C.A. Gray's Blog, page 51
March 19, 2020
Review of Bruiser
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Such an interesting concept. I picked this one up because I really enjoyed the Scythe trilogy, and I am now even more impressed with Neal Shusterman’s creativity.
I almost didn’t finish the book, because the beginning led me to believe this would just be another high school drama. I’m so glad I kept going, though–I’ve never read anything like this before. It’s a story of a supernatural micropower, and that is the one point at which the reader must suspend his disbelief.
Tennyson (named for the poet) is upset and angry that his twin sister Bronte (named for the writers) is dating a ne’er do well outcast, Brewster, nicknamed “the Bruiser”–ironic, because he’s never actually hurt anybody. Tenny is the one with the reputation of a bully. Brew looks the part of a bully, though, and because he’s also a brooding loner, the class voted him “most likely to end up on death row” behind his back.
But he’s a loner for good reason. Brewster was born with a gift that’s more like a curse: he takes on the pain of those he cares about, both physical and emotional. His isolation is really protection, because once he cares for someone, he has little choice in the matter, nor do they–or so we’re led to believe at first. I kept thinking that Brew was like a reimagining of Jesus, taking all our sickness and pain on the cross–except that Brewster does it all the time, and he doesn’t have any sort of supernatural capacity himself. He’s just this poor kid, doomed to break under the weight of the world while everyone around him gets off scot-free. Once those around him learn what he can do for them, they become selfish, manipulative monsters. He never seems to resent anyone for it, but he also has no concept of boundaries, no idea how to protect himself. Only once does he manage to refuse someone else’s pain, because it would result in his death in his abusive uncle’s place. But he’s riddled with guilt about it afterwards.
I was wondering how such a book could possibly end. But without spoilers, I’ll say the key does in fact lie in boundaries. We are (biblically speaking) to carry one another’s burdens, BUT each is also to carry his own load (two different words in the Greek, Galatians 6:2-5). This isn’t a Christian book by any means, but it illustrates the biblical concept well. Brew cannot protect himself, so it’s up to Bronte and Tennyson to learn how to carry their own loads, rather than allowing Brew to be the human receptacle for all their junk. But they’re only motivated to do this once Brew’s life is on the line. It’s such a fascinating glimpse into human nature.
My rating: ****1/2
Sexual content: none
Language: some I think, but it didn’t register so not a lot
Political content: none
Violence: there’s some child abuse, but it doesn’t go into a lot of detail
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March 13, 2020
The Thief’s Daughter, Kingfountain Book 2, by Jeff Wheeler
Today’s podcast review comes from this blog review of The Thief’s Daughter.
The post The Thief’s Daughter, Kingfountain Book 2, by Jeff Wheeler appeared first on C.A. Gray.
March 10, 2020
Review of The Thief’s Daughter (Kingfountain Book 2)
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Like the first in the series, this one started off a bit too slow, I thought. But once it got going, I was again hooked.
Set in a high fantasy world, this series is nevertheless a lot more engaging to me than most high fantasy because the characterization is so good. Owen, the little boy from “The Queen’s Poisoner,” is now grown up at 17, as is his best friend, Lady Elyzabeth Victoria Mortimer (Evie for short). They are in love with each other, but he is a Duke and she a Lady of King Severn’s realm. Therefore, their duty to the king trumps their own personal desires–and the king decides to use Evie to form a marriage alliance with a neighboring, and threatening, kingdom. Owen is forced to go along, incognito, and pose as one of Evie’s bodyguards. His real purpose there is to use his fountain magic to determine whether or not the pretender to Severn’s throne, Aeric, is who he claims to be: the rightful heir.
Meanwhile, the poisoner from book 1 passed away, and now there is a new poisoner of the realm, Etayne (to whom the title refers). She, too, goes along incognito on their journey, and Owen discovers that she is also fountain blessed with a gift different from his own: Etayne possesses the gift of disguise. She can make herself appear to be anyone she chooses. Owen helps to train her in her gifting, and the two of them become close friends. Etayne develops deeper feelings for Owen, but Owen is too busy being jealous of King Iago Luellen, Evie’s intended.
