Hi readers,
In our home, we celebrated and learned about Veterans Day and Native American Heritage Month. Below are a few of our reads and mini reviews for each:
Well, it’s December now but you wouldn’t be able to tell with all the warm weather we’ve been getting in Oklahoma. I don’t ever complain about nice weather… unless it’s supposed to be snowy weather.
-Kena
Hi readers,
For those who celebrate it, Happy Hanukkah! Lil bambino and I got some holiday books from the library to continue our journey of reading 1,000 books before Kindergarten. I think we’re in the 700s by now! Out of all the Hanukkah books we read, our top three favorites were:
• “How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah?” by Jane Yolen
• “Noah and the Eight Trucks of Hanukkah” by Nancy Rips
• “Sammy Spider’s Hanukkah Colors” by Sylvia A. Rouss
We also read some nonfiction books on Hanukkah, more Sammy Spider books about Hanukkah, and some other picture books too. We hope those celebrating have a wonderful week!
-Kena
Hello readers,
I started this book review back in January… I haven’t read a novel that moved me to tears in a long time and add several years of not writing book reviews, I was met with writer’s block. Migrations ripped me apart and I still cannot stop thinking about it, but I am now in a place in life where I have found my voice again and would like to share with you all what I have to say.
Franny Stone is in constant motion. Always leaving, never staying long. If she leaves first, then no one can leave her. She’s ready to live a willfully detached existence until beautiful and scientific Niall comes into her life and makes her question everything. When tragedy strikes, Franny decides to venture off on her last journey, and does so by talking her way into the hearts of the Saghani crew, who become the family she didn’t know she was missing. Franny and the Saghani crew traverse unknown waters as they follow the last Arctic terns on their migration in a dying world. Arctic terns have the longest migration of all animals, and like the terns, Franny must make the journey toward healing from her past in order to survive. As Franny moves from Ireland to Australia, to all over the Atlantic Ocean heading towards Antarctica, Charlotte McConaghy ushers readers through the rough waters of the consequences of Franny’s actions, and what it means to go to great lengths to find redemption. This devastating tale will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
Content Warning (CW): suicide, suicidal ideation, body horror (car wreck), sexual assault, stillbirth. This review does not contain spoilers, the content warning is there for if you decide to read the novel.
Although this is a tragedy, I was led to believe that this novel would mostly be about climate change, and it is… but also not really. You know what I think constantly goes through Franny’s head? This thought: “If I leave first then nothing can hurt me.” She is psychologically scarred and at one point in her life she was ready to live willfully detached to reality. Then she meets Niall. The one person who she feels comfortable and safe around to finally stay still. Live. Franny is met with a cruel fate though, and when she is finally ready to stop running, tragedy strikes. I sometimes used to criticize lessons in English classes where we’d have to analyze certain aspects of a novel, like the symbolism of colors (for example, the white curtains in The Great Gatsby… hello, why can’t they just be white for aesthetics??) However, I found myself analyzing Franny Stone with a magnifying glass as if she were an ant. Readers cannot deny that Franny has, at the very least, C-PTSD. It’s palpable. She experienced enough childhood trauma that she actually suffers memory loss of certain events in her life until Niall, gently, brings awareness back to everything so that she can properly heal. While Niall isn’t the one who helps Franny find her path towards healing, she does find healing when she is with the Saghani crew. They are the family she never had. All wanderers. The theme is about searching for something important and the lengths people will go to find it. Franny is searching for redemption and healing, the Saghani crew are trying to find their place in the world that hates them simply because of their profession in fishing, Niall is finding solutions for animal extinction and climate change, and the last Arctic terns are searching for their source of food.
I invite you to primarily focus on all of the parts that are about Franny and Niall’s relationship, and I would argue that the rest of the plot will make sense based off of their dynamic. This is about a love story that parallels with a dying world. Migrations asks you what you would do for someone/something you love, and answers with Franny’s extraordinary example. The time she spends with the crew of the Saghani and their migration with the Earth’s last Arctic terns is still important though, because like the Arctic terns, Franny must make the journey towards healing in order to truly live her life. Her travels with the crew propels her toward an acceptance she has fought for years, and redemption is at the end of that acceptance. It is also a tragic love story of the world that we now know, and how our humanly actions affect the flora and fauna of this Earth for good or bad. McConaghy shows us what the consequences would look like if we all continue down a bad path. Migrations is a forlorn landscape, yet readers must make the journey with Franny as she picks up pieces of her life and past trauma to put together a purpose for a greater good.
