I'm learning a lot of things that I didn't know about this week. I wasn't aware that there was an influenza pandemic in 1918 to 1919 that killed more people than World War I? Reportedly, between 20 and 40 million people died from this pandemic. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague, which spread throughout Europe, from 1347 to 1351.Can you believe that? To learn more about the influenza pandemic of 1918, visit this page by Stanford University. Now that the history lesson is over, let's get to the book shall we? The reason why I brought this up is because this pandemic serves at the back drop of Lafeye's latest title The Keening.

Description (from inside panel): Born into an artistic and eccentric family, Lyza laments that her only talent is carving letters into wood. That is, until the devastating loss of her mother to influenza during the pandemic of 1918. The illness has settled on their small coastal town in Maine, and the funeral marches pass Lyza’s house almost daily. When her unconventional father begins to prepare for the return of his dead wife, Lyza is the only one to protect him from being committed to the work farm. Awash with grief and longing for her mother, Lyza journeys into the thin territory that divides the living from the dead.
            Relying on her courage, and an undiscovered talent, Lyza must save her father and find her own path. From the celebrated author of Worth, a powerful story of love that persists beyond the grave.


Review: I had expected The Keening to be a very depressing story filled with pages of people who have died, but I was pleasantly surprised. While characters important people to the story die, this is not the sole focus of the book. The book is primarily about Lyza trying to care for and protect her eccentric father after the death of her mother as well as discovering new traits about herself.
  The characters of this story are interesting and original. Lyza’s pater (i.e. father) is quite unusual and very easily written off by others as insane. He does seem to have some signs of being autistic. He spends most of his time carving realistic faces into anything available. He's so absorbed in his craft that most days he forgets to eat and he wouldn’t even get dressed if not for the constant reminders from Lyza’s mother. Lyza’s mother’s side of the family is fully committed to send Lyza's father to an asylum and use Lyza's mother's inheritance for something else. However, when Lyza's mother dies, she is left with this arduous task in protecting her household. Soon Lyzya discovers that her father isn't crazy, he just has a unique talent and maybe she does too.
  The book is written with a dreamlike atmosphere, which really drew me in but may turn off some readers. Lyza constantly imagines herself being in a boat trying to get to some shore that she sees but can't reach. Lyza is a strong character who is struggling to find her own identity while keeping her loyalties to her family. Her voice is much older than her physical age, which I guess is common on how people spoke and thought in 1918. She yearns to become close to her distant father, whom she slowly begins to understand his unique personality while the book reaches its climax.
  The description of The Keening are excellent and there is a paranormal twist, which I didn't expect. The paranormal aspect didn't feel forced, but rather comes across as being natural as if it could really happen. While the book may technically fall under the historical fiction genre, it's actually more of a story of a father's and daughter's relationship, which I think many people will enjoy. It's definitely worth a read.


Rating: 4 stars


Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson or The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

  I never heard of Nicholas Flamel nor Dr. John Dee until now. Apparently, the are both real, historical figures. Flamel was one of the most popular alchemists of his time. He was born in 1330. It has been rumored that Flamel had discovered the two greatest secrets of alchemy in a book called The Book of Abraham: how to turn metal into gold (also known as the philosopher's stone) and how to become immortal. Historical records show that he died in 1418, but when people dug up his grave it was empty and more rumors spread. Dr. John Dee, like Flamel, was also an alchemist but he was also a spy for Queen Elizabeth I, a mathematical, a geographer, an astronomer, and an astrologer. Flamel and Dee play a major role along with mythology and magic in Michael Scott's best selling series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Famel. I recently finished the first book of the series called The Alchemyst.

Description: Sophie and Josh are ordinary fifteen year old twins, who finds themselves in an extraordinary situation. Unknowingly, they find themselves caught up in the deadly struggle between two archival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient book called The Book of Mage, which holds the most powerful spells. If the book is in the wrong hands, the world as we know it will be destroyed. The more that Sophie and Josh learn about the book and the alchemists, it seems that the power to save the world is in their hands, but can they trust what anyone says?


