Remembering Rose by Sheila Claydon

April 12, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Remembering Rose by Sheila Claydon
Publisher: BWL Publishing
Genre: Suspense/Mystery/Thriller, Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Rachel has a husband who adores her, a beautiful baby daughter, and an extended family she can rely on, so why isn’t she happy? She doesn’t know and nor do the people who love her. Only Rose understands but she is trapped in another century. To help Rachel she has to breach the boundaries of time itself as well as risk exposing the truth of her own past.

When echoes from that past begin to affect other people in the village of Mapleby, things suddenly become a lot more complicated. Can Rachel put things right without giving away Rose’s secret?

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Rachel’s character development was handled beautifully. To be honest, I didn’t like her very much when I first met her because of how negative and critical she was about everything in her life. It was only once I realized that these parts of her personality were symptoms of her postpartum depression and I saw glimpses of who she was before she’d had a baby that my opinion of her began to shift. This was an intelligent way to show how this illness affects not only the new mother but everyone else around her. I truly enjoyed seeing how she coped with her overwhelming feelings and what her loved ones did to help her feel better.

The beginning and middle of this book were well-written and entertaining. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in how rapidly everything was wrapped up in the ending. There were some fantastic subplots that never had enough time to be fully developed. Even the main storyline felt rushed in the last few chapters, especially when it came to Rachel putting all of the clues together and figuring out what Rose wanted from her. If not for these issues, I would have happily gone with a much higher rating.

Some of the most interesting scenes were the ones that showed the audience the many similarities between Rachel and Rose’s lives. Some families repeat the same patterns for generations without necessarily being aware that this is happening. For example, both Rose and Rachel were spoiled youngest children whose parents let them get away with things that would have never been tolerated if their much-older siblings had tried the same stuff. I’ll leave it up to other readers to discover the other similarities for themselves, but I thought this was all nicely explained.

Anyone who likes genealogical or historical mysteries should give Remembering Rose a try.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Where Are You, Agnes? by Tessa McWatt

April 9, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Where Are You, Agnes? by Tessa McWatt
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Agnes Martin was born on the Canadian prairies in the early twentieth century. In this imagining of her childhood from acclaimed author Tessa McWatt, Agnes spends her days surrounded by wheat fields, where her grandfather encourages her to draw what she sees and feels around her: the straight horizon, the feeling of the sun, the movement of birds’ wings and the shapes she sees in the wheat.

One day, Agnes’s family moves to a house in a big city. The straight horizon and wheat fields are gone, but Agnes continues to draw what she sees and feels around her. No one except her grandfather understands what she is trying to capture ― not her mother, who asks, “Where are you, Agnes?” when she sees her daughter engrossed in her drawing; nor her siblings, who think her art is ugly. Still, Agnes keeps trying to capture what she sees inside her mind.

This process results in decreased generic cialis overnight lathering, deposits on metallic surfaces, dry or itchy skin, dysfunctional appliances, rough and tangled hair, congested pipes, and much more. It helps the men to get longer erection throughout the entire course of sexual activity. order viagra on line http://cute-n-tiny.com/tag/tufted-dear/ Lack of sleep is one of the potential reasons of impotence comprise: An over ingestion of alcoholic drink Weariness Using injurious meds, named cannabis, heroin or cocaine Few other reasons, which encourages the threat of ED An excess weight downside Smoking Causes of impotence are endless and there are lots of conceptions and misconceptions about female sexual dysfunction. order viagra online cute-n-tiny.com Don’t roll out viagra uk any improvements in the dose on own. Agnes Martin grew up to become a famous abstract expressionist artist. Tessa McWatt has written a beautiful story of Agnes’s childhood and how it might have shaped her adult work. Zuzanna Celej’s watercolors adeptly capture Agnes’s world, including hints of the grid paintings that she was later known for, against the backdrop of prairie and city landscapes.

Where do artists find inspiration for their work? Sometimes it begins in childhood.

It’s rare to find a picture book that works just as well for older kids as it does for the little ones! The multiple layers of the plot were what made it possible for it to be understood one way by a preschooler and an entirely different way for a preteen. I was impressed with how the author pulled this off. It certainly wasn’t an easy task to accomplish.

