The Phantom Tree: A Book Review

I finally finished this! After a lot of false starts (which had nothing to do with the book and everything to do with library/book review deadlines), I finished this stunning historical fiction masterpiece. However, the book did start slow for me, and I didn't feel fully invested until about halfway through. But after that, I couldn't put it down.

I love the focus on the mysterious Mary Seymour. We don't know much about her life, but I love the possibility of her being a seer witch. I also love the added fictional character Alison. Their enemy/friend relationship was an interesting twist, though I viewed them more as friends than enemies.

I also thought the time travel was well done. I don't love books with time travel, especially when it involves characters in modern time looking for clues. But it was okay in this book. Perhaps because I felt the focus of the story was with Mary, not necessarily with Alison (which is strange, because the entire goal of the story is to find Alison's son). I loved reading Mary's side a lot more, and thought that the plot surrounding her was well done and interesting.

There are some reservations I have with this book. As I mentioned before, it does have a slow start. And I wish there was more relationship building between Alison and Adam. Even though they had a past relationship, I wanted to see more of their present one.

To end on a positive note, I did end up loving this book. I loved the characters, the time travel, and especially the ending. I think I would read this again.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 3.5
Overall: 4

Would I recommend? Yes, especially to those who love historical fiction.

*Thank you Sarah for the giveaway copy! Forever ago....

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Wicked Saints: A Book Review

Well. This book unlike any other book I've ever read. I have to admit it was horrifying, gruesome, and thrilling, which is usually not my thing. In fact, I often avoid horrifying, scary, gruesome stories. But the book's description interested me and once I started it, I couldn't put it down. That is purely due to the magic of Emily A. Duncan's writing.

First, the characters. Wicked Saints has some DEEP characters. Ones that have secrets on top of secrets and unbelievable magical abilities. I think every character in this book had some shade of darkness, some degree of moral grayness. And I'm surprised how much I enjoyed that. Sure, it got a little annoying when I would trust a character, then get whiplashed, and then trust them again, then get whiplashed. But that just shows the depth of the characters behind the scenes. Truly masterful.

Overall, I liked it. I thought the plot and pacing was engaging, the writing style poetic and fast-paced, and the world building excellent. However, in order to get through this book, you have to put on your "blood dripping from the sky/people's eyes and mouths/self-inflicted wounds doesn't bother me" hat. It's a rather hard hat for me to put on. For that reason, I would be careful about who I recommend this to. It's a masterpiece, but could be damaging if in the wrong hands.  Be warned.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Would I recommend? Carefully, yes.

*Thank you St. Martins / Wednesday Books for the free review copy!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

The Queen's Resistance: A Book Review

I loved this book, even more than the first one! I couldn't put it down. 

Continuing Cartier and Brienna's story was an amazing decision on Rebecca Ross's part. After finishing the first book, I wanted more from their story and their relationship. The Queen's Resistance explored their relationship more fully and gave it the challenges it need to grow. I also loved having chapters in Cartier's point of view. I feel like this change was needed for the plot of the book, but also for the reader to connect and understand him more as a character.

The pacing of this book was incredibly active, engaging, and interesting. I find it refreshing that, at the end of book one, Isolde didn't simply become queen overnight. In reality, there would be some resistance. I liked exploring that through this book.

A fantastic sequel to The Queen's Rising. This sequel will go in the list of "sequels that are better than the first."

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Would I recommend? Yes!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Where the Forest Meets the Stars: A Book Review

You know how some books fall into your lap at the perfect time you need them? This is one of those books. I wasn't expecting a lot from this book, especially because I read next to no reviews and hadn't heard anything about it, but I ended up loving it. (I received this book for free through Amazon's First Reads program.)

The characters in this story are dear to my heart. I felt so close to Jo and loved learning about her life through the story. She is an extremely likable character and it's easy to get under her skin and feel like you're sharing her story. Gabe is another character like that. He is also easy to love and his relationship with Jo was one of my favorite arcs of the book. Their relationship had my favorite elements: sarcastic and witty one-liners, working through some tough histories and lingering trials together, and some slow-growing chemistry. And I can't forget Ursa, who completes the character trio. I normally dislike the all-knowing kid trope, but Ursa didn't seem smart-alecky or moral enough to bug me. In fact, I grew to like her too, and what she did for Jo and Gabe.

This story was intriguing and refreshing, and kept me reading through grammar classes and late at night. It's a book that I haven't read or seen before, and it truly touched my heart with its themes of love (not just romantic), nature, kindness, patience, hope, and acceptance.

I hope I won't ever forget this one. I think it's a definite re-read down the road. HIGH four stars.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 5
Overall: 4

Would I recommend? YES, especially if you love feel-good books.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: A Book Review

If a writer only ever reads one writing book, let this one be it.

I liked the original Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder, but this one took his methods above and beyond for novel writers. Jessica Brody has such a great writer's voice that makes this book not only informative, but enjoyable to read. Her organization is impeccable, her inspiration is refreshing, and her tips and tricks about novel writing are worthy of highlighting. This book has become my Bible for writing, and it truly is "The last book on novel writing you'll ever need."

