The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

This is the thread where you can submit reviews for the Best Review contest. The thread is open for submissions and will close at Midnight EST on February 18. Voting will start the next day and run until the end of the GR day on February 28. The person whose review gets the most votes will get to design a 20 point task for the Spring Challenge.

To be eligible for this task opportunity you must have achieved at least 100 points on the Readerboard by Midnight EST on February 17, 2017.

Just a reminder that each person can only submit one review - but you can make edits to your review up until the end. The review does not have to be any particular length and doesn't have to be a positive one (i.e. you can choose to review a book you didn't like).
Please include your Readerboard Name.

PLEASE DO NOT comment on people's reviews in this thread - this is for submissions only - you will be able to comment when voting begins.

SPOILER ALERT!- These reviews may include spoilers.

Purple Hibiscus, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Reviewed by trishhartuk. Four stars.

I’ll start off by saying that this really isn’t the sort of book I’d usually read. It was a book club choice, and one I wasn’t really that interested in from the description. I certainly wouldn’t have expected to give it a four-star rating.

I opened the book with no idea what it was going to be like, and with some degree of trepidation, but found myself drawn in immediately. The incident in the first few pages is designed to shock, while simultaneously defining the characters and setting the scene. From there, Adichie takes the story back to maybe a year before the incident, to tell the story of what led up to it, before finally coming back to where she started and moving ahead to the consequences. I certainly wasn’t expecting the twist at the end of the second to last part. Then, as she brings the story into “the present” in the last section, she also begins to write in the present tense, to add to the immediacy.

Primarily, Purple Hibiscus is the story of 15-year old Kambili and her family, and their relationships with her and each other. On the one hand, there is the wealthy, fanatically religious father who is beloved by the community, generous to a fault, and regarded as a man of principal for publishing one of the few newspapers willing to criticise the new regime; but who physically abuses his wife and children in private, justifying it to himself and them as “saving their souls”. On the other are her more liberal widowed aunt, who works as a university professor, and her children, all of whom who make the best of what they have. In the middle is Kambili’s paternal grandfather, who has been disowned by his son for refusing to convert to Catholicism, but is loved by his daughter and her family who respect his traditionalist beliefs, even if they do not share them.

Their lives and struggles are set against the background of a Nigeria falling apart after another violent change of power, bringing a wider picture to the story, and ultimately bringing irrevocable changes to all of their lives. Adichie’s descriptions are captivating, drawing you in and painting detailed word pictures of the life, families and traditions, their struggles, and the land itself.
Purple Hibiscus is also a book of contrasts: Kambili’s father’s private and public personas; the difference between the haves and have nots in Nigeria; the tension and rigidity of her family home versus the laughter and freedom of her aunt’s house; the strict Catholic beliefs of her father versus the traditionalist views of her grandfather; and ultimately the struggle between repression and freedom.

Finally, the book is coming of age story, as Kambili learns that there’s more to life than school, church and living in fear of disappointing her father. Some of the scenes with the father are genuinely harrowing (not a word I use often in the context of a book), but at least they are set off against the more optimistic passages with her aunt’s family, and the brief appearances of the grandfather, who seems to be much more a man of faith than his fanatical son.

Adichie’s characters are well drawn and for the most part believable, although the father seems almost too much of a monster at home, and I just wasn’t convinced about Kambili’s first “crush” being a young Catholic priest. The ending was also rather ambiguous: father is gone in body, mother in spirit, and Kambili’s brother Jaja has spent time in prison for a crime he took upon himself (although there is a trace of optimism in the fact that he may soon be released). In fact, the end Kambili is the only one left to keep things going and balance things out.

So why did I like it? Probably because even though it wasn’t “my kind of book” and it didn’t exactly end on a high note, it was beautifully written and evocative throughout. It was possible to visualise the land Adichie is describing, despite never having been there. She made me care about the people and the country, which I think is one of the best indicators of a good book.

Though I am reviewing Mirror of My Soul by Joey W. Hill, I must begin with the previous book in the series, Ice Queen, as they are about the same characters & really are one story.

These books are about 2 Dominants in the world of BDSM. Both are damaged souls...who've "put themselves back together" to live life as decent human beings. Tyler Winterman is part owner of The Zone, a BDSM club where Marguerite Perruquet has participated for about a year. They call her the 'Ice Queen' because she shows very little emotion & shares very little intimacy, but she's also highly sought after by male submissives because she's able to see inside their soul & satisfy them on such a deep level. She only tops each sub once, and she does not have sex with them. Tyler & Marguerite experience a connection from the first time they see each other, but Marguerite avoids any interactions & keeps her distance. Since they are both recognized as Dominants who've mastered the art, Tyler has no reason to push the boundaries until management realizes that Marguerite has not completed the required submission training/mentoring all Dominants in the club must take (an oversight, not an evasion). Marguerite believes her technique speaks for itself & she has nothing to learn from submitting to a Master, but when her membership at The Zone is threatened, she asks Tyler to conduct the training...with careful limits in place (no kissing, no sex) expecting to endure without truly submitting.

Ice Queen covers the submissive training, during which Marguerite begins to open up & let someone get close to her. This terrifies her. Due to the abuse she experienced at the hands of her father, followed by the deaths of her mother & twin brother, she has developed ritualized methods of functioning, which include her successful business (a tea room), in order to control the "darkness" she feels inside. When Tyler upsets Marguerite's balance, she reacts with animalistic aggression, and withdraws.

