Beverly Stowe McClure's Blog: Enter Beverly's World of Writing, page 22

When North Meets South Sparks Are Bound To Fly

Shades of Gray: A Novel of the Civil War in Virginia by Jessica James

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Move over, Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara. You’ve met your match. Captain Alexander Hunter, Confederate officer, is brave and daring, as well as handsome. Andrea Evans, Union sympathizer, is headstrong and impulsive, and like a chameleon changes her identity to suit the situation. When North meets South sparks are bound to fly, not only on the battlefield, but also in the lives of a man and woman that will do anything for the cause they believe in.

SHADES OF GRAY, the award winning historical novel by Author Jessica James, is set in Virginia during the American Civil War. Andrea plays many roles in the story: a boy that delivers dispatches for the Union, a guide, and a Southern Belle to name a few. Captain Alexander Hunter is a fearless leader, respected by his men. Both characters believe deeply in their cause and will defend their beliefs until death if necessary. Jessica James shows the personal side of the characters and how families are torn apart in a war that will scar our nation for years to come. The battle scenes are so vivid I felt as though I were in the middle of the action, hearing the cries of pain, witnessing the blood and the dying men. The story contains beautiful moments too. When Alexander and Andrea can stop arguing enough, they realize they’re falling in love, something I’d been telling them all along.

The American Civil War is my favorite era in history, and I have a whole library of books about the war. I am pleased to add another great novel to my collection. The only thing I disliked about the book was the ending, not because it wasn’t beautifully written. It was. I also understand why it ended the way it did. And that’s all I’m saying because I don’t want to give anything away. Other readers may love the ending. However, I am happy to hear that Noble Cause … well, my lips are sealed. I’m reading it next. Ms. James has written another great story dealing with the history of America. Let’s hope we’ve learned our lesson from the past.
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A Story of Survival

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Water is precious. Without water they say a person can live for only 3 to 10 days. Have you ever thought of what you would do if your supply of water suddenly was gone? No? Maybe you ought to, because it could happen.

NOT A DROP TO DRINK, the YA debut novel of Author Mindy McGinnis, deals with protecting the water supply of sixteen-year-old Lynn and her mother, as well as other troubles that confront them. When Lynn’s mother is killed, Lynn is left on her own to preserve the pond in their backyard from those who would take it for their own. From the time she was nine years old Lynn has known how to kill to protect not only their water but their home, as well. Survival depends on it. Can she do it alone?

The author has given each character in NOT A DROP TO DRINK a distinct personality that makes the reader care for them. Lynn has not grown up like a normal teenager. Her life has been one of survival. Death is always nearby, waiting for one mistake, for one unguarded moment. Who can Lynn trust, besides her mother? Stebbs, the old man that lives nearby, is one of my favorite characters. He does what he can for Lynn, who is fiercely independent. Then there’s little Lucy, five years old, whose story will touch your heart, and also sixteen-year-old Eli, who brings new thoughts and ideas to Lynn.

NOT A DROP TO DRINK is a story of survival, family, friendship, and love. It’s also a story of hate, greed, murder, and men that strive to achieve their goals no matter the cost. Some scenes are graphic, but necessary. This is not a light read. Ms. McGinnis’ novel will haunt you as you consider the possibility that the events in her book could happen. A must read for not only YA readers, but also for adults. I highly recommend it.
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A Story of Love, Friendship, and Danger

Gideon's Spear by Darby Karchut

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Being a thirteen-year-old boy is tough enough. Being the thirteen-year-old Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan and apprentice to a Knight, with monsters and a witch after you is challenging to even the bravest young teen.

Author Darby Karchut has written another winner. After reading FINN FINNEGAN, BOOK ONE OF THE ADVENTURES OF FINN MACCULLEN, I didn’t think the series could get any better. I was wrong. GIDEON’S SPEAR, the second book in the series, continues the story of Finn MacCullen and Gideon Lir, the awesome duo I met in book one. Sometimes Finn is just a boy. He makes mistakes. He tests his Knight’s patience. He gets into trouble. Other times he fights a witch and the Amandan creatures, alongside his master, Gideon, with bravery and amazing skills for so young a warrior. What I love most about these novels is the relationship between Finn and Gideon. It’s more than a mentor, apprentice relationship. In addition to teaching Finn the skills of a brave warrior, Gideon also shows Finn the need for good manners and respect of others, the way a father guides his son. Finn reacts the way any teen boy would react: sometimes with anger or resentment, still knowing Gideon is right.