I loved reading this story and I hope you do too. I also highly recommend a box of tissues by your side when you read Migrations.
Pro(s):
• Character development is on point. Aside from Franny, McConaghy develops each character enough that readers understand who they are but does not bombard you with unnecessary details.
• Wanderlust. This book will give you serious wanderlust!
Con(s):
• Do not read this for a story about climate change unless you are content with the climate change issues being a background theme. As stated earlier, the theme is about searching but truthfully more so about survival. There are many examples of survival in this story but not all are in relation to plants and animals trying to survive in a dying world. In fact, it is casually mentioned that there are plenty of animals that are extinct at this point, but McConaghy does not attempt to accurately describe how this affects ecosystems around the world. It’s not that she’s wrong in what she does write about, because she does give examples throughout the novel, it’s just that this story isn’t required to reveal lengthy details of the affects because it’s not supposed to be focused on climate change.
Favorite Quotes:
“I have always been frightened of dead things, birds more so than anything else. There is nothing so disturbing as a creature born to flight being bound to dull lifelessness.” (43)
“If I had the power, I’d carry the birds all the way. Protect them from the journey’s difficulty. Then again, it’s a fool who tries to protect a creature from its own instincts.”
“I find mine in the sky again, leading the way. She is smaller and smaller, halved and halved again. Don’t, I whisper, inside. Don’t leave. But I know she must. It’s in her nature.” (59)
“Even though they are as varied as a group of people can be, I can tell they are the same, all of these sailors. Something was missing in their lives on land, and they went seeking the answer. Whatever it was, I don’t doubt for a second that they each found it. They are migrants of land, and they love it out here on an ocean that offered them a different way of life, they love this boat, and, as much as they may bicker and fight, they love each other.” (76)
“I’m writing down the addresses when Niall Lynch walks past the row of computers with a pile of books in his arms. He doesn’t look at me but my eyes are pulled to him as if by gravity, or perhaps something less scientific, something for which I don’t yet have a name… I’ve been to his lectures but he hasn’t looked at me once and maybe this is all part of his design because he has turned me effortlessly into a creature made of obsession.” (82)
“My life has been a migration without a destination, and that in itself is senseless. I leave for no reason, just to be moving, and it breaks my heart a thousand times, a million. It’s a relief to at last have a purpose. I wonder what it will feel like to stop… We are, all of us, given such a brief moment of time together, it hardly seems fair. But it’s precious, and maybe it’s enough, and maybe it’s right that our bodies dissolve into the earth, giving out energy back to it… and maybe it’s right that our consciousness rests. The thought is peaceful. When I go there will be nothing of me left behind. No children to carry on my genes. No art to commemorate my name, nothing written down, no great acts. I think of the impact of a life like that. It sounds quiet, and so small as to be invisible. It sounds like the unexplored, unseen Point Nemo. But I know better than that. A life’s impact can be measured by what it gives and what it leaves behind, but it can also be measured by what it steals from the world.” (89-90)
“Niall told me on our wedding night, as we gazed into the wild Atlantic, that for him it was because he’d dreamed of me before we met. “Not you, exactly. Of course. But something that felt as you did that night… It was so familiar. I recognized you.” “What did it feel like?” He thought for a while and then said, “Something scientific.” This, I accepted- a tad disappointed- was his cynicism. But I was wrong. It remains to this day the most romantic thing he has ever said to me, only I didn’t know that until much later.” (92)
“I lie in the sea and feel more lost than ever, because I’m not meant to be homesick, I’m not meant to long for the things I have always been so desperate to leave. It isn’t fair to be the kind of creature who is able to love but unable to stay.”