This tale skipped over several of the most important details of Agnes Martin’s life. I ended up needing to google her in order to jog my memory and put all of the pieces together. It wasn’t clear to me if the author assumed everyone already knew those facts or if she didn’t think they were important to include for the age groups she was writing for. Either way, it was confusing at times even though I’m already familiar with the twentieth century Canadian art scene and was very interested in the subject matter in general. This was something that would work best for readers who are already fans of this painter’s work or who are willing to do a little homework ahead of time.

With that being said, I did appreciate the subplot involving grief. It was sensitively written and had some thought-provoking things to say about what happens to the emotion of love after someone dies and why it’s so important to seek out the beauty in life wherever you may find it. Those scenes could be the starting point of so many conversations about death, grief, and how to move on afterwards.

I’d recommend Where Are You, Agnes? to art lovers of all ages.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

April 8, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Genre: Historical, Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

In this Newbery Honor book, a thirteen-year-old boy struggles to survive on his own in the wilderness of eighteenth-century Maine.

When Matt’s father leaves him on his own to guard their new cabin in the wilderness, Matt is scared but determined to be brave and prove that he can take care of himself. And things are going fine until a white stranger steals his gun, leaving Matt defenseless and unable to hunt for his food. Then Matt meets Attean, a Native boy from the Beaver tribe, and soon learns that people called the land around him home long before the white settlers ever arrived. As Attean teaches him more about his own culture, Matt must come to terms with what the changing frontier really means. Now with an introduction by critically acclaimed writer Joseph Bruchac about the historical context and the relationships between Native peoples and white settlers in the eighteenth century.

Matt knew life alone in the wilderness of Maine wouldn’t be easy, but he had no idea just how many challenges he would face.
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Matt is in a tough situation. He and his father have worked hard to build a new cabin for their family. However, his father needs to go back to Massachusetts and retrieve the rest of the family. Matt will have to take care of the cabin and garden for months while his father is gone. The garden is especially important as the family will depend on a good harvest to survive the winter. It is a heavy weight for a young boy to bear.

At first, things go smoothly enough. Matt follows his father’s instructions and settles into a comfortable routine. I admire his bravery and sense of duty. However, when Matt’s gun is stolen, he finds himself with limited options for obtaining food and no way to defend himself. As if that weren’t bad enough, a disastrous encounter with bees leaves Matt injured and sick. Matt’s story could have ended there, but he is found by Saknis and his grandson, Attean, members of the Beaver tribe.

Matt and Attean have an interesting relationship. At first, Attean clearly wants nothing to do with Matt. Attean only visits Matt because Saknis wants Attean to learn to read English. Matt isn’t exactly fond of Attean either, but he is grateful to Saknis for his help after the incident with the bees and wants to show his appreciation, so he agrees to teach Attean. The lessons do not go well. At first, both boys are stubborn and unwilling to look past their differences. However, the walls between the two gradually begin to break down. Attean enjoys the stories that Matt reads, and Matt learns to make snares and a bow and arrows. Matt finds himself looking forward to his treks through the forest with Attean. The tension between the two eases as they take the time to learn from each other and eventually become friends. When Matt’s father isn’t back at the appointed time, Matt is faced with a difficult choice. Will he risk facing winter alone in the cabin, or leave with Attean and his family?

I read The Sign of the Beaver when I was young, and I found the plot to be just as captivating as an adult. I especially enjoyed reading this book with my children and watching them experience it for the first time. We were all on the edge of our seats as Matt and Attean faced bees, a bear, metal traps, and the arrival of winter. I will say that the portrayal of the Native Americans is somewhat problematic. I highly recommend reading the introduction before reading the novel as it addresses some of these issues. Despite these issues, I believe at its heart The Sign of the Beaver is a story of friendship and definitely worth reading.

I truly enjoyed rediscovering The Sign of the Beaver. It is a tale of friendship and adventure sure to capture the imaginations of readers young and old alike.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig

March 30, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig
Publisher: William & Morrow
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

A scholarship girl from Brooklyn, Kate Moran thought she found a place among Smith’s Mayflower descendants, only to have her illusions dashed the summer after graduation. When charismatic alumna Betsy Rutherford delivers a rousing speech at the Smith College Club in April of 1917, looking for volunteers to help French civilians decimated by the German war machine, Kate is too busy earning her living to even think of taking up the call. But when her former best friend Emmeline Van Alden reaches out and begs her to take the place of a girl who had to drop out, Kate reluctantly agrees to join the new Smith College Relief Unit.