In GIDEON’S SPEAR, secrets are revealed. Neighbors are not always what they seem. And life is never dull for Finn and those around him. Darby Karchut has given each character his/her distinct personality. Mac Roth, Gideon’s oldest friend, is the kind of friend everyone should have, and one of my favorite characters.

Each scene is written with such detail it makes the reader feel like you’re there, fighting the monsters with Finn and Gideon, or at the house while they’re training, or with the neighbor twins and their family. Author’s notes at the end of the story explain the source of many of the names and terms used in the novel. The reader also gets a peek at the third book in the series, THE HOUND AT THE GATE. It looks like another winner. If only we didn’t have to wait a year to read the whole story. Every middle school library and classroom should have copies of Gideon’s Spear. The novel would also be popular in high schools, I think. So now we wait to see where Finn and Gideon take us next. A very nice novel, Ms. Karchut. Thank you.
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A Story of Love, Friendship, and Danger

Gideon's Spear by Darby Karchut

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Being a thirteen-year-old boy is tough enough. Being the thirteen-year-old Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan and apprentice to a Knight, with monsters and a witch after you is challenging to even the bravest young teen.

Author Darby Karchut has written another winner. After reading FINN FINNEGAN, BOOK ONE OF THE ADVENTURES OF FINN MACCULLEN, I didn’t think the series could get any better. I was wrong. GIDEON’S SPEAR, the second book in the series, continues the story of Finn MacCullen and Gideon Lir, the awesome duo I met in book one. Sometimes Finn is just a boy. He makes mistakes. He tests his Knight’s patience. He gets into trouble. Other times he fights a witch and the Amandan creatures, alongside his master, Gideon, with bravery and amazing skills for so young a warrior. What I love most about these novels is the relationship between Finn and Gideon. It’s more than a mentor, apprentice relationship. In addition to teaching Finn the skills of a brave warrior, Gideon also shows Finn the need for good manners and respect of others, the way a father guides his son. Finn reacts the way any teen boy would react: sometimes with anger or resentment, still knowing Gideon is right.

In GIDEON’S SPEAR, secrets are revealed. Neighbors are not always what they seem. And life is never dull for Finn and those around him. Darby Karchut has given each character his/her distinct personality. Mac Roth, Gideon’s oldest friend, is the kind of friend everyone should have, and one of my favorite characters.

Each scene is written with such detail it makes the reader feel like you’re there, fighting the monsters with Finn and Gideon, or at the house while they’re training, or with the neighbor twins and their family. Author’s notes at the end of the story explain the source of many of the names and terms used in the novel. The reader also gets a peek at the third book in the series, THE HOUND AT THE GATE. It looks like another winner. If only we didn’t have to wait a year to read the whole story. Every middle school library and classroom should have copies of Gideon’s Spear. The novel would also be popular in high schools, I think. So now we wait to see where Finn and Gideon take us next. A very nice novel, Ms. Karchut. Thank you.
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Soul Cutter Review

Sometimes an event happens in a girl’s life that haunts her for years. Sometimes a boy’s fate is determined before he’s even born. Do events from the past make a person evil or perhaps a murderer?

Author Lexa Cain’s debut novel, SOUL CUTTER, is the story of Elan Duchamps, a girl that has nightmares about her past. It’s also the story of Ramsey Zafikar, last in the line of the Darsani-Masters, who could claim his soul if he makes a mistake. When Elan’s mother turns up missing, Elan travels to Egypt to find her. There she meets Ramsey, from Lebanon, and even though he has troubles of his own, he offers to help Elan discover what happened to her mother. They face curses, skeletons, snakes, and a soul cutter that can remove a portion of a dying person’s soul, among other things, as they search the palace for clues to her mother’s disappearance. Told from alternating points-of-view, the reader gets a picture of both Elan and Ramsey and the challenges in their lives. Will they succeed in discovering her mother’s whereabouts? Will Elan be able to forget the ghost from her past and enjoy a happy future, perhaps with Ramsey?