“It’s impossible to control someone else’s capacity for forgiveness.” (194)
“Willful detachment is a very dangerous state of mind.” (222)
“Before my wife was my wife, she was a creature I studied. Now, this very morning, her fingers were splayed over the lump by her belly button, the elbow or fist or foot pressing itself toward us, wriggling to the sound of my voice, reaching to be closer. It moved, this tiny person, and Franny’s eyes shone like a light so bright as she looked at me, looked in astonishment, in fear and in joy. She loves this child, and it’s her cage. I think she only agreed to keep it because she wanted me to be left with something when she breaks free. The thing that calls to her, whatever it is, will call again. But she has forgotten my promise. I wait, always. Our daughter will wait with me. And maybe one day she too will leave, off on an adventure. And then I will wait for her, too.” (241-242)
“Mam used to tell me to look for the clues. “The clues to what?” I asked for the first time. “To life. They’re hidden everywhere.” ” (254)
Recommended Music:
I’ve always liked recommending songs that I’ve listened to while reading a particular novel, and here are two songs I’d recommend for Migrations:
1) “Experience” by: Ludovico Einaudi
2) “Frigate Birds” by: Cosmo Sheldrake
Read-Alikes:
I’m sure there are read-alikes to Migrations, but this honestly stood out to me as a work all on it’s own.
-Kena
Hey there! I’m finally able to share my review of the novel The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar. I read this with one of my best friends and it was so nice to read together! It’s been over a year since I last saw her, so reading and discussing books with each other along with keeping in touch through social media has bridged the gap. Thank you Sam for suggesting this book to me!
Audrey Coltrane is independent and laser-focused on one thing: her passion for flying. From learning how to fly on a little airfield in Texas to training military pilots in Hawaii, she feels most like herself when she’s in the sky. When the coy and handsome Lieutenant James Hart fits into Audrey’s life like a puzzle piece she didn’t know she was missing, it leaves her confused about her plans for life for the first time. After witnessing the bombing of Pearl Harbor together, they both feel called to serve their country, leading Audrey into the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program and James to fight overseas. In Noelle Salazar’s first novel, we are taken on a journey through the hardships and friendships that Audrey experiences during her time as a WASP. She forms bonds with her fellow, female pilots and it strengthens her spirit throughout times of darkness, especially when James goes missing. The Flight Girls is a touching story of love, adventure, and determination while bringing to light a piece of history that deserves more recognition.
Pros:
-I had never heard of the WASPs before reading The Flight Girls and I was baffled by how that piece of history was not taught in school! Those women were true badasses and I am eager to learn more about them!
-The friendships Audrey makes with fellow pilots in Hawaii and with other WASPs is powerful. I especially loved the friendship between Audrey and Carol Ann. Honestly, Salazar paints a fantastic portrait of friendship.
-The friendship/relationship that Audrey and James have is the perfect war-time, “you’ll always have a piece of my heart wherever you go” vibe and I ate that up! I’m a sucker for a good romance story.
Cons:
-This is advertised as a fictional story about the WASPs but when you dive in it’s really only about Audrey’s journey. The title led me to believe that other characters would be focused on, like a story pie and each character would have a slice, but it really is just about Audrey. Salazar gives the readers just enough character background of the other women that she spends time with, but not enough for them to be well-rounded characters. The Flight Girl would’ve been more fitting.
-The ending felt rushed. The scenes in France would have flowed well with the rest of the story if they were written more in-depth. The surprise ending didn’t feel authentic. It didn’t evoke strong emotions from me. However, I’m still glad it ended the way it did and if there is ever a movie adaptation of this novel, that ending would make me bawl! There’s something about reading a scene versus seeing it played out on the big screen that translates the depth of what is going on differently, and I dare say that sometimes it is better understood on screen.
-Salazar’s writing style is straightforward and reads as if you were reading diary entries about Audrey. Although her writing style isn’t necessarily bad, I personally tend to lose focus at times with this style. There is a lot of dialogue and a lot of telling the readers what conflicts Audrey goes through rather than describing her conflicts.
