The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

Whoever dares to seek the firebird may find the journey—and its ending— unexpected.

Nicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes sees images, glimpses of those who have owned it before. It’s never been a gift she wants, and she keeps it a secret from most people, including her practical boss Sebastian, one of London’s premier dealers in Russian art.

But when a woman offers Sebastian a small wooden carving for sale, claiming it belonged to Russia’s Empress Catherine, it’s a problem. There’s no proof. Sebastian believes that the plain carving—known as “The Firebird”—is worthless. But Nicola has held it, and she knows the woman is telling the truth and is in desperate need of the money the sale of the heirloom could bring.

Compelled to help, Nicola turns to a man she once left and still loves: Rob McMorran, whose own psychic gifts are far greater than hers. With Rob to help her “see” the past, she follows a young girl named Anna from Scotland to Belgium and on into Russia. There, in St. Petersburg—the once-glittering capital of Peter the Great’s Russia—Nicola and Rob unearth a tale of love and sacrifice, of courage and redemption . . . an old story that seems personal and small, perhaps, against the greater backdrops of the Jacobite and Russian courts, but one that will forever change their lives.

Have you ever read a book and thought after finishing it that the work embodied everything a work of fiction should be? That was The Firebird for me. I have read all of Susanna Kearsley's previous novels so maybe I am a bit biased. Its not often I read a book and get totally lost within it. (In a previous occupation I was a copy editor so I'm used to picking apart inconsistencies and finding errors.) The Firebird perfectly encapsulates its intention, to be a superior work of timeslip fiction.

I never thought Susanna Kearsley could out do herself either but with The Firebird she does. The present day main characters are Nicola Marter and Rob McMorran. (Although not mentioned anywhere in the novel, Rob McMorran was the boy Robbie who had special paranormal gifts in Kearsley's novel The Shadowy Horses.) The Firebird is a sequel to the historical characters in The Winter Sea...and both stories have connections to each other on multiple levels, although The Firebird works well as a standalone read. I would get frustrated with Nicola's character at times for not being stronger...and at Rob's character for not pushing Nicola enough...but then you understand their motivations at the end. Plus Anna's story in the historical part of the novel has a very satisfying conclusion to the historical events in The Winter Sea.

The story unfolds so naturally that the surprises leave you feeling wonder at Kearsley's cleverness of revealing information. I had just reread The Winter Sea and I was still caught flat-footed at times as The Firebird unfolded. Anyways its hard to discuss the story without revealing spoilers, so I think its best if you read the story yourself!  Highly recommended for adult reading. Must read for Kearsley fans. This book will make you want to read her entire backlist, which I highly recommend as well.

My Rating: 5.0

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The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley

The Salt Road by Jane Johnson

I read Jane Johnson's The Tenth Gift in July of 2009. That story involved the lives of two women living in two different time periods paralleling each other. The story and Johnson's writing stayed in my mind; a woven tapestry that at the end was revealed its completion not its unraveling. I know I'm being overly dramatic here but I've never really come across another writer like Jane Johnson, with her exotic settings, evocative prose and dynamic female characters. Maybe I could call up a few authors that have storylines with similar elements but not the same way of threading together the stories and histories of the female characters.

From the author of The Tenth Gift comes another story of exotic, foreign lands, entwining storylines spanning generations, and the quests to overcome love lost.

"My dear Isabelle, in the attic you will find a box with your name on it."

Isabelle's estranged archeologist father dies, leaving her a puzzle. In a box she finds some papers and a mysterious African amulet — but their connection to her remains unclear until she embarks on a trip to Morocco to discover how the amulet came into her father's possession. When the amulet is damaged and Isabelle almost killed in an accident, she fears her curiosity has got the better of her. But Taib, her rescuer, knows the dunes and their peoples, and offers to help uncover the amulet's extraordinary history, involving Tin Hinan — She of the Tents — who made a legendary crossing of the desert, and her beautiful descendant Mariata.

Across years and over hot, shifting sands, tracking the Salt Road, the stories of Isabelle and Taib, Mariata and her lover, become entangled with that of the lost amulet. It is a tale of souls wounded by history and of love blossoming on barren ground. From the Hardcover edition.

Johnson's sophomore effort The Salt Road, is equally good as The Tenth Gift, and follows a similar formula. This time we are taken to the historical land of the desert Tuareg tribes and modern day Morocco. At its heart, The Salt Road is about the strength of women, and further, is wonderfully insightful about the lives of the Tuareg people. The women in the novel, Mariata and Isabelle, overcome abuse and hardship and in the process find their true selves. There are also good and not so good surprises in store for both characters that keep the story suspenseful. Johnson portrays the Tuaregs as a fierce people fighting to preserve their traditions in an oppressive world. 

I recommend The Salt Road. Its focus on the lives of women reminded me other great novels with strong women within an historical context:

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Expected One and The Book of Love by Kathleen McGowan
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse

My Rating: 4.5

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The Book of Love by Kathleen McGowan

Mini-Review: The Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn

Partners now in marriage and in trade, Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane have finally returned from abroad to set up housekeeping in London. But merging their respective collections of gadgets, pets and servants leaves little room for the harried newlyweds themselves, let alone Brisbane's private enquiry business.

