The Poison Thread

The Poison Thread by Laura  Purcell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The story of Ruth, a poor young girl essentially sold into apprenticeship to a milliner, is told--by Ruth--to a wealthy young woman, Dorothea, who believes it is her duty to visit the inhabitants of Oakgate Prison. Ruth is in the prison awaiting her day in court; she has been accused of murder, and tells Dorothea that she has killed multiple times--through her talents as a seamstress. Dorothea knows that cannot be true, but isn't quite sure if Ruth is lying, or insane. Dorothea seeks to uncover the truth, as well as use the "science" of phrenology to discover whether or not Ruth can be saved--both physically and morally. As the tale unfolds, the reader discovers that Dorothea has an even greater stake in Ruth's story, and the truth could set them both "free."
I found Ruth to be a fascinating character. The story begins with Ruth's burgeoning efforts at sewing. She discovers she is naturally adept and takes on a larger role in helping her mother complete her commissions in order to earn money for their family. As she continues honing her skill, Ruth begins to suspect her talent may have a more sinister side. When Ruth's life takes several tragic turns, Ruth uses her skills to exact the only revenge open to her as an abused apprentice to an apparently unhinged milliner. The reader sees Ruth develop and follows her journey. All of Ruth's motivations, actions, and decisions feel organic.
Dorothea is not quite as sympathetic as Ruth, especially at the beginning of the book, when the reader is comparing Ruth's family's struggle to keep food on the table to Dorothea's complaints about inviting people she does not like to her 25th birthday party. That dichotomy, however, serves to show just how different the two characters lives actually are. As Dorothea's part of the story unfolds, her language and sense of urgency as she describes the struggles she is facing closely resemble the feelings and thoughts of Ruth. The reader sees that Dorothea truly believes she is facing grim circumstances.
As the book moves towards its conclusion, facts are slowly hinted at and then revealed that call into question Ruth's beliefs about her powers, and Dorothea's beliefs about the seriousness of her fate.
The plot and pacing of this book was great. The book got a bit slower in the beginning when Dorothea was the narrator, but that served to show just how different she was from Ruth. Dorothea came across as a bit spoiled, sheltered, and naive. By the end of the book, however, that view was definitely challenged.
The book was well-researched and the setting and descriptions served to transport the reader back in time. From the living conditions of the genteel poor to the daily routine of the apprentices, everything was immersive. The smells, sights, sounds, and textures were evocative and tangible.
I really could find nothing about this book that I didn't like or that I would change. I truly enjoyed reading it all the way through to the conclusion. I would recommend it to anyone how enjoys historical novels, literary fiction, magical realism, and mystery.


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Loch of the Dead: A Novel (Frey & McGray: #4)

Loch of the Dead: A Novel by Oscar de Muriel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was engrossing, suspenseful, intriguing, and a bit creepy. Despite it being the fourth book in a series, it worked quite well as a stand-alone book, but it also made me want to read about the other cases of Frey & McGray.
In this book, McGray hears of the healing waters of a small spring in remote Loch Maree in the HIghlands of Scotland. A prospective client offers to bring McGrey to these waters, which he believes may heal his sister of her madness, in return for his help in protecting her son, whose life has been threatened. Upon arriving at Loch Maree, both Frey and McGray are confronted with an eccentric family, strange occurrences, old folklore, a madman, and murder. The longer they spend on the eerie island, the deeper they find themselves in the disturbing mystery, until macabre and menacing events lead to a frightening conclusion.
I found this book to be very hard to put down. Both Frey and McGray were wonderful characters, and it was interesting so see events unfold from their different points-of-view. The author did a wonderful job of evoking the gloomy Highlands setting and the unsettling environment of the Koloman's manor home. From the descriptions of the heady wine to the details of sinister sacred island, I felt completely immersed in the story. It was well-thought-out, well-researched, and interesting while still being entertaining.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries, historical fiction, spooky stories, or is a fan of Sherlock Holmes. I will definitely read the other installments of Frey & McGray.


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Lord Bredon and the Bachelor's Bible (The House of Lovell: #2)

Lord Bredon and the Bachelor’s Bible by Mia Marlowe
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I did not finish this book. Lord Bredon seemed stilted, I wasn't sure what to think about Anne, and Miss Finch was unpleasant. The way the characters acted seemed choppy and the story did not flow well. This book was not for me.


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Wicked with the Scoundrel (Wicked Secrets: #3)

Wicked with the Scoundrel by Elizabeth   Bright


I was not able to finish this book. While the premise of a young woman in Regency England wanting an archeological adventure seemed very interesting, it did not pan out. Claire was not relatable or realistic at all. She knew her actions were perceived as strange, odd, and "bad ton" by most of her acquaintances, and yet she still seemed shocked and flabbergasted when people reacted negatively to the things she did or said. It is one thing to know you are "different" and act accordingly, but not care. It is another thing to know you are "different" and yet continually be amazed by other people's reactions to you. She should have either not realized her actions were not in keeping with accepted societal norms, or not cared. I just didn't get it.