Aeric turns out to be who he claims, but through his fountain magic (the Fountain will sometimes tell him things to come, usually in a cryptic single sentence), Owen learns that things are still not quite what they seem. There is a prophecy that an ancestor of their realm, known as the Dreadful Dead Man, will return and reclaim the throne. This insight changes Owen’s counsel to King Severn, and the outcome of Aeric’s bid for the throne.
The story ends sad, I’d say, and it seems rather final–but it’s book 2 of a four book series, so I’m curious to read on until the true ending. I also love the fact that the series is completely clean! That is so rare.
My rating: ****1/2
Sexual content: none
Political content: none (fantasy politics only)
Language: none
Violence: minor (there’s war but it’s not gratuitous)
The post Review of The Thief’s Daughter (Kingfountain Book 2) appeared first on C.A. Gray.
March 6, 2020
White Rose Black Forest by Eoin Dempsey
Today’s podcast review comes from this blog review, White Rose Black Forest.
The post White Rose Black Forest by Eoin Dempsey appeared first on C.A. Gray.
Review of White Rose, Black Forest
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This was a lot more engaging than I expected it to be. I was sucked into the story almost immediately by the peculiarity of the opening scene: a young 20-something girl named Franka ventures into the forest, intending to kill herself, when she comes upon an injured soldier in a German uniform. It’s World War II, and she’s German, but it’s clear that she doesn’t approve of the Nazi regime (which the author refers to more often as the National Socialists, for which the slang term Nazi is short. A rather timely reminder, that). She decides to save him anyway–as a nurse, it goes against her grain to walk away from another human being who needs her help. But in his delirium, the soldier murmurs something in English. Despite the fact that he maintains his German persona once he regains consciousness, Franka is now convinced that he is not who he claims to be. But how can she convince him to tell her the truth?
The story is a slow boil, mostly told in flashback as first Franka trusts John (as his name turns out to be) and tells him her story, and then in turn, he tells her his. Eventually he tells her about his mission, but due to his injury, he can no longer carry it out unaided. He enlists Franka’s help. From there, the story picks up, as the pair encounters one obstacle after another. There weren’t any major twists or surprises, but I was still on the edge of my seat, concerned that this was going to turn out to be one of those bittersweet stories so popular these days. But, I was glad to be wrong–at the very last second, I got my happy ending after all!
My rating: ****1/2
Language: none
Sexual content: none
Political content: none (historical only)
Violence: present but not gratuitous
The post Review of White Rose, Black Forest appeared first on C.A. Gray.
February 28, 2020
A Tale of Beauty and Beast, Melanie Cellier
This week’s podcast comes from this blog review of A Tale of Beauty and Beast.
The post A Tale of Beauty and Beast, Melanie Cellier appeared first on C.A. Gray.
February 27, 2020
Review of Traitor’s Masque
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What a delightful surprise this was! Definitely more than just a Cinderella retelling, though the bare bones of the fairy tale are there. Traitor’s Masque has a lot more intrigue and suspense than Cinderella ever did. You never would think it from the cover, though–it made me think I likely would find the story unbearably cheesy. I’m glad this was one case where I did not judge the book by its cover.
Trystan still has a wicked stepmother and two spoiled stepsisters, and her father did pass away. But the prince, whom she meets riding in the woods, is not just your dashing Prince Charming. In fact, he’s the younger and less attractive prince, nevertheless in line for the throne because his father favors him over his playboy older brother. (I found it interesting that the prince was not described as devastatingly handsome.) The ball is still the prince’s attempts to meet a wife from among the people, but Trystan is sent there for another reason entirely: a lady in the court invites her to attend in order to perform some act of intrigue that Trystan doesn’t understand, in exchange for her freedom from her stepmother. She agrees, not knowing that Donovan, her riding companion, is the prince in question until she gets there. She can observe him without being recognized, though, because it’s a masque. Little by little, Trystan realizes she’s empowered a coup to overthrow Prince Ramsey (as Donovan turns out to be), and she’s horrified at what she’s done. But once she puts it together, can she make it right?
There were a couple of moments in the story that I thought were very ill-motivated: Trystan needs to be at this place and meet this person, so the author contrives a flimsy reason for her to go, and a couple other things like that. But these were really my only issue with the story. Otherwise it’s engaging from start to finish, a refreshing twist on an old classic. Trystan and Prince Ramsey are both very easy to root for.