Among the more unlikely clients: Julia's very proper brother, Lord Bellmont, who swears Brisbane to secrecy about his case. Not about to be left out of anything concerning her beloved—if eccentric—family, spirited Julia soon picks up the trail of the investigation.

It leads to the exclusive Ghost Club, where the alluring Madame Séraphine holds evening séances…and not a few powerful gentlemen in thrall. From this eerie enclave unfolds a lurid tangle of dark deeds, whose tendrils crush reputations and throttle trust.

Shocked to find their investigation spun into salacious newspaper headlines, bristling at the tension it causes between them, the Brisbanes find they must unite or fall. For Bellmont's sakeâ € “ and moreâ € “ they'll face myriad dangers born of dark secrets, the kind men kill to keep….

The Dark Enquiry is the fifth book in the Lady Julia Grey series. First of all I’m not sure the title of the fifth book really reflects the content. I would have liked something more impactful. I absolutely LOVED this installment to the series. There is much protectiveness, tenderness and growth between Julia and Brisbane. Their marriage is put front and center, although Brisbane is still hiding many secrets. Julia has taken up a new hobby, or rather Brisbane has channeled Julia's energy into a hobby so he doesn't have to rescue her from getting into trouble all the time.

Even though the antagonist’s and their motivations can be worked out with some thought, there are still quite a few surprises. The part of the story with Julia confronting the antagonist is a bit too coincidental for my liking but this does not detract too much from the story as a whole. There is a particular sentence that struck me deeply, although I’m not going to give any backstory, as it may lean too much toward a spoiler, but I love the way Deanna Raybourn uses metaphors.

"I was wandering through a garden, a beautiful place, with the most exquisite blossoms. And as I put a hand to smell one, it closed, furling its petals tightly against me. I moved to the next flower, and it did the same, and it happened again and again until I reached the garden gate. I passed through and closed the gate, looking back to see the sea of blossoms, nodding sleepily on their stems. I locked the gate firmly behind me and walked on. I did not look back again."

Now you'll just have to read the story to understand what that quote means! I recommend reading the series in order...The Dark Inquiry is not really a standalone. Raybourn is working on a sixth instalment to the series.

My Rating: 5.0

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Mini-Review: Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn
Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn

Awakening by S. J. Bolton

An idyllic village is thrown into turmoil in a startling, heart-racing thriller.

Veterinary surgeon Clara Benning is young and intelligent, but practically a recluse.  Disfigured by a childhood accident, she lives alone and shies away from human contact wherever possible. But when a man dies, following a supposed snake bite, Clara learns that the victim's post mortem shows a higher concentration of venom than could ever be found in a single snake.

Assisted by her softly spoken neighbour and an eccentric reptile expert, Clara unravels sinister links to a barbaric ancient ritual, an abandoned house and a fifty year old tragedy that left the survivors fiercely secretive.  Then the village's inventive attacker strikes again, and Clara's own solitary existence is brutally invaded.  For someone the truth must remain buried in the past...even if they have to kill to keep it there.

S. J. Bolton's suspense novels are like no other mystery suspense novels I have ever read. Browsing Chapters a couple years ago, I happened to see the cover of Sacrifice (a bright gold ring on a gloomy bluish coastal background) and it intrigued me so I read the back blurb...I love elements of science and the supernatural...so I took a chance on Bolton's debut. Well, I wasn't disappointed and Sacrifice stayed in my thoughts (and possibly nightmares) for days after I had read it.  I continued to follow the efforts of Bolton, acquiring Awakening and an ARC copy of Blood Harvest.  So I've finally gotten around to reading Bolton's sophomore effort, Awakening, and its just as gripping and creepy. For me, it didn't have the shock value of Sacrifice but it was more focused. Yes, there is a lot about snakes in this book, but if anything they are treated with respect...and its the humans who are the real serpents!!

What do I love about these novels.  Pungent description, authenticity, damaged female protagonists, multi-layered plots, and science and the supernatural co-mingling (slightly gothic feel). I don't like horror but I love a good thrill and a bit of ugliness doesn't turn my stomach.

The Times stated of Bolton "S.J. Bolton has elevated herself to the High Priestess of English Rural Gothic. If she carries on like this she will have worshippers in their millions."  I heartily agree. If you appreciate great mystery/suspense novels, YOU MUST read Bolton. An author not to be missed!!! S. J. Bolton's next effort is Now You See Me, to be released May 26, 2011 in hardcover.

My Rating: 4.0

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Related Posts:
New Release by S.J. Bolton - Awakening
Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley

Verity Grey is thrilled to be asked to join archaeologist Peter Quinnell's dig in the Scottish borders, but after her first day she isn't so sure. Quinnell, having spent his whole life searching for the resting place of the lost Ninth Roman Legion, is convinced he's finally found it - not because of any scientific evidence, but because a local boy has seen a Roman soldier walking in the fields, a ghostly sentinel who guards the bodies of his long-dead comrades. The worst thing is that Verity believes in Peter, and the boy, and even in the Sentinel, who seems determined to become her own protector...but from what?