I give this novel 3.5 stars out of 5. I truly did enjoy reading this though and it has peaked my interest in the WASPs and other period drama/period romance novels. Read-alikes include:
Hey readers!
I am finally getting around to blogging again. When I heard news that “The Girl on the Train” was being turned into a movie, I was equal parts excited and nervous. This was an outstanding thriller and I didn’t want it to be ruined because of the movie, so I recommend reading the novel first if you plan on watching the movie.
So, I normally do not read mystery/thriller novels, for no particular reason other than I always gravitate toward fantasy and/or YA Fiction. However, I spotted a novel at Barnes & Noble and I felt drawn to it. I am intrigued by trains and, honestly, it was the title that caught my attention. When I picked it up and read the description, I knew that it would be a thriller that I might actually enjoy. I walked my happy self to the counter and bought what I now consider one of the best thrillers of 2015!
Official Summary:
A debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people’s lives.
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
A compulsively readable, emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller that draws comparisons to Gone Girl, The Silent Wife, or Before I Go to Sleep, this is an electrifying debut embraced by readers across markets and categories.
My Review:
I give this novel 4 stars out of 5. Hawkins does an excellent job of keeping the reader hooked and not losing track of the main plot. This novel is written from three women’s point of views, but the main protagonist is Rachel. She’s hit rock bottom in her life: her husband cheated on her and now they’re divorced. She’s an alcoholic, and for several months now she has been unemployed. Her daily routine is to take the train into London, even after losing her job. Rachel’s routine is how Hawkins portrays the main idea for this novel- the idea of observation. Ever heard of phrases that go something like, “We don’t always see things the way they truly are”? This thriller novel deeply explores that thought. The only negative comment I have about the novel is that I felt like there could have been some rearranging of scenes to add build up of suspense earlier in the book. It seemed to me like all of the real suspense and shocking moments were clustered together toward the end of the novel, and not enough spread out through the whole book. Otherwise, I highly recommend this novel.
Good afternoon, readers! I was at Target about a month ago, and I was browsing through the book aisle (of course) when I noticed a series of books with colorful covers and the title “Whatever After.” I flipped the back of the first book and read a cute and spunky description. It went like this:
“Mirror Mirror on the basement wall… Once upon a time a mirror slurped up me and my brother, and magically transported us inside Snow White’s fairy tale. Then we stopped Snow White from eating the poisoned apple. Hooray! Or not. If Snow White doesn’t die, she won’t meet her prince or get her happy ending. Oops. Now it’s up to us to fix Snow White’s story. And then, fingers crossed, find our way home.”
I rehearsed in my head how I would explain to my husband this particular purchase…
Hello readers!
It is raining all week and I could not be more happy. Well, I could if I were able to enjoy the rain by staying home all week reading and drinking coffee. (How cliché, right?) Anyway, I recently read Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater. If you’ve ever heard of the “Wolves of Mercy Falls” Young Adult series, Sinner is the fourth book and focuses mainly on Isabel Culpeper and Cole St. Clair.
Setting: Los Angeles, California. Extremely different atmosphere compared to the quiet, mysterious, and languid town of Mercy Falls, Minnesota.
Time: Sinner picks up a few months after everything that happened in Forever. Cole is back in the music scene, sort of, while Isabel is living with her mom, Aunt, and cousin. Cole is continuing his music career by agreeing to make a reality show with a host named Baby North. Isabel’s mom and dad separated and now she is studying for a CNA degree and working at a boutique called Blush.
Throughout the entire novel, there is this underlying tension between Isabel and Cole. Isabel is not sure of Cole’s motives (whether he really wants to be with her or use her as a distraction, as well as if he is serious about staying clean from drugs) and Cole is not sure of who he is after everything that happened in Mercy Falls. He has kept clean except for the mix of chemicals that he discovered can turn him back into a wolf temporarily. Cole uses this as his new “high”. As a wolf, he doesn’t feel anything- no emotions, no regrets, not even good feelings- he is focused solely on wolf needs and it clears his head much better than anything else ever did. Cole is trying so hard to fill the void that developed first while he was lost in drugs and meaningless sex, then later with the death of his best friend Victor.