Review: I really wanted to love this book. It had everything that I could love in a complex fantasy: mythology, magic, compelling characters, and historical figures yet I thought the book was just okay. The pacing of The Alchemyst is feverishly fast. We are immediately plunged into an explosion and lots of characters are thrown at the reader without much explanation. Once the explosion has cleared, however, we slowly begin to understand that Sophie and Josh have unwillingly find themselves in midst of a catch and chase game between rivaling alchemists, Flamel and Dee. Flamel and his wife, Perry, has had the most covet magical book, The Book of Abraham, for eons. Dee is constantly pursuing the Flamels and is dead set on getting the book and getting rid of the Flamels for once and for all. Sophie's and Josh's problem grows exponentially when they come to find out that they are involved in a prophecy where the safety of our world lies in their hands.
  The characters that Scott introduces in his complex story are derived from history as well as several mythologies including Celtic and Egyptian. Flamel is an intriguing character that is shady at best. I constantly questioned what his real motive is throughout the book, which is something he advised the twins to do so too. Dee is also maliciously good. He has everything that makes a great villain: ambition, smarts, and a clear goal. Sophie and Josh are pretty good too. They are twins, but first and foremost, they are friends who depend on one another for support, but most importantly they balance each other out. For instance, Sophie is more prone to think things over and stay calm while Josh is reckless, emotional, and impulsive. Needless to say this says something about the prophecy in which they play a major role. Unlike the human characters, the mythological creatures are hard to pin down, mostly because I don't know anything about them which is my major complaint about this book and what hindered me from enjoying it.
  The Alchemyst is filled with action scene after action scene with minimal explanations. I could easily identify the mythological creatures yet I was scrambling to find some context in which they appear. Unlike Greek or Roman mythology, I am not at all familiar with Celtic and Egyptian mythology which is why I really had a hard time enjoying this book because the deities were mentioned by name but know brief information was given about them.
  I hate when authors withhold information from their readers. I don't mind researching. Heck, that's what I do for a living, but I would like to read a book where at least I have some key terms to use to find the information. Besides the names of the creatures, I really had no where to go from there. Perhaps kids and teens who read this book overlook this lack of information, but I found the book hard to read when I know there are some significant meanings behind symbols and not knowing what it is. I found myself putting down the book, researching, picking the book up again, and then putting down again. This cycle got tiring and took me out of the story, but I did finish because I liked the characters.
 Another thing that bothered me while reading the book is that I was puzzled why Flamel and his wife needs the book for the recipe to stay immortal when they already have had the book in their possession for centuries upon centuries? Wouldn't they have memorized it by now?
  Despite these obstacles, I plan on reading the rest of the 6 book series. Perhaps I'll look up the characters and do some research before reading them to actually sit back and enjoy the complex story arc and characters. This book was just a bit much for me and I would not recommend reading this book when you have a cold or a foggy brain. It doesn't help at all.


Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong fantasy violence throughout the book. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, The Magician by Michael Scott (Nicholas Flamel #2)

  I had an enjoyable mini-vacation. The weather held up and was actually sunny. Unfortunately, I didn't plan on getting sick and being in bed for 3 out of the 4 days but I did manage to finish a few books. The first one I finished was Bright Young Things which is a new series written by Anna Godbersen who is also the author of the popular Luxe series. The Luxe series was my guilty pleasure of 2009 and my palpable version of Gossip Girl.

Description: It is 1929. Three women, Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, are care-free girls who are seeking for adventure and love in New York. They each envisioned their perfect life and will achieve their dreams no matter what and are willing to pay the cost. The lives and fortunes of these three women will rise and fall, both together and apart, during the infamous prohibition. When you are young, beautiful, rich, and full of optimism, what can go wrong?

