Book Review: Star Cursed

Cahill Witch Chronicles...

With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate's friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves.

Cate doesn't want to be a weapon, and she doesn't want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood's schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she'll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war.

In the highly anticipated sequel to Born Wicked, the Cahill Witch Chronicles continue Cate, Maura and Tess's quest to find love, protect family, and explore their magic against all odds in an alternate history of New England.

I loved Jessica Spotswood's Born Wicked so much that I bought Star Cursed the day it came out and devoured it!

Oh my gods! It was so good. I didn't believe there was any way for this book to be better than the first. But I was wrong. I laughed. I cried. I screamed and yelled and cursed one particular character.

I need the final book, Sisters' Fate now. But I'm forced to wait until August 13. Eight more months!!! It's gonna be torture waiting. Trust me, you want to read this series. Star Cursed is definitely one if the best books I've read this year.

If you're like me, and eagerly awaiting the next book, be sure to check out Jessica Spotwood's website for fun extras, and be sure to drop her a note on how amazing you think her books are.

Book Review: Born Wicked

A gorgeous, witchy, romantic fantasy!

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.

I feel so bad about leaving Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood on my shelf for so long. I bought it when it came out, which was over a year ago. I met Jessica on the Breathless Reads tour, and since she's local, I've met her several times since. She is so sweet and lovely. So I felt bad about having not read it. But at the same time I was afraid to read it. What if I didn't like it? I didn't want to give it a bad review. She'd probably see it. (panics)

But I finally read it, and... it was AMAZING! It's definitely one of my favorite books I've read so far this year. I loved everything about it. (suppresses the gushing)

Cate Cahill is the oldest of three. She has two younger sisters, Maura and Tess. And they're all witches. That wouldn't be such a problem except the time period. Born Wicked is set in the late 1800's. Witches were feared. They were killed or locked up. Women weren't allowed an education. We weren't treated as equals. Cate is running out of time on her intention ceremony. She can choose to join the Sisterhood (which is not what it seems) or a young man who proposes to her. Or the Brotherhood can choose for her.

I really enjoyed Cate. I don't have two sisters, but I definitely connected with her in her role as oldest. Growing up, my mother was sick. I took care of my brother a lot. I could understand why she did what she did and made the decisions she made. It's not easy being the oldest and shouldering all of the responsibility. Trying to protect her siblings and doing what's best. Maura reminded me a lot of my brother. Being rebellious and seeing the older sibling as bossy instead of someone who is taking the role of caregiver. Whether they were getting along or not, I enjoyed their relationship. It felt really genuine.

Cate has two suitors. Finn and... that other guy. Just kidding. His name is Paul. But I'm Team Finn all the way! He's working at his family's book store and in the Cahill's gardens. He's intelligent and funny and different from other guys. Cate can't help but fall for him. She knows it's a bad match for a number of reasons, but the heart wants what it wants. While Born Wicked does have something of a romantic triangle, it's not the typical triangle we see in YA paranormal fantasy. And I really appreciated that. Too often it's a girl torn between the good guy and the bad boy, while we all know she's going to pick the bad boy from page one.

The Brotherhood... there are not words to describe how much I hated them. I wanted to jump in the pages and rip them limb from limb. As a woman and a feminist, they did nothing but piss me off. Which was their point. The Brotherhood, the men who work in god's service, were the real monsters. Not the witches. These villains were very well written.

And lastly, another thing that I loved about this book was that it kept me guessing. I had some theories. Some of them played out. But even reading the final pages, I wasn't sure what Cate was going to do. And that was quite possibly the best part about the book. I just requested book two, Star Cursed, on NetGalley. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Oh! And while I can't read French, I need this book on my shelf! See that last cover? One of the best witchy covers ever!

Book Review: Wonderstruck

From Brian Selznick, the creator of the Caldecott Medal winner THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET, comes another breathtaking tour de force.

Playing with the form he created in his trailblazing debut novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey.

Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing.

Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories--Ben's told in words, Rose's in pictures--weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful--with over 460 pages of original artwork--Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.

I picked up Wonderstruckby Brian Selznick because I loved The Invention of Hugo Cabret so much. And I loved Wonderstruck even more. The story is imaginative and the illustrations are gorgeous. Above is an image from early in the book where Rose escapes her home. 

Rose is a little girl living in New Jersey in the 20's. She has only her father, as her mother left years prior. Rose is confined to her home. She's deaf, and her parents are afraid that she could get hurt out on her own. But she is strong-willed. She makes her way to the Natural History Museum in NY.

Ben is a little boy living fifty years later, in the late 70's. He recently lost his mother and never knew his father. He's deaf in one ear until an accident leaves him completely unable to hear. When he finds a clue to where his father may be, he makes his way to NY and finds himself in the Natural History Museum. Below is an image from the book of one of the exhibits.

The children have much in common and should they have lived at the same time, they'd probably be best friends. Brian Selznick switches between Ben's story and Rose's until their stories overlap. It's a beautiful story which left me teary-eyed. I can't wait to see what else this amazing author/illustrator will come up with. 

Books vs. Movies: Hugo Cabret

Orphan Hugo Cabret lives in a wall. His secret home is etched out in the crevices of a busy Paris train station. Part-time clock keeper, part-time thief, he leads a life of quiet routine until he gets involved with an eccentric, bookish young girl and an angry old man who runs a toy booth in the station. The Invention of Hugo Cabret unfolds its cryptic, magical story in a format that blends elements of picture book, novel, graphic novel, and film. Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Brian Selznick has fashioned an intricate puzzle story that binds the reader like a mesmerist's spell.

