C.A. Gray's Blog, page 44
December 31, 2020
Review of Iron Garland
Ah! This one was so satisfying, I almost wish it was the last in the series (even though it didn’t all get wrapped up yet).
The stories of Sera and Cettie continue, though this story follows more quickly on the heels of the previous one–they are still young women, about the same age as in the last book. Sera is no longer in the running as empress, and her father has been named. She may have the chance of being “rehabilitated” after her fall from grace and reinstated into the line of succession after her father–but he is courting the powerful and newly widowed Lady Corinne. Sera realizes that if he has another heir, he will not want her in the picture complicating matters. So he tries to send her to Kingfountain to form an alliance with their prince. I love how the Prince of Kingfountain comes into the story, though: it’s the BEST. I was immediately rooting for the two of them, which was surprising since this is exactly what Sera’s evil father wants.
Meanwhile, Cettie continues to grow in her powers. It turns out that she is the Harbinger, or the one who gets visions of the future which she passes along to her almost-father Fitzroy, the head of the Ministry of Wind. When she reveals this to her family, her visions help to guide her family through trials as they cling to the promise that things are not always what they seem. She also meets a very rude young man named Rand from a nearby manor who has a traumatic backstory, and I pegged him as a romantic interest for Cettie as soon as he came on the scene and groaned inwardly. One thing about Wheeler’s stories: you can’t always bank on a happily ever after the way you expect it to turn out. More often than not he throws curve balls. I really wanted Cettie to end up with Adam Creigh, despite the love triangle with her almost-sister Anna. As Rand grew increasingly sympathetic, I started to resign myself… and though I want to avoid spoilers, I’ll just say I did not see coming what happened next. But it was fantastic.
Also, as I read this book, I was reminded on multiple occasions of “Bleak House” by Charles Dickens. Sure enough, the afterword confirmed that Wheeler intended this to be a loose retelling! I felt very special. 
December 27, 2020
Review of Mirror Gate (Harbinger Series, #2)
Love this series! I’m so in awe of how intricate Wheeler’s worlds are.
Following the pattern in the “Kingfountain” series, the Harbinger series also follows the characters over epochs of years. In this one, the main characters Cettie and Sera, are young adults. They study at Muirwood, looping in another of Wheeler’s series, and they are on the brink of war with Kingfountain: all of his worlds are interconnected, which is a fun little easter egg for his longtime readers. One of the major conflicts in this story is that Sera, who is the granddaughter of the emperor, finds that her grandfather dies, leaving her and her father as the possible options for the council to choose as the next emperor or empress. Since her lineage is disputed by her father and he now hates her, this turns into political intrigue. Through manipulation, Sera finds herself not only on the short end of the stick, but also the subject of widespread defamation. But it’s only the second book in a five-part series; I can’t wait to see the evil characters get what they deserve.
Cettie, meanwhile, is studying at Muirwood along with Sera, and while she is one of the most talented students the abbey has ever seen, her heritage from the Fells makes her fellow schoolmates scorn her. Even though Fitzroy has been trying for years to adopt her, he cannot legally do so without the consent of her parents, and her parentage is in doubt. Because of this, her future is uncertain. She also loves another ward of Fitzroy’s, but can never say so, because her almost-sister Anna, whom she loves, has been openly enamored with him for years.
This story does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but since the series is complete, I just went straight into the next book and barely missed a beat.
My rating: *****
Language: none
Violence: none to speak of (fantasy only)
Sexual content: none
Political content: fantasy only
The post Review of Mirror Gate (Harbinger Series, #2) appeared first on C.A. Gray.
December 23, 2020
Shadow and Thorn
Today’s blog review comes from this review of Shadow and Thorn.
The post Shadow and Thorn appeared first on C.A. Gray.
December 18, 2020
Pirouette
December 16, 2020
Review of Shadow and Thorn
A unique retelling of Beauty and the Beast! Each of Davidson’s fairy tale retellings are so loose that if I didn’t know going in what it was that she was intending to mimic, I might not have even guessed it.
Alexei was a minor character in the retelling from the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and he suffered a disfiguring fate in that story, which is essentially what rendered him “the Beast.” He returns to his home nation to find that his otherwise abandoned castle is currently occupied by a treasure hunter named Zara (Beauty), and a cat, who turns out to be the embodiment of the castle itself. It isn’t Alexei that imprisons Zara, but the spell upon the castle itself. The castle (as played by the cat) informs the two early on that they must marry, but both rebel against this.
The primary villain in every story is Rowan Tremontaine, the former crown prince of Andari. Ousted by his own nation essentially for being a ne’er do well in favor of his younger brother, all his machinations revolve around finding a way to not only win back what he lost, but to expand his power into neighboring nations besides. His interference nearly topples the kingdom and results in Zara’s death, but one thing you can count on in this series: there’s always a happily ever after.