My rating: ****1/2
Sexual content: none
Violence: minor
Language: none
Political content: none
The post Review of Traitor’s Masque appeared first on C.A. Gray.
February 21, 2020
The Queen’s Poisoner, Jeff Wheeler
Today’s podcast review comes from this blog post, The Queen’s Poisoner.
The post The Queen’s Poisoner, Jeff Wheeler appeared first on C.A. Gray.
Review of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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I didn’t know the story of Hamlet at all, other than the fact that there’s a famous speech in which he holds a skull. This is a retelling, not done in Shakespearean language, which makes it much easier to follow for me. I’m just not into working that hard to understand what’s going on. I’m also not usually a big fan of tragedy, but the story was just so compelling… and yet there was enough distance between me and the characters that I wasn’t really devastated by the ending.
Hamlet is the son of the old king, who was apparently murdered, and returns as a ghost to compel Hamlet to avenge him. The king’s brother now sits on the throne and wedded his queen, just months after his death. But it’s a lot more complicated than that. Turns out the old king was a complete creep, while the brother was really a good guy who genuinely loved the queen (though the king did not.) He also loved his nephew. Yet when the nephew finds out what he’s done, where will his loyalties lie? Meanwhile, there’s massive intrigue in the court: advisors convinced brother (Claudius) to do the deed for their own dastardly ends. One of the advisors is the father of Ophelia, Hamlet’s sweetheart, who ends up mixed up in the whole affair. And one central character named Yoric, Hamlet’s midget jester, serves as both his sounding board and comic relief throughout. I didn’t learn until the afterword that Yoric is mentioned by name but is never actually a character in the play! I think Shakespeare missed the boat on that one, because Yoric is my favorite. And the twist of his true identity at the end is great.
I’ve never watched Game of Thrones but I’d imagine it’s pretty similar to this, in terms of court intrigue, duels, poisonings, affairs, and murder. There’s even a fun episode in which Hamlet gets kidnapped by pirates. I recently learned that Julius Caesar was once kidnapped by pirates, too, so I wonder if that might have served for part of Shakespeare’s inspiration there? Definitely an engaging listen!
My Rating: *****
Political Content: none (it’s Elizabethan)
Sexual Content: present but not explicit
Violence: present but not gratuitous
Language: present I think but it didn’t register, so probably not a lot
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February 17, 2020
Review of A World Lit Only By Fire
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My husband and I read this aloud to one another, and man, it was a mouthful. Manchester writes beautiful prose, but in a very self-aware sort of a way. He often chooses incredibly convoluted turns of phrase to express simple ideas, compounded by casual references to obscure historical characters without context, unexplained jargon, or phrases in other languages without translation. A few times I caught myself thinking, I’m not dumb, so why can’t I figure out what the heck is going on? And then I realized, oh yeah. *That’s* why.
The first half of the book also revels in debauchery and violence, describing torture and orgies and what have you in gruesome detail. (I skipped over those parts when it was my turn to read aloud, but my husband read all of it when it was his turn, chuckling all the while. He finds the gratuitousness amusing… either that, or my reaction to it.) The book sort of leaves you with a sense that it’s a wonder anybody survived the Middle Ages at all. Since the average man was illiterate, it’s kind of amazing that mankind as a whole ever got out of the Dark Ages. And also, how in the world did Christianity make it to the modern era in any recognizable form when for like 1000 years, Church practices had absolutely nothing to do with the Bible? (I know the answer is God, but really, it’s quite miraculous.) Those poor people for those thousand years, though. Life in the Middle Ages really was nasty, brutish, and short.
I did find the portraits of a few notable people from the era fascinating though, particularly Martin Luther (what a firebrand that guy was!), Lucrezia Borgia, Erasmus (whom I thought kind of got a raw deal), and Magellan. And even though I was never 100% sure I followed any given sentence, the book still gave me an overview of the era.
My rating: ** 1/2
Sexual content: Lots. Beware.
Violence: Lots. Beware.
Political Content: Historical Only
Language: none that I can recall, except for a few colorful medieval insults hurled from Martin Luther at his opponents.
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