Four months later, Kate and seventeen other Smithies, including two trailblazing female doctors, set sail for France. The volunteers are armed with money, supplies, and good intentions—all of which immediately go astray. The chateau that was to be their headquarters is a half-burnt ruin. The villagers they meet are in desperate straits: women and children huddling in damp cellars, their crops destroyed and their wells poisoned.

Despite constant shelling from the Germans, French bureaucracy, and the threat of being ousted by the British army, the Smith volunteers bring welcome aid—and hope—to the region. But can they survive their own differences? As they cope with the hardships and terrors of the war, Kate and her colleagues find themselves navigating old rivalries and new betrayals which threaten the very existence of the Unit.
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With the Germans threatening to break through the lines, can the Smith Unit pull together and be truly a band of sisters?

A war, women and danger…it’s all in this book.

I’ve never read anything by Lauren Willig before this book and I’m glad I rectified that. This was an interesting book. It’s not for everyone, in that it describes war times and could be a trigger for some readers, but honestly, it’s a fascinating read.

The plot moves along well and kept my attention. I rooted for these women. They’re in a difficult place trying to make the world better, in their own little fashion. I liked the variety of characters, despite the fact that there are a lot of characters and it can be a little confusing trying to keep them all straight. Still, the story plugs along just fine and kept me interested.

There is a lot of description about war and the destruction that comes with it. As I’ve noted, this might be a trigger for some readers, as there is mention of injury, death and the death of children. Read with caution, but do let the story take you away.

If you’re interested in a book that’s a good mix of history, war and a little bit of romance, then this might be the book you’re looking for.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by JB West

March 26, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by JB West
Publisher: Open Road Media
Genre: Historical, Non-Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

In this New York Times bestseller, the White House chief usher for nearly three decades offers a behind-the-scenes look at America’s first families.

J. B. West, chief usher of the White House, directed the operations and maintenance of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—and coordinated its daily life—at the request of the president and his family. He directed state functions; planned parties, weddings and funerals, gardens and playgrounds, and extensive renovations; and, with a large staff, supervised every activity in the presidential home. For twenty-eight years, first as assistant to the chief usher, then as chief usher, he witnessed national crises and triumphs, and interacted daily with six consecutive presidents and first ladies, as well as their parents, children and grandchildren, and houseguests—including friends, relatives, and heads of state.

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What a glimpse into the world of the White House.

First, I have to say this isn’t a political book. It’s got the words White House in it and First Lady, but honestly, it’s not a political book. It’s about the women who ruled the White House, no politics involved. I have to also admit right off that it’s the end of FDR’s presidency through the beginning of Nixon’s presidency. It’s dated. It’s long before my time and can come across as old. But it’s also a snapshot into the lives of these people.

The writing is somewhat simplistic, but oddly, it worked. The book was originally published in 1973 and the author is dead, but that didn’t bother me while reading. I enjoyed the sneak peeks into the lives of these ladies. There isn’t much about the presidents, but more of the first ladies, as the title states. Yes, there is a lot about how the ladies decorated, but it’s of the time. The ladies of the era the author worked in weren’t concerned with social causes, per se. Their domain was making the White House a home for them and their children. That’s not to say they didn’t have causes, but if there seems to be a big chunk of description on the decor and furnishings–that’s why.

I rather liked learning about the presidents as people through the eyes of the author and the first ladies. I loved that Johnson had dogs named simply Him and Her. It’s cute. Or that Eisenhower loved watching westerns and that the staff had to hunt down new ones because he’d seen the rest at least a half dozen times. It made them seem more like people than simply names in a book.

If you’re looking for a book that’s an easy read, engrossing, but somewhat tedious at times (the descriptions of the decor can get tiresome), yet a book where you’re going to learn about the presidents and first ladies, then this might be the book for you. I enjoyed it.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Caught in a Cornish Scandal by Eleanor Webster

March 25, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Caught in a Cornish Scandal by Eleanor Webster
Publisher: Harlequin
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

Will saving a stranger

Start a scandal?