SOUL CUTTER is an exciting, never a dull moment read. Lexa Cain includes interesting information about the landscape of Egypt, as well, placing the reader in the scene to visualize the same things the characters experience. Some of the scenes are pretty gruesome, but the title SOUL CUTTER tells the reader that. I enjoyed reading Ms. Cain’s story and think you will too. A very nice debut novel.
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A Magical Story

Elixir Bound by Katie L. Carroll

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


For years, perhaps for centuries, the quest to live forever has driven men to search for a magic potion that will grant them eternal life. Some of them will do most anything to achieve their goal. But what if they do find such a potion or medicine? Will it bring them happiness or problems?

Author Katie L. Carroll’s YA fantasy novel, ELIXIR BOUND, is the story of Katora Kase and her family who are in charge of protecting a magic Elixir that some believe will make them live forever. Katora is a prime year woman and soon it will be her duty to take over the family’s farm which also puts her in charge of the Elixir. Since they’re almost out of the Elixir, Katora will lead an expedition to retrieve more nectar for the Elixir. On their quest to do so, Katora and those that go with her face more danger than she ever imagined.

Katie L. Carroll uses vivid language to describe the journey through Faway Forest. I could picture the creatures that would have made me stop and run home, forgetting about the Elixir. The characters, especially Katora, are not always brave. They try to be, but have their doubts and sometimes question if they’re doing the right thing, like real people do. And until the very end I wasn’t sure how the story would turn out. If you enjoy a good fantasy with likeable characters that make you care for them and a situation that could be fatal for them, then pick up a copy of ELIXIR BOUND. You’ll be happy you did.
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A Man, a Husband, a Father, a President

I Am Abraham: A Novel of Lincoln and the Civil War by Jerome Charyn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The president of the United States presents a certain image, an image that does not always tell the people the whole story of the man. When we read each of the president’s stories, we discover that they have many of the same problems other people have. They make mistakes; they face challenges and sometime win, sometimes lose. Author Jerome Charyn’s novel, I AM ABRAHAM, A NOVEL OF LINCOLN AND THE CIVIL WAR, paints a picture of Abraham Lincoln, a man with faults and doubts about his own abilities, but who nevertheless became President of the United States of America.

Using characters that really existed, along with fictional characters, Jerome Charyn gives us a vision of Abe Lincoln the man, husband, father, and president. The book is divided into sections with dates, locations, seasons, and other helpful information to help us follow the timeline of the story. Lincoln was a modest man. He worked at odd jobs such as mending pickets and building caskets, to name a few. He dealt with the death of two of his four sons and a spunky wife determined he would be president. His presidency was during a tumultuous time in our country, when citizens were taking sides. Lincoln could not escape the war, the odor of rotting carcasses, the loss of lives, the horror of what was happening to the country. And he was helpless to stop it.


Abraham Lincoln is one of my favorite presidents. The Civil War is one of my favorite eras of history. I was so excited to get to read this novel and I was not disappointed. Jerome Charyn describes each scene so vividly I almost felt as if I were there, seeing the prisoners with their wounds, experiencing the hopelessness of their situation along with them, and watching Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd, grieve for her sons as she lost herself. Most of all, I see Lincoln a bit differently than I once did because the novel I AM ABRAHAM portrays the whole man Lincoln, rather than mostly his presidential years. This book would make a great addition to high school and university libraries and classrooms. It’s also an inspiring story for people who perhaps have few advantages in life to see that it’s possible they can achieve their goals. I highly recommend this novel for history lovers, teachers, and everyone interested in a good read.
I was provided an ARC of this book for my honest review.
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THE GHOSTLY GRAMMAR BOY

The Ghostly Grammar Boy by Sandra Thompson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What if your twin sister who died when she was two, is now a teen ghost and visits you often? What if she and her ghost boyfriend suspect his twelve-year-old brother is being drugged and they ask for your help? You’d offer whatever help you could, wouldn’t you?

Author Sandra Thompson’s novel THE GHOSTLY GRAMMAR BOY, a paranormal story for young adult readers, follows fifteen-year-old Fiona, who, unlike most people, can see and talk to ghosts, as she attempts to discover who wants to kill the ghost Chris’ brother, Alan. Enter Shane, a friend of Fiona’s brother, and also a hunk who suddenly takes an interest in Fiona. To her surprise, he also can see ghosts. Soon the mystery gets more complicated, and Fiona doesn’t know whom to trust. To keep from giving away the plot, I’ll just say that Fiona finds more trouble than she ever imagined.