I love Brody's breakdown of the book. Much of it is similar to Snyder's, but this book is so much more approachable for writers. She begins with a chapter on creating a story-worthy hero, which is my favorite chapter of the book. Using a lot of recent, mainstream novel examples, she helps the reader figure out how to make a strong character before anything else - no pages of character information sheets needed. What a relief.

She then breaks down the Snyder-famous Beat Sheet, again using a lot of recent examples such as Because of Winn-Dixie, Hunger Games, Me Before You, The Martian, and so many more. I think her strength in this section is clarifying the Beat Sheet. I remember reading Snyder's Save the Cat! and getting confused on all the separate beats. But Brody breaks it down even more in relation to characters and their transformations. Her relevant examples from recent literature also help.

The chunk of this book is spent going into each of the novel "genres," which are basically the different ways a character can transform. For each genre, she has a complete Beat Sheet from a modern novel. Even though I like some genres more than others, each one was entertaining and informative. Seeing various Beat Sheets was also helpful to solidify each genre in my mind.

The last section of this book talks about book pitches, (which can help a writer face the terrifying question, "What are you writing about?") and a chapter titled "Save the Author!," which gives lots of tips and inspiration for writers who want to start using Save the Cat!. It gives an uplifting end to a book chuck-full of novel structure and character transformations.

After reading this book, I felt inspired to write and confident that I could give my best effort on my first draft, knowing the Beat Sheet and character transformation strategies. Brody is still very clear that no matter how you plot and use the Beat Sheet, you will always have to revise and change. But knowing all of this structure and other writing tips gives me the confidence I need to start and keep writing. I had my doubts before, but now I have no doubt that Jessica Brody was the perfect author to rewrite this book for novelists. I am infinitely grateful for a woman I met at a writing conference that told me about this book, and I am so ECSTATIC it was everything I hoped for and more.

As I said, this book is my new Bible for writing.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Content: 5
Inspiration/Value: 5
Overall: 5

Would I recommend? Absolutely YES. To ALL novelists.

To see my review of the original Blake Snyder Save the Cat!, click here.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Big Magic: A Book Review

I'll start with a disclaimer: I've never read Elizabeth Gilbert before, so I can't compare this to her other works. But from this book, I can say I like her writing style. She has an easy, conversational tone that jumps off the page and into the reader's soul. She has sass, strong opinions (which were interesting to consider, but I didn't always agree with), experience with craft, and the gift of encouragement, which is what every writer needs.

Some of her points on writing with devotion, courage, and the writing life ring with truth. Basically, this book felt like an updated, Gilbert-version of On Writing by Stephen King, which I also love. However, some of Gilbert's points on voodoo inspiration were hard for me to grasp. I don't think I believe in voodoo. But it was entertaining to consider. I also love Gilbert's topics in this book that she organizes into sections: Courage, Enchantment, Permission, Persistence, Trust, and Divinity. I think my favorite is Persistence.

Gilbert's book is unique in the way that it doesn't just lend itself to writers, but creators of all kinds. She does focus on writing more because her craft is writing. But I feel there are enough general points on inspiration, ideas, imagination, and craft that anyone could benefit from this read. I did. My book's pages are full of underlining.

I plan on incorporating this book into my regular reading list because of its inspirational value. After reading this, I made a commitment to devote myself to my writing and rereading the parts I underline give me inspiration and motivation to keep that commitment.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Content: 3.5
Inspiration/Value: 5
Overall: 4

Would I recommend? Yes, to all creators.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel: A Book Review

I can't remember the last time a book made me sob. Perhaps this had to do with the fact that I finished it late at night, when emotions are always more present. Or perhaps because this was an EMOTIONAL and FABULOUS book.

This wonderful piece of literature explores the story of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving from a woman's perspective: Katrina Van Tassel. A fascinating idea, yes? It follows all the major plot points of the short story: the competing love of Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones, the Headless Horseman, hauntings, etc. However, Alyssa Palombo adds in her own elements such as an amazing friendship between Katrina and Charlotte, rumored to be a witch, and pure EMOTION that I feel is missing in the original tale. Hence the sobbing. And the inability to put this book down for four hours. I'm not kidding.

As with every book, I have some reservations with it. First, lots of present sex scenes, which was uncomfortable for me. And frankly, not needed. However, they can easily be skipped. Also, is it possible to hate a character so much that you want to tear the pages of the precious book you hold in your hands? I. Hate. Brom. Bones.

All in all, this book lives up to the tale of Sleepy Hollow. Perfect book for Halloween, and perfect if you don't want to sleep, eat, or take bathroom breaks. Alyssa Palombo's voice is engaging, historically accurate, and refreshingly original. And beautiful. Her characters are real, heartbreaking, and seem to leap off the page. A truly masterful book.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 4*

Would I recommend? YES, though hesitantly to readers who, like me, could do without sex scenes.  *This is why its ultimate score is a 4 out of 5.  Though it's a great read for those who love mystery, romance, magic, witchcraft, suspense, and solid writing.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!