With her family facing ruin, and desperate to avoid an arranged marriage, Lady Millie Lansdowne must work with smugglers. Millie knows smuggling isn’t going to be plain sailing, but rescuing a mysterious gentleman in a storm embroils her in a thrilling family drama! Helping handsome stranger Sam recover is a risk to her plans—and her emotions. He makes her feel alive, but she will be gambling on her family’s future if she goes with her heart…

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After I finished reading the story, I was curious about the author so I Googled her. Wouldn’t you know it, this was not my first Eleanor Webster novel. I previously reviewed a book by her called “A Debutante in Disguise”. I found that review and I wasn’t surprised that I wrote “This was my first Eleanor Webster book and it won’t be my last”. Well, now I can say this was my second one written by her and I need to stop picking books by the synopsis and pay attention to who the author is because once again, I loved Eleanor Webster’s writing style.

The little four-year-old girl that I nanny for has a new saying, “Holy Fruit snacks”. Hearing her say it cracks me up but it’s an appropriate saying for Caught in a Cornish Scandal. There are more plot twists going on with each page. I was like “Holy Fruit snacks!” My interest was captured on page one and left me wanting more on the last page. The characters were well developed which made it easy to connect with, relate and follow them through the pages.

The hero, Sam? “Holy Fruit snacks!” He made my book boyfriend collection. I loved how he was portrayed as a true handsome hero. If only he’d come to save me from scrimping, saving and sacrificing my life away. Sam was handsome, strong and had chemistry to boot. His gentlemanly ways were something to behold.

The heroine, Millie, was a hoot. She was independent, stubborn, and had a heart of gold. Millie was always trying to do for others. I can’t think of a better match between Sam and Millie. They got my heartstrings cheering for a Happily Ever After for them.

I couldn’t put this book down and I definitely suggest to readers to pick it up. It was an entertaining, heartwarming and sweet/sensual read. It made me feel exceptionally happy for a few hours afterwards.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s by Sandra Murphy (editor)

March 25, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s by Sandra Murphy (editor)
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, LGBTQ, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Rebellion, revolution, and rock and roll defined the ‘60s. As music moved from country to folk protest songs, rock became the voice of the “turn on, tune in, drop out,” generation. Peace, love, and harmony were the goals. Meditation, mysticism, and psychedelic drugs were the way to enlightenment. Peace, love, and crime were often the result, sometimes humorous, sometimes deadly.

And the music played on. As Harold says in The Big Chill, “There is no other music, not in my house.”

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There’s a story behind every song.

In “Cooking with Butter,” Amanda decided to murder her ex-husband. All she needed to do was to figure out the best way to go about it while hopefully avoiding detection. Her personality grew on me as I got to know her better and figured out her reasons for wanting him to die. She was a complex character who gave me plenty to think about, especially once I realized exactly how much thought she’d put into her plan.

All of the stories in this anthology had clever premises that were worth reading, but there were a few that I thought would have benefitted from a little more development. “Mercy” was one example of this. It followed a young woman named Lila as she grieved the death of her brother, came out of the closet, and tried to figure out what to do with her life. There was so much going on in her life that she didn’t have enough time to explore any of those subplots in detail. It would have been nice to get to know Lila better as she was a fascinating character in general.

Jerry had to find out what caused his father’s sudden and frightening chest pain in “Spirit in the Sky.” The relationship between these two characters was genuine and nuanced. They didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but they did always love each other no matter what. I had a wonderful time peeling back the layers of their personalities. They were both far more complex than they appeared to be at first glances for reasons I’ll leave up to other readers to piece together for themselves.

Anyone who loves ’60s music should give Peace, Love, and Crime a try.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

William Ottoway’s Utopia and Other Stories by Christopher Griffith

March 22, 2021 By Leave a Comment


William Ottoway’s Utopia and Other Stories by Christopher Griffith
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

‘Come, Manou, this is superstitious clap.’ So says William Ottoway to his island’s priest, for the modern world has surely extinguished any notion of the supernatural? But some who have lived before our technological revolution hold grave concerns about this new reality which has all but supplanted the numinous element of human existence. Despite warning from his best friend’s mother against attempting to replicate paradise, William puts faith alone in idealism to create a utopian society in the tropics. All seems well, until his serpent brother appears with temptation…

William Ottoway’s Utopia concerns the dream of a man who seeks to escape stresses of everyday life for promised ease in this world’s tropics; to his dismay, he is unable to flee influence of the one appliance which has arguably shaped all our experience in the last half century, the humble television set! William is a good man, but will he be ravaged and ruined by his brother Tom who brings discord and disharmony to his island paradise?