The author adds twists and surprises to keep the reader guessing who and most of all why Alan’s life is in danger. I was beginning to suspect what was going on toward the end of the story, but Sandra Thompson kept the suspense and tension high so I wasn’t sure how the story would end. THE GHOSTLY GRAMMAR BOY is a fun read with good guys and bad guys, jealousy and friendship, along with danger and revenge. This is the first book in the Dusk Duo Series. I wonder what the ghosts will be up to next. This novel would make a nice addition to school libraries, perhaps to show how jealousy and revenge can drive a person to do the unthinkable.

The author provided me with a copy of this book for my honest review.
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DESTINATION UNKNOWN

Destination Unknown by Amy Clipston

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


DESTINATION UNKNOWN Review
By Amy Clipston

What is worse than your boyfriend breaking up with you on Valentine’s Day, while your two best friends’ boyfriends give them nice gifts? Could the D on a calculus test be worse? Or how about the fact that your mother says you need a tutor to bring that grade up and not ruin your grade point average to get into college? Is being grounded for two weeks or seeing your best friends in a different light worse?

Eighteen-year-old Whitney Richards faces all of these problems in Author Amy Clipston’s YA novel DESTINATION UNKNOWN. That seems like quite a lot for a teen to deal with her senior year of high school. Deal with them, Whitney must. To add to her troubles, Whitney is falling for Taylor Martinez, also a senior and the tutor who’s helping her with calculus. He’s hot, he’s nice, and he’s different from the jocks she has been dating. He’s not one of the popular crowd that makes up most of Whitney‘s friendships, and her mother totally disapproves of him since he lives on the wrong side of town. Time after time, Whitney and her mother clash over what Whitney wants for her life and what her mother has planned for her daughter. When matters get too complicated, Whitney prays to God for help in her messed up life.

DESTINATION UNKNOWN is a story about peer pressure, a manipulative mother (according to Whitney), misunderstandings, and lies (or not telling the whole truth the way Whitney looks at a situation). The author has created characters that are so real they might be the teen next door, the teen at church or at school, or your own teen. Most teens reading the story will be able to relate to Whitney’s dilemma, or perhaps to one of the other characters through themselves or someone they know. Sometimes we’re so caught up in what we want we close our minds and do not truly listen to the other person’s reasons for what they do. I recommend this book for classroom libraries and school libraries as well as your own private library. The story may provide exactly what some young reader needs in his/her life at the moment.

I received an Advanced Reading Copy of this book from Zondervan Publishing for my honest review.

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Boys, Bullies, and Surprises

Hike Up Devil's Mountain by Penny Estelle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


HIKE UP DEVIL’S MOUNTAIN (Review)

By Penny Estelle

When you were a child did you ever disobey your parents? If so, what were the results? Did they punish you? Or did something happen because of your disobedience that made you wish you’d listened to you folks? Maybe they were right. Yeah, as we grow older, we discover mothers and fathers are amazingly smart.

Author Penny Estelle’s MG/Tween novel, HIKE UP DEVIL’S MOUNTAIN, is an entertaining adventure about boys, bullies, and surprises, with a touch of fantasy added for good measure. Ten-year-old Andy Thompson explores an abandoned house, where he finds a box with a stick inside it that glows. Being curious, as most kids are, he has to find out more about this amazing stick. Enter the bully, Jason Crew, and his brother, Danny, new kids in school, and there’s never a dull moment. Without giving away the plot, I’ll just mention a talking toad, a witch that lives on Devil’s Mountain, and a blue dragon provide a hefty dose of humor, fear, and discovery for Andy and friends.

Penny Estelle has created characters that have the faults of real children and also their good points. The reader follows along, wondering what will happen next. At least this reader did. The author throws in a surprise or two along the way. Do the boys learn anything from their adventures? Well, pick up a copy of the book and see. HIKE UP DEVIL’S MOUNTAIN would make a great addition to school libraries and classrooms, as well as your own library.

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