On the opposite end, Isabel is drowning in the void that developed from the death of her brother, her parent’s separation, and the uncertainty of how things will be in life with Cole coming back into the picture. Isabel keeps all of this hurt inside and uses it as fuel for her sarcasm and (fake) apathy which builds a thicker wall around her against everyone else. She wants to stay isolated from everyone and just dwell in the pain alone. Meanwhile, Cole runs away from his pain.
Stiefvater does an outstanding job with character development in Sinner. In the first three novels of the series, the focus is mainly on Grace and Sam (as far as couples go). Sinner truly captures more of Cole and Isabel and it is refreshing to see that they are just as relatable. Cole is a charismatic person but always has his public mask on. He cannot seem to escape the “Cole St. Clair” that he is known for, in order to start over. Only Isabel can see the real Cole, and that attracts him to her more than anything else. Isabel, however, doesn’t care to keep a public mask on but rather wriggles in the shells of her personality that keep people at a distance. Again, Cole can see the real Isabel but even then it’s glimpses. BOTH know that the other can be that void filler but are unsure if it is the right thing to do by being together. Cole and Isabel feel real and complete when together and it scares them both because they are afraid to lose that feeling. Cole chases after that feeling, Isabel shrinks away from it. Something else they both have in common, and plays a big role in what created a void in each of them, is survivor guilt. Isabel feels alone with her brother dead and Cole feels lost and guilty from the death of Victor.
Likes:
Dislikes:
I’d give this novel 4 out of 5 stars!
I’ll be writing again soon. 🙂
Hello again!
I recently finished Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow. I received this novel from my good friend Tanner as a Christmas gift… I think two years ago. I’m reeeaaallllllyy bad about receiving books as gifts but not reading them until much later… Honestly though, it feels like when I finish a book there are five books added to my “To-Read” list. I’m sure someone can relate to this!
Strange Angels is a fantasy YA book. I thought it was a fun read but I also didn’t really think there was anything about it that stood out from the other vampire/werewolf/paranormal YA novels or series. Maybe that’s okay to some people! I tend to get exhausted of a certain genre after I’ve read books that seem like they are repeating each other’s plots and settings, but if you are the type of reader who generally wants to read anything that has those fantasy elements, this is a must read.
Dru Anderson is a teenage girl who is constantly on the move with her ex-Marine father. He is a demon hunter of creatures of the Real World, and Dru is training to become one. (I thought it was interesting how St. Crow made the world of fantasy creatures the “real” world.) Dru is sarcastic and witty, and so is St. Crow’s writing. Her writing makes Dru seem like a relatable character and that was a factor that made reading this book easy. Early on in the novel, Dru’s father goes out to hunt a creature he’s been after but doesn’t come back the same… He was turned into a zombie, and when he came back to the house he and Dru were temporarily living in, Dru had no choice but to eliminate what was left of her dad. On top of the fact that she is now alone, she struggles with what her grandmother called “the touch”, which helped her dad find these Real World creatures. Dru is unaware of the great power within her that will later blossom in the series, but for now it is a gift that she does not feel blessed to possess.
Enter Graves, the guy who is goofy, kind, slightly puppy-love sick, and basically Dru’s sidekick. He notices one day when Dru skipped class, and the next time she showed up and left, he followed her out of the classroom. (Stalker, much? Is he related to Edward Cullen? Just kidding. I still love the Twilight series.) At first Dru finds him annoying for trying to wiggle his way into her life by following her around, but after a couple of chapters that reveal him helping Dru any time she needed help, and genuinely being a nice human being, he grows on you. In a freak attack at the mall Dru and Graves have been bunkering in- the first of many attacks that leave them rattled- Graves is thrown into Dru’s reality when he is bitten and changed into a loup-garou (half werewolf). Throughout the novel, Dru and Graves fight off Real World creatures that are all coming after Dru, but she doesn’t know why and can barely keep Graves together to take it all in.