We don't get the full story of either MC until the second book, Mirror of My Soul, which is a direct continuation of Ice Queen.

Tyler Winterman is an ex-CIA agent in his 40s whose estranged wife committed suicide. She was a fragile, lost soul who felt he had abandoned her. Years later, Tyler still experiences PTSS, particularly related to his last assignment.

During Marguerite's training, Tyler pushes her to the point that she walks out. This actually happens several times over the 2 books. Tyler realizes that forcing Marguerite to acknowledge her submissive side by being her Dom is not achieving true submission, and he comes up with a plan to get below all of her barriers. It means breaking rules & taking risks with his own life. His love & commitment to Marguerite overweigh the sacrifice to be what she needs.

I do not want to spoil the story, as this is one of the poignant moments of discovery into a person's battered soul.

I will say this is what Joey does best. Many times in her stories I think that I cannot possibly connect with a character or situation, yet, by the time Joey has played out the scene, I am enthralled & accepting of that person with all their flaws. And, accepting of all the outrageousness of the scene itself, which is often well beyond my comfort zone.

The result is that Marguerite acknowledges that she is submissive...to Tyler - that she could never be anything else. She's not sure she wants that.

Once again, Tyler must find a way past the barriers she erects. He is a dedicated & persistent Hero, and will do anything to win Marguerite's love & trust. Two of my favorite scenes include Tyler participating in a tea/birthday party for a little girl (Natalie), and the break down & opening up over Marguerite's dirty feet (a PTSS response).

Marguerite's whole story is revealed as Tyler tracks her past in his effort to learn how to be what she needs. He befriends a retired social worker & relies on his BDSM colleagues/friends who are in law enforcement to help him when the crazy ugly stuff flies. No surprise, the big kicker in this book is the release of Marguerite's father from prison & hunting her down. Her father takes the birthday girl hostage, hurting one of Marguerite's employees (& good friend). Marguerite doesn't hesitate to act, knowing what he wants & what she is willing to do to save Natalie's life. She leaves a message for Tyler that she is no longer running to death or away from him, but she still expects it could be goodbye.

Honestly, this story could be a symphony...and holy moly, the crescendo makes me jump out of my chair! I love that the story doesn't end just after everyone that needs saving is saved. Because this isn't just a Suspense, resolving that particular conflict was NOT the point of the story. So, the story continues, because there is a lot more to healing the soul & bonding two people for life.

The end will make you cry...and I was still reeling from the emotional impacts nearly an hour later, which prompted me to begin writing this review & share these emotions with you. Joey is a master storyteller & her stories come full circle, leaving you satisfied! She isn't afraid to give you extremes, but she doesn't skimp on the beauty & love, or the HEA.

If you are looking for an author who pushes your boundaries, sends your Comfort Zone on a vacation, opens your mind, broadens your perspective, & teaches you more about humanity...feel free to search my bookshelf to see which of Joey W. Hill's books I've enjoyed the most. (disclaimer: no affiliation, never met or spoke with author)

My rating of Mirror of My Soul: 7 stars out of 5. Seriously. For reference, my rating of Ice Queen: 4.5*

Readerboard name: Justme

LAURENJODI


The Girl In The Ice
5 Stars

Newly transferred to London, DCI Erika Foster is called in to investigate the murder of a young socialite whose tumultuous lifestyle is an embarrassment to her well-connected family. When Erika makes the connection between the murder and those of three prostitutes, her career and her very life are placed in jeopardy.

In his excellent debut, Robert Bryndza has captured the nuances of British society in general and the dynamics of police politics in particular. As his heroine navigates the murky waters of both in search of a vicious killer, one cannot help but admire her strength and resilience in the face of prejudice and adversity.

Erika Foster is a troubled woman with a traumatic past yet she never allows her personal demons to prevent her from seeking justice for the victims no matter their social class. While some reviewers may find her prickly and off-putting, it is precisely her shortcomings that make her so real and easy to identify with.

The serial killer plot is cleverly plotted with some excellent twists and turns. The climax and resolution are both exciting and satisfying and the author keeps the reader guessing right up until the end. I must say that the ending is reminiscent of a Linda Castillo book, but this does not detract from the writing.

All in all, the well-developed characters, believable situations and exciting story have gained Bryndza another admirer and I look forward to continuing with the series.

Review for The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr
3 stars

I read and thoroughly enjoyed the first in this series some time ago. In fact it was one of my 3 favourite books of all time. This follow up disappoints in many ways whilst still remaining a good enough book.
Supposedly written by Dr Laszlo's assistant Stevie there are attempts to suffest that Stevie has not the education and learning required to write in literary style. This annoyed me immensely, mostly because his failings in literary style seemed to amount to replacing every incidence of the words that, which or who with the word "that" whilst Stevie still managed some very accomplished vocabulary.
The whole thing was protracted - far too much unnecessary detail - allowed the readers mind to wander.
These things apart the mystery had much to recommend it with plenty of twists and turns, some introductions to Forensic science and an historical look at New York and its inhabitants. The characters evidenced every side of the city and were well drawn. Whilst a bit disappointed at the damp squibedness" of the ending I enjoyed the book overall