Rick With A (Bipolar) View details the experience of a young man suffering from bipolar disorder who wants to be a professional DJ. Unsure whether or not the repetitive beats of electronic music and his obsession with trance and techno may be the cause of his illness, he nevertheless accepts offer of a Friday night gig and ‘takes the roof off’ the nightclub, coming down back at home in glow and reflection of his achievement.

If all this sounds too intense then do please head over to Break Out the Bubbly!!, a comic piece set in a supermarket whose Manager is acting in very strange manner indeed. The initial boredom felt by our hero Emily is quickly shattered by Carol’s arrival and subsequent farce as she seems intent on closing the shop during opening hours to conduct inquisitions in the boardroom! The champagne keeps going missing, you see, and she needs to find the culprit. Is he, or she, a little closer to home than everyone thinks?

Fantasy for the next story, Saman’s Revenge, in which our titular hero is seriously miffed with the Earth-goddess Thera; she’s punished him an aeon ago for misdemeanour which he firmly believes really wasn’t his fault at all. Anyway, when you’re immortal and old as the hills themselves it doesn’t bother you too much to wait a few millennia before exacting your revenge on modern day teenagers Jack, Roxie, her boyfriend Mark and his brother Norman. But what is the young people’s relation to Thera, and temple ruins on top of the village hill, Shadyridge?
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Which leaves Young Shakespeare, my imaginative retelling of some of Will’s ‘lost years’ when he reached London; after all, who wouldn’t want to fall in love with Anne, listen in awe to Sir Walter Raleigh’s perorations on, well who knows, meet his future friend and rival Christopher ‘Kit’ Marlowe, then cogitate at length upon the Reformation against whose profound change the budding writer begins to conclude he might wish to work?

This is an excellent time to begin using your imagination.

I struggled to understand “William Ottoway’s Utopia” because of how sparsely it was written. So many of the sentences in it were either fragments or extremely short, and it wasn’t always clear to me how they fit together. It would have been helpful to have more details of the plot and character development. The bits and pieces I figured out about the island and the serpent were intriguing.

The main character in “Rick with a (Bipolar) View” wondered if his Bipolar disorder was going to affect his dreams of becoming a DJ. Like the first tale in this collection, this one was also so sparsely written that I had trouble following it at times. With that being said, I liked the main character quite a bit and hoped he’d figure out a way to follow his dreams. He certainly had the determination to do so!

As soon as I began reading “Break Out the Bubbly,” I began wondering what really happened to the missing champagne in Sheila’s struggling shop. Each character had their own opinion on this matter, and some of them expressed their views sharply. The more I read, the more curious I became to figure everything out. This tale was well written and included just enough mystery elements to keep me guessing.

Mr. Griffith’s writing style worked well with the fantasy elements of “Saman’s Revenge,” especially in the beginning when the narrator observed a battalion of mythological creatures fleeing a foe too terrible to describe. There were times when the plot wandered so far away from the original theme that it took me a while to figure out how it was all connected, but I did appreciate putting the pieces together once I had more information about what was going on with the characters.

“Young Shakespeare” was a tantalizing look at what Shakespeare might have been like as a young man. There was a twist here that I can’t mention without giving away major spoilers. What I can say is that it perfectly fit the opening scene that explored Shakespeare in his youth. I smiled when I made the connection between these two things and patiently waited to learn more about it.