We later meet Christophe, who is a djamphir (half vampire) who is also, apparently, Dru’s “guardian angel.” Christophe rocks Dru’s world by revealing to her that her mother was a very powerful she-vampire and that she too will become one very soon. Sergej, a vampire that has been after her mother and later whom her father was trying to hunt all of these years, is behind all of the attacks that have been happening. Can Dru hold on for the bumpy ride that leads to her destiny? Is she willing to even accept her destiny, or the change and responsibility it will bring?
I’ve read from other reviews that this first novel takes a lot of time developing the three main characters, and that other books in the series have more action. St. Crow does a good job of character development without dragging details out. Although there isn’t a lot of action, the scenes that do have action also hold a lot of information and foreshadowing for what will happen later on. I probably won’t pick up the rest of the novels in this series only because I’m a little burnt out on vampires and werewolves for now, but if you aren’t, then definitely finish the series and let me know how it is! If you like Vampire Academy by: Richelle Mead, The Mortal Instruments series by: Cassandra Clare, or anything to do with vampires, werewolves, and/or paranormal, you should check this book out purely out of love for those elements.
Hello, readers!
I’ve completed two novels and am currently halfway through my third book of 2015! I haven’t been keeping up with my blogging lately because I was studying for the GRE, took the GRE, and last Friday I sent in my application for Grad school… Keep your fingers crossed for me! You know, I think it is highly amusing when you’re watching a t.v. show and it seems as if the characters are going through the same thing you are. For example, I am three episodes away from finishing the last season of Gilmore Girls; I just watched the episode where Rory is anxious to hear back from a fellowship she applied for, while Paris gets accepted into every school she applied for. Rory didn’t get accepted for the fellowship… so I’m hoping and praying that my fate matches Paris’s instead of Rory’s.
Needless to say, I’ve been stressed out since December when it hit me that I’m actually about to start the application process and not just spending time studying quantitative problems that I will never use in my life.
Anyway, I’m finally able to take the time to write book reviews again. I also started another reading challenge for 2015. I have decided to focus on book series that I’ve been meaning to finish, like The Lord of The Rings trilogy and some YA series like Delirium and Matched.
Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman was an audio book that I purchased on my Audible account. I’m not a huge fan of audio books but I occasionally will get one if I’ve had enough of the radio. I’m so glad I picked up this novel.
Below is the synopsis of The Light Between Oceans from Goodreads:
“After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.
Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.
M.L. Stedman’s mesmerizing, beautifully written novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel’s decision to keep this “gift from God.” And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another’s tragic loss.
The Light Between Oceans is exquisite and unforgettable, a deeply moving novel.”
I found this novel to be a fascinating read (or rather listen.) The writing style is very descriptive, but not as far as Tolkien descriptive, rather more classical writing than dialogue writing. The setting of the novel mainly exists at Janus Rock. Isolated, quiet, and a place of responsibility, Janus Rock- a tiny island near Australia- reminds me of the type of symbolic setting similar to the settings in Jane Eyre.
We meet Tom, the husband and protagonist #1, around the time that he returns from WWI. There is a scene where we are shown his first “good deed” after the war, and it is very important later on in the novel. A woman named Hannah is being harassed and Tom saves her. This is the first of many times that he does things with the mindset of doing good deeds, and he does so because he is trying to atone for the things he did during war. Deeply affected by the war (I suspect PTSD), Tom finds comfort and solitude when he becomes the new lighthouse keeper.
Protagonist #2, Isabel, is the wife of Tom and definitely the more imaginative and flighty of the two. She’s kind-hearted and adventurous, but has trouble feeling completely content with the isolation that Janus Rock offers.
We are led to believe that the main conflict of the story is Isabel’s struggle to have a baby, and how her miscarriages affect the marriage and bond between Tom and Isabel. In actuality, the main conflict is about what the RIGHT thing to do is in certain situations and the nature of people in their choices.
-Tom believes that no matter how much he loves Isabel and Lucy, the right thing to do is to come clean about everything and to set things right, no matter how devastating it would be to himself and Isabel.
-Isabel believes this is a prayer answered in an unusual way, and that even though it’s sad that they found out Lucy’s dad was dead in the boat and that her biological mother is alive, the right thing to do is to “move forward”. Let the breaks stay clean and give Lucy a second chance/give them a second chance.