My rating: ****
Language: none
Violence: none
Sexual content: none
Political content: none
The post Review of Shadow and Thorn appeared first on C.A. Gray.
December 11, 2020
Storm Glass, by Jeff Wheeler
Today’s podcast review comes from this blog review of Storm Glass, by Jeff Wheeler.
The post Storm Glass, by Jeff Wheeler appeared first on C.A. Gray.
December 7, 2020
Review of Pirouette
[image error]
I still enjoy this series of fairy tale retellings: they are clean, they are creative, the plots are unexpected, and the characters are identifiable and likable for the most part. I think this was probably my least favorite thus far, though: it seemed to drag a bit, and it lacked that un-put-downable quality of the others.
The story is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, a fairy tale I hardly knew before, though Davidson’s retellings are so loose that I don’t think it probably bears that much resemblance to the original. It is helpful to read the books in order, as a few characters introduced in “Traitor’s Masque” appear in this one. Rowan, the rejected would-be crown prince of Andari, flees to a neighboring kingdom with the bizarre culture that requires all marriageable women, and particularly marriageable princesses, to dance. They also have the quirk of both harboring and despising magic. Their king, called the malek, has thirteen daughters, but he pretends the thirteenth does not exist, because her existence shames him. Ilani was at one time his favorite, but then when she danced before him at seven, she unknowingly released her magic. For this she should have been killed, but instead her legs were mangled in punishment, and she moved through the palace as a ghost ever since. When the man responsible for Ilani’s punishment is named the malek’s heir, and would-be husband, the twelve princesses refuse to dance for his ceremony. The malek is furious. Rowan, eager to exploit the situation to his own ends, quickly ingratiates himself with the malek and proposes a contest: the one who can tell the malek why his daughters refuse to dance shall be his next heir instead.
Meanwhile, the Andari prince sent spies to find out what Rowan is up to. One of them was a right-hand man and a playboy from “Traitor’s Masque,” Kyril Seagrave. He and another member of his party, Brenna, have a very contentious relationship, which hinders their ability to get their job done Later it turns out to have a good, if convenient, explanation. The rest of this party were not at all memorable. In the process of his role as spy, Kyril encounters Ilani and learns about the cultural intricacies that have kept her prisoner–and, of course, falls in love with her.
Some aspects of the story seemed forced to fit the fairy tale, and others seemed convenient or a little too tidy. I liked the characters, but I didn’t truly identify deeply with any of them. Still, I really enjoy the series overall and intend to read on.
My rating: ***1/2
Sexual content: none
Language: none
Violence: none
Political content: none
The post Review of Pirouette appeared first on C.A. Gray.
December 4, 2020
Review of Eyewitness: The Visual Experience Bible
[image error]
Absolutely stunning!
While I’m usually an audiobook or ebook kind of a girl, this is one book that needs to be experienced in hardcover, as the emphasis is really on the artwork. It’s a collection of illustrated retellings of some of the major stories in the Bible, Old and New Testament, told in first person and through the eyes of the main character. The stories are all quite short and stick to the highlights. It definitely doesn’t read like a novel, but it isn’t meant to. It’s like a children’s illustrated book, except that it’s for adults, designed to make the Bible accessible for those who might be less familiar with it, or to make it fresh for those who are.
I’m writing Biblical retellings myself (my first collection is called Messiah and focuses on just Jesus’ miracles) but aside from the hit crowdfunded series “The Chosen” (which I also learned about later), I didn’t realize that anyone else had the same idea. I’m really pretty jazzed that they are, and I particularly enjoyed reading White’s versions of the retellings I’d already written myself, since I’d spent so much in-depth time with those stories.
I love that it also contains such a breadth of artwork styles, as it was illustrated by many different international artists.
My rating: *****
Sexual content: present but tasteful (it’s the Bible, after all)
Violence: present but tasteful (ditto)
Political content: none
Language: none
The post Review of Eyewitness: The Visual Experience Bible appeared first on C.A. Gray.
The Eyewitness Experience Bible: Interview with Joani Schultz
Joani Schultz is Group Publishing’s Chief Creative Officer. She oversees the creation of Group’s resources, training, and services for children’s ministry, youth ministry, adult ministry, and church leadership. She’s the author of numerous books including “Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore,” and “The 1 Thing.” She leads the teams that create Group’s Bible curriculum, vacation Bible school, books, magazines, conferences, music, and training.
Today I’m specifically interviewing her about Eyewitness: The Visual Experience Bible, by Jeff White.
Learn more at experienceeyewitness.com
The post The Eyewitness Experience Bible: Interview with Joani Schultz appeared first on C.A. Gray.
November 27, 2020
Next Year In Havana, by Chanel Cleeton
This week’s podcast review: Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton comes from this blog review.
The post Next Year In Havana, by Chanel Cleeton appeared first on C.A. Gray.