I have seen The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick on the shelves of book stores for a while now. But I must admit that I had never really paid attention to it until I realized a movie based on the novel would soon be hitting theaters. When I checked it out on Goodreads I found a review by one of my favorite authors, Maggie Stiefvater, who said she loved the book. So I checked it out from my library. I read it in only a few hours. Despite its length, it's a quick, easy read. And I would say probably close to 3/4 of the book is pictures.

The story of Hugo Cabret is beautiful and sad and marvelously entertaining. He lives with his drunk of an uncle in the walls of the train station after his father dies. He has no other family, and then his uncle disappears, but Hugo continues to keep the clocks at the train station running. He becomes a thief to keep himself as fed as he can and to fix his automaton. Before his father died, they began work on a small mechanical man who ran with clockworks. And Hugo continues on their work.

There are some interesting twists and turns, and many of the characters were much more than they initially showed up. As lovely as the story was, the images made it that much more charming. While this book is not written in comic form, it is definitely a graphic novel of sorts. The images are just as important to the story as the words.

Since I enjoyed the book so much, I had to see the movie in theaters. The movie has a shortened title. Just "Hugo". The actors were great, especially Asa Butterfield who starred as Hugo Cabret. In addition to the acting, the effects were great. They weren't over the top, as I've heard many say. I think they were perfect.

According to IMDb, author/illustrator Brian Selznick makes an appearance. I'll have to look for him next time.

As far as movie adaptations of a book go, this one was really close. The order of events weren't changed much. They added and subtracted little. They did, however, cut one of the major supporting characters from the movie. But they did well explaining things, small but important details that are often left out were well done here. My understanding of why so many stories are changed when turned into movies is because pacing in a book is different than pacing in a movie. While I found the book exciting, the movie was somewhat less so. It dragged in a few places.

So... read the book, and then see the movie. Don't miss out! Both were enjoyable.

Book Review: We Hear the Dead

With the approaching festival, PAYA, coming up, I decided to check out the authors and purchase a selection of books that interested me most. WE HEAR THE DEAD by Dianne K Salerni was at the top of the list. A good friend of mine is very into spiritualism and has given a few workshops on it. He has talked in length about The Fox Sisters, so when I heard that this book was a historical novel based on their life, I decided I had to read it.

I have to admit that I don't usually read historical fiction. It was set in the mid 1800's, and while lines like "It is expected that a wife give up her interests for her husband's" may be accurate to the time, it made me want to hurt the people who said them. And the poor girl couldn't even take a walk with her beau without a chaperon. I am so glad I didn't have to live in that time. Whenever I’m asked what time period I’d want to live in if not this one, I always choose a time in the future. There was also some interesting bits on the underground railroad which was historically accurate to the time period.

I really liked the main character, Maggie Fox. The description I read made it seem like Kate Fox would narrate more than she did. She only had a few chapters here and there. Can I hope for a companion that focuses more on her? The oldest Fox sister, Leah, didn't narrate at all. The beginning of the book really sucked me in. Spiritualism, mediumship, communicating with the dead... it's something that has fascinated me for a long time. Whether these girls were really communicating with the dead remains to be seen. But seeing as how they've been dead themselves for more than a century, it's not likely we'll ever know the truth. However, if it was a hoax, it was never proven.

Ghosts, or spirits, began rapping on the walls of the home they lived in. They asked the ghosts questions while the ghosts rapped twice for yes and once for no. By creating the rapping, they passed along messages of the dead. It became a phenomenon and drew in interested people from all over. They accepted money to pass along love one's messages and created the religion known as spiritualism.

The novel traveled from the spiritualism movement into Maggie's romance with Elisha Kent Kane, a famous explorer. While this didn't interest me as much as the spirit rapping, it was well written, nicely told, and still very engaging. Maggie's teenage life definitely had its ups and downs. Living in high society while holding spirit circles and pulling away from it to gain approval of potential in-laws. I'm definitely very interested in learning more about these amazing ladies.

Whether you like historical fiction or not, this is definitely a wonderful read. I just finished it and kind of want to read it again.

Also, I need to gush about the cover a bit. I found out that this book was originally published a few years ago as HIGH SPIRITS: A TALE OF GHOSTLY RAPPING AND ROMANCE while WE HEAR THE DEAD came out just this past May, and I adore the new cover. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it in any stores. I think if it was, it would sell. How could you pass by and not pick it up?

Synopsis:

Maggie:

I began the deception when I was too young to know right from wrong. Only with the passing of time did I come to understand the consequences of my actions.


Kate:
I do not believe that I have ever intentionally deceived anyone. Maggie has a different understanding of the events that have happened. To her the spirits were always a game. For me they were my life's calling. I have no regrets.


It starts as a harmless prank...then one lie quickly grows into another. Soon Kate and Maggie Fox are swept into a dizzying flurry of national attention for their abilities to communicate with the dead. But living a lie is sometimes too much to handle, even if you have the best intentions. Based on a true story, We Hear the Dead reveals how secrets and lies can sometimes lead you to what's real and what's right. And how sometimes talking with the dead is easier than talking with the people around you.

***

And if you're interested, here is the trailer for WE HEAR THE DEAD. I love how Ms Salerni used old images of the Fox Sisters in making this. And on to other interesting news... a movie has been optioned. And check out Dianne Salerni's blog, In High Spirits.