There is also an underlying message about the aftermath of war (particularly on society) and how any race can be deemed unworthy or at any point a soldier can be seen from heroic to psychotic. The power of influence is strong but can easily be misguided. I found this message fascinating because of everything that has been and still is going on with conflict in the Middle East. In The Light Between Oceans, any German person was criticized and ostracized because of the war, and that includes Lucy’s biological father (but that’s all I’m saying on that subject.)
The last two chapters are tragically beautiful. Stedman paints a portrait of forgiveness, of resentment, of growth and of undying love. Circle. Lucy-Grace (you’ll have to read to see why her name changes!) visits Tom years later with her newborn and she tells him that she understands why they did what he and Isabel did. Compassion.
I give this novel 5 out of 5 stars! I inhaled heartache but exhaled unconditional love while reading this novel. If you like Jane Eyre or Girl with The Pearl Earring, this novel is for you.
Hi fellow readers!
I finished “Juliet Immortal” by Stacey Jay last month. I bought it as an e-book for my Barnes and Noble app… a few years back. I figured it was finally time to try it out.
Summary:
The most tragic love story in history . . .
Juliet Capulet didn’t take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn’t anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she’s fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she’s forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.
Likes:
The writing style is like velvet. It was so easy to read through this novel and my attention was focused throughout. I personally have a very hard time with some novels because of the writing style. If it is too choppy, I lose that cinematic quality (almost like I can see a movie playing in my mind) and I cannot fully grasp the novel’s world. Also, the narration was sometimes written in train of thought, which I like.
I read other reviews and there seemed to be more negative feedback on the altered fate of Romeo and Juliet. However, I found it interesting how Jay twisted the original tragedy into one that became intertwined with the fantasy world of sort-of vampires and sort-of angels that are matchmakers, AND that Romeo and Juliet are against each other!
When writing an alternative story to a previously existing one, I think repetitiveness is relevant so that the reader does not forget the comparison. “Juliet Immortal” has enough repetition that I never lost track of the comparisons, but not overbearing to where it became too incessant.
Both Romeo and Juliet have spent countless times going back and forth between “limbo” and then going back to Earth and inhabiting other bodies to fulfill their immortal duties. They have contact with their leaders… until this trip to Earth. They are now known as Ariel and Dylan who are high school students in California. Here is where things are different in this trip: neither Dylan nor Ariel can contact their superiors. The reason is not revealed until closer toward the end of the novel, but it leaves enough suspense for the reader to wonder what will happen to them if they are truly stranded on Earth in these bodies that are only supposed to be temporarily inhabited.
The relationship between Ariel and Ben. Which leads me to the Dislikes…
Dislikes:
The relationship between Ariel and Ben. Why? There was hardly any relationship building between the two. That is one of my biggest pet peeves about novels, is if there is lack of character development or relationship development. Basically, toward the end of the novel, there is a scene in a barn with Ariel and Ben where they spend the entire night sharing things about themselves- their fears, dreams, past, present- and I got hooked. For about a second. THAT scene should have been in the beginning, maybe after a few dates or something. It boils down to the fact that Ariel and Ben’s relationship is not developed enough to be believable. Everything else is great, but lack of development really made it hard for me to like their relationship.
Gemma, Ariel’s best friend. She ironically is a refreshing change to the timidness and insecurity that is Ariel, but still Gemma is such a rotten brat and so rude to Ariel that she’s one of those characters who I loved to hate.
If you enjoyed reading “Shiver” by Maggie Stiefvater or “Hush” by Becca Fitzpatrick, Goodreads suggests “Juliet Immortal.” I have read “Shiver” and I absolutely adore that series, but the relationship between Grace and Sam is so deeply developed that the reader feels like they are in the middle of it. I would still suggest “Juliet Immortal” if you liked “Shiver” or “Hush” and enjoy Young Adult fantasy/paranormal books, despite my dislikes!
Seeing as the end of December is getting closer and closer, I’m afraid that I won’t complete my Reading Challenge, but we shall still see how many books I can finish until then!
My Novel Garden 