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Nottingham

Nottingham by Nathan Makaryk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
Wow. This book was not at all what I was expecting. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, but to just label it as that would be great disservice. This novel explores how legends are created, how politics work--on a global scale and on an individual one, how people's opinions are formed and how that motivates their actions, and how there never really is "a bad guy" and "a good guy."
The book begins with Richard the Lionheart on his Crusade, and then we discover how Robin of Locksley and his good friend William de Wendenal fit into that picture. Back in England, the reader sees how one woman trying help those who are "less fortunate" leads to Robin and William being sent back home. Neither one wants to leave their king and the Crusade, but once they arrive back in the place where Robin grew up, they find themselves drawn into local conflicts until they have created a knot it will be impossible to untangle. Along the way the reader meets the Sheriff of Nottingham, Guy of Gisborne, Maid Marion, Prince John, and many of the "Merry" Men, including Little John and Will Scarlet. By the end of the book the reader has a version of Robin Hood that has been picked apart and turned on its head, and will leave the reader satisfied and yet feeling almost bereaved.
By looking at events and situations from several different narrators and points-of-view, the reader truly sees everything from all sides. It is apparent how one person's seemingly inconsequential little mistake can have massive repercussions. The reader sees how one person can believe he or she is absolutely in the right and chooses a course of action because of that, but yet how anther person can view those actions as entirely wrong. I personally found almost all of the characters to be sympathetic, and it was easy to see how and why they believed their actions were justified.
This was a long book, but it needs to be a long book. Taking one period of history and making it a microcosm of politics in general requires time, attention, and detail. I never once felt that the book was too long or that things were too drawn-out or boring.
The book was not perfect. There were some anachronisms and things that couldn't have happened in 1191. But it did not take away from the story of my enjoyment of the book.
This book really made be think about people--their beliefs and motivations--and how that influences their decision-making and their actions. No one in this book is completely right, and no one is completely wrong. Even the one or two characters who don't have many redeeming qualities have one or two moments when they do the "right" thing.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history or politics. Or how politics can affect and "create" history. This was a great book.


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Layover

Layover by David      Bell
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
This book sounded intriguing, so I definitely wanted to give it a try. In it, a young man named Joshua, who is constantly traveling for his job, has a chance encounter with a mysterious woman in an airport. Although their time together is very short, Joshua decides to abandon his travel plans and try to follow her. Along the way Joshua discovers that this woman is tangled up in a disappearance, a theft, corporate intrigue, and possibly murder. If he can find her, then he believes he can help her, if only she will let him.
While I found this to be a quick, easy, and enjoyable read, I did have one big problem with the book. And that problem happened right off the bat. The whole book is constructed upon the fact that Joshua feels this undeniable connection to this woman, Morgan, which he cannot ignore. On the basis of this connection he decided to disregard his work and family obligations in order to find this woman and try to build on that. As the reader I, however, found this relationship between Joshua and Morgan to be extremely flimsy. The encountered each other VERY briefly at a gift shop, and then shared a couple of drinks at an airport bar. So, in my mind at least, they probably spent all of 45 minutes together, tops (I felt like it was more like 20 minutes). And then the reader has to believe that after this short time Joshua decides to change his flight, leave his father hanging with a very important business meeting, book a new flight that he **hopes** Morgan might be on, and then makes a fool of himself when he does manage to find her. And the whole rest of the book is just Joshua chasing Morgan around, trying to get her to let him help her.
Which leads me to my other problem with the book. Morgan did not want or need Joshua's help, and she made that very clear to him, on several occasions. She was constantly leaving him, running away from him, being rude towards him, lying to him, and trying to get him to leave her alone. If the reader is supposed to "take Joshua's side" in all of this, Morgan's actions make her seem unlikable, untrustworthy, and undeserving of his friendship and loyalty. If the reader is supposed to "take Morgan's side," her actions make Joshua look like an obsessed and stalker-like creep. So I was not really sure what to think about either one of the main characters.
The plot pacing could have been better as well. There was a big confrontation with a lot of tension and suspense, and I thought to myself, "Well, that was quick, but it's okay, this is exciting." I thought it was the big climax of the story. Then I looked and I was only about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through the book. So then I had a sense of being let-down.
If I overlooked the fact that I did not believe Joshua had any reason to go gallivanting all over Tennessee and Kentucky chasing an ungrateful woman he'd spent about 30 minutes with, and that the same woman was an unsympathetic and unlikable character, then the book was okay. Ironically, at two different times in the book Joshua talks about picking up a mindless suspense/thriller novel in airport gift shops that he can read without much thought or effort. This book falls into that category, as well. If you want a quick easy read to while-away some time while waiting an an airport or doctor's office, then this book is for you.


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Kissing Ezra Holtz (and Other Things I Did for Science)

Kissing Ezra Holtz by Brianna R. Shrum
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I tried really hard with this one, and the premise sounded great. But Amalia was just soooo unlikable that I didn't want to read it. I felt bad for Ezra for having to put up with her. She seemed lazy, fickle, moody, and unpleasant to be around. Some may not agree with my opinion, but this one just didn't work for me.


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The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy: #3)

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this conclusion to the Winternight Trilogy. In this last book, Vasya must do her best to save her people, her country, and the ancient inhabitants of her land. She has to find a way to do this seemingly on her own, as Morozko is lost to her and many of the people who were once her friends and allies are now distrusting of her. Vasya not only travels through Russia but also through time and through a land of myth and legend in order to find a way to heal her land and find a way to reconcile the old ways with the new.
This was a great ending to Vasya's story, and I was sad to see it end. As in each installment, the weaving of realistic elements (the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes) with the mythical elements created a fantastic blend and engrossing aspect to Vasya's journey.
The history, folklore, characterizations, setting, and overall great writing really came together to create a wonderful series that I would highly recommend. I think anyone who enjoys reading historical books, YA, fantasy, or folklore would enjoy this series.


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