William Ottoway’s Utopia and Other Stories was an eclectic mixture of tales that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys reading a little bit of everything.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Crown in Crisis: Countdown to the Abdication by Alexander Larman

March 4, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Crown in Crisis: Countdown to the Abdication by Alexander Larman
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical, Non-Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

The thrilling and definitive account of the Abdication Crisis of 1936

On December 10, 1936, King Edward VIII brought a great international drama to a close when he abdicated, renouncing the throne of the United Kingdom for himself and his heirs. The reason he gave when addressing his subjects was that he could not fulfill his duties without the woman he loved―the notorious American divorcee Wallis Simpson―by his side. His actions scandalized the establishment, who were desperate to avoid an international embarrassment at a time when war seemed imminent. That the King was rumored to have Nazi sympathies only strengthened their determination that he should be forced off the throne, by any means necessary.

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For the first time in a book about the abdication, readers will read an in-depth account of the assassination attempt on Edward’s life and its consequences, a first-person chronicle of Wallis Simpson’s scandalous divorce proceedings, information from the Royal Archives about the government’s worries about Edward’s relationship with Nazi high-command Ribbentrop and a boots-on-the-ground view of how the British people saw Edward as they watched the drama unfold. You won’t be able to put down The Crown in Crisis, a full panorama of the people and the times surrounding Edward and the woman he loved.

A complicated love and a complicated situation all the way around.

I had no idea how complicated and what a deal it was when Edward decided to abdicate. This was just simply history to me. Something that happened, but this book makes the situation come alive.

I will be the first to admit I didn’t know much about the abdication. I didn’t know much about the people involved beyond knowing their names. That was it. By reading this book, it brought the situation to life for me. Wallis was more than a name on a page. She’s complicated and cunning. She’s also in love with Edward–it seems sort of that she’s in love with his status and his position, but there also seemed like genuine love there. Edward was in love. He wanted Wallis because she seemed to be everything he loved in life–her freedom, her coolness and her ability to worm her way into situations. She knew how to be someone. She could be vain and snotty, though, too.

There were a lot of levers being pulled in this situation and so many players. It’s a complicated read, but it’s also worth the time. Pick this one up and go for the ride.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Clockwork, Curses, and Coal: Steampunk and Gaslamp Fairy Tales by Rhonda Parrish (editor)

March 1, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Clockwork, Curses, and Coal: Steampunk and Gaslamp Fairy Tales by Rhonda Parrish (editor)
Publisher: World Weaver Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Action/Adventure, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

​Fairies threaten the world of artifice and technology, forcing the royal family to solve a riddle to stop their world from irrevocable change; a dishonest merchant uses automatons as vessels for his secrets and lies; a woman discovers the secret of three princesses whose shoes get scuffed while they sleep. These and so many other steampunk and gaslamp fairy tales await within the pages of Clockwork, Curses and Coal.

Retellings of Hansel and Gretel, The Princess and the Pea, Pinocchio, The Twelve Dancing Princesses and more are all showcased alongside some original fairy tale-like stories. Featuring stories by Melissa Bobe, Adam Brekenridge, Beth Cato, MLD Curelas, Joseph Halden, Reese Hogan, Diana Hurlburt, Christina Johnson, Alethea Kontis, Lex T. Lindsay, Wendy Nikel, Brian Trent, Laura VanArendonk Baugh and Sarah Van Goethem.

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In “A Future of Towers Made,” Zela was trapped in an abusive marriage. Her only avenue for possible escape involved trying to prove her husband had stolen credit for her latest invention, and success was anything but certain for her. I emotionally bonded with her immediately and eagerly kept reading to find out if she’d be freed from the many years of pain he’d put her through. She was such an intelligent and brave character.

Amber needed to bring her cat, Hunter, and as many people from her town as she could persuade to come alone with her on a daring trip to escape their dying planet in “Father Worm.” I was fascinated by how she figured out that their world would soon become too cold to sustain life and looked forward to discovering if her plan to save those who wanted to be saved would be successful. She had so much riding on every decision she made, and she only had a short amount of time to accomplish it all.

The plague that settled upon a small town in “Necromancy” was one of the most unique ones I’ve ever heard of. It was brought to that community by a young woman named Natalie who had gone away to seek her fortune. I was as fascinated by the unusual symptoms of it as it was by how her mother, neighbours, and former friends reacted to the sudden changes in her. This was one of those tales that only grew better with each plot twist, none of which I dare divulge today.

Clockwork, Curses, and Coal accomplished something pretty special. For the first time in all of my years of reading, I adored every single story in an anthology. I hope other readers love them just as much as I did.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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