her country needs and on top of that has to navigate around people who would use her for their own gain. It also becomes pretty clear pretty quickly that someone wants her dead, and it might be someone within her court.

I was a fan of Hector from Girl of Fire and Thorns, so I definitely wasn’t sorry to see him have a more significant role in A Crown of Embers. I also loved the little prince Rosario and Elisa’s attendants. Each of the characters has a really specific voice and some of them really kept a spark in the story with their dialogue or banter.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, and I loved A Crown of Embers, too. I’m looking forward to reading the third book—definitely eager to see what happens to Elisa and her kingdom.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Elisa has paler skin and black hair, but her people have brown skin and dark hair. The enemy sorcerers are very fair-skinned with blond hair. Two men (both minor characters) are discovered to be lovers.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Elisa asks her handmaiden about love (sex) and she shares that she’s had lovers before. She and Elisa take an herb that is meant to prevent pregnancy, each hoping to have sex soon. Elisa considers whether she’d take a lover as many monarchs do. She’s tempted by her feelings for a man she believes she would never be allowed to marry.
Intense kissing between a man and woman. Elisa discovers two men embracing.

Spiritual Content
Elisa bears a gem in her navel which marks her as God’s chosen one. She prays often and recites scriptures which resemble Christian scriptures. Some rituals and ideas, like the quoted scriptures, resemble Christian faith and others are less connected (like the stone in her navel, which changes temperature when she’s in danger or God’s presence is with her.).

Carrying the stone means Elisa will have to perform some great act of service, so Elisa is always on the lookout to understand what she’s called to do.

Violent Content
Some situations of peril and assassination attempts. At one point, a man shouts threats at her and then lights himself on fire. Another assassin attacks an unarmed woman, leaving her for dead. A soldier is beheaded as a traitor. Elisa witnesses the executioner’s arm raise but can’t see more because of the crowd. A man begins vomiting after ingesting poison. Servants are flogged for negligence. A man holds a woman at knife-point.

Drug Content
Wine is served with dinners.