Review: Readers who have read the Luxe series will be very familiar with the format of Bright Young Things. As the book opens, Cordelia and Letty, are two newly arrived Midwestern transplants who have very different motivations for fleeing their boring and stifling Ohio home in order to seek a new thrilling life in New York City. Cordelia is seeking a father, who she has never known, but who might be a famous, wealthy bootlegger. Letty, who comes from a large family, desperately wants to become a performer just like her mother and get out of her shell. Astrid, unlike the other two women, is a young flapper who has a seemingly picture perfect life: wearing expensive clothing, attending numerous parties, etc. Readers follow these ladies as they navigate their way in the larger than life backdrop of New York in the Jazz Age.  
 Bright Young Things is not deceiving. The prologue is very straightforward and alerts its readers what awaits them. It is a historical fiction filled with scandals, betrayal, and love affairs gone wrong. After reading the prologue, the omnipresent, third person narrator tells us exactly what will happen:

They were all marching toward their own secret fates, and long before the decade rolled around, each would escape their own way--one would be famous, one would be married, and one would be dead.

The fun with Godbersen's books isn't knowing what will happen, but rather who will things happen to.

  Normally, I breeze through Godbersen's books because of their fast plots and being absorbed on all of the insanity taking place in the characters lives. Unfortunately, I had to put Bright Young Things down several times due to its unbalanced writing, minimal plot and character development. The book is filled with 90% of description, which is something Godbersen is very good at writing. While I was able to be transported back in time to the 1920s, I had a hard time caring for the characters or being interested in the snail pace plot. While the historical details were vivid and appealing, it did become too gratuitous and well...boring. The details got so cumbersome that it took me completely out of the story and I completely forgot about it. I finally skimmed a lot of the description so I could get to plot or dialogue. I got the sense that Godbersen either didn't know how to write her characters or was just starting to figuring out what she wanted to do with the book.
  After a promising prologue and first chapter, the book falls flat and left me with a lot of issues. There is nothing striking or memorable about our three protagonists. Cordelia feels she is entitled to a better lifestyle. By coincidence she meets a wealthy bootlegger who just so happens to have her same last name and convinces him almost immediately that she is his daughter. This circumstance just happened way too quickly and easily for me. How can a man, of that high stature, just take any random girl and accept her as his daughter without any further questioning? I found this hard to swallow even when I tried suspending my disbelief.
  Letty is your quintessential naive farm girl who has no clue about the city life. There were moments where I did feel sorry for her, but I knew what would happen several pages before she did. Her connection to Cordelia isn't really defined. They are not really best friends as Letty believes, but come across as good acquaintances who happen to live in the same neighborhood and have the same desire to have a better life. Due to their lack of warmness or importance towards one another, their fight which sets them apart is neither anticlimactic nor surprising. It is just meh.
  When Cordelia is embraced by her father, she meets the flapper Astrid and they instantly become best friends. Again I found it hard to believe that anyone from a wealthy class immediately accepts a lower class girl like Cordelia. Astrid is your cliched spoiled rich girl who hides behind a facade of living the perfect life. While she says she fully commits to her boyfriend, she shamelessly flirts with other guys and quickly becomes bored when she is not in someone's spotlight. She really annoyed me.
  As for the plot, there is nothing that really surprised me. I had a feeling of how things were going to happen to each of the characters. I didn't care for any of the girl's potential love interests. I am hoping that second book will make up for the lackluster plot, absent characters, and give me what Godbersen does best: a social commentary of history. The only reason why I will pick up the second book in this series is because I'm curious how the author addresses the Great Depression, which is on the horizon for the characters. If you're really looking to see Godbersen's talent, then definitely check out the Luxe series and put this one on the back burner or at least check it out from your library.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: Since this is the era of the Prohibition, abundant underage drinking and smoking takes place as well as a few allusions to sex.

If you like this book try: Vixen by Jillian Larkin, Gatsby's Girl by Caroline Preston, or The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen

I wanted to drop a note that I will be MIA for the next few days. I'm visiting family over at the East Coast, which unfortunately, is also having a winter storm. I just survived that here in Chicagoland but now have to brace myself for what's on the ground there. *Sigh* Oh well, I hope to have a fun time regardless of the weather. I will be taking the following books with me in case I get snowed in:

•   Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
• The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Godwa
• The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
• Drowned Sorrow by Vanesssa Morgan