I know there are quite a few Susanna Kearsley fans out there...and I am one of them! Not only is she a fantastic writer but she is a fellow Canadian - its great to support a talented writer from your own country. A Susanna Kearsley book always reemphasizes for me why I love reading and why quality writing always wins out over filler and flash. Instead of focusing this post on reviewing The Shadowy Horses though, I am going to discuss more why I love Susanna Kearsley and highly recommend this author!

For me, what elevates Susanna Kearsley's novels is the development of the setting and the characters. Locations have related historical events and even though there are a variety of characters in her novels they are distinct from each other and well rounded. Kearsley lets the quality of her writing speak for itself, with wonderful descriptive language, historical detail, sparkling and sharp dialogue - not one word is superfluous to the story. Chapters rarely end with cliffhangers...though there is mystery enough. There is no race to the finish with the plot but a slow build to a satisfying conclusion. You really need to think about all possible motivations to determine the antagonizing force in the story. Ghostly or supernatural elements are interwoven into the storyline - often the protagonist relives a past life, or encountering ghosts or experiencing strange events. Another reason why Kearsley's novels are so great, is that the female protagonists lead independent, interesting and creative lifestyles, with careers such as painter, writer, archeologist, etc.  Kearsley's stories can be appreciated by adult and young adult readers alike.

The Shadowy Horses, specifically, is a smoothly paced book. Verity Grey is an intelligent and stubborn woman, an archeologist herself, helping another renowned and reclusive archeologist explore for evidence of the Ninth Roman Legion at an estate called Rosehill but someone...or something...is meddling and strange incidents and coincidences occur. Though the formula for The Shadowy Horses is similar to Mariana and The Winter Sea, the setting and characters are completely different and I found all the related history to the Ninth Roman Legion fascinating.  Coincidentally I recently watched the movie Centurion, which explores another take on the Ninth Roman Legion and I recommend it to fans of the historical action/adventure movie genre. Another upcoming movie about the same Legion is The Eagle to be released February 25, 2011.
 
So now I have now read The Winter Sea, Mariana and The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley (but have not written reviews for the previous two novels).  Kearsley also writes mysteries under the pseudonym of Emma Cole.  Every Secret Thing, originally written under the Emma Cole pen name, has been recently released under Susanna Kearsley and is on its way into my mailbox. I look forward to reading it and collecting this author's back list.

My Rating: 5.0

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The Lost (Anthology)

"Missing in Death" by J.D. Robb investigates a female tourist's disappearance during a ferry ride. Detective Eve Dallas wonders...if she didn't jump, and she's not on board, then where in the world is she? 

Eve makes a very difficult decision that goes against the rules she is supposed to abide by being in law enforcement. Sometimes the line between victim and criminal is blurred. Solid novella I highly recommend to J.D. Robb fans. My Rating: 4.25/5

In Patricia Gaffney's "The Dog Days of Laurie Summer," a woman awakens to a familiar yet unsettling world.

My first Patricia Gaffney story. This novella was very unexpected in that the soul of Laurie leaves her comatose body to inhabit a dog so she can still be near her family. Unique perspective and voice.  My Rating: 3.5/5

In Mary Blayney's "Lost in Paradise," a man locked in an island fortress finds hope for freedom in an enigmatic nurse.

Lost in Paradise was the weakest novella in the collection for me. It started too abruptly, the story felt forced and the religious undertones were overly pretentious. My Rating: 2.0/5

And Ruth Ryan Langan's "Legacy" belongs to a young woman who unearths a family secret buried on the grounds of a magnificent but imposing Irish castle.

Legacy is a very solid story that manages to develop credible relationships between Aidan and other characters she meets for the first time, in a handle full of days. Usually I find such rapid relationship development hard to accept, but in Legacy the story is very believable and this is fiction after all. My Rating: 4.25/5

In a novella either a relationship has to evolve in a credible way, or the story has to have impact and resolution, or a crime must be committed and solved...and in only 90 pages at that. A successful novella is hard to achieve and very difficult perfect. Anthologies seem to be published more abundantly now than in years past and, as its mainly a tool to introduce lesser known authors to readers, its difficult to get value for money.  I would recommend waiting for Missing in Death to be repacked with other J.D. Robb novellas or buy the ebook if available rather than spend your money on The Lost.

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Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb
Promises in Death by J.D. Robb
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Angelology by Danielle Trussoni

Sister Evangeline was just a young girl when her father left her at St. Rose Convent under the care of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. Now a young woman, she has unexpectedly discovered a collection of letters dating back sixty years - letters that bring her deep into a closely guarded secret, to an ancient conflict between the millennium-old Society of Angelologists and the monstrously beautiful Nephilim, the descendants of angels and humans. Rich and mesmerizing, Angelology blends biblical lore, mythology and the fall of the Rebel Angels, creating a luminous, riveting tale of one young woman caught in a battle that will determine the fate of the world.

The summary above from the publisher makes Angelology by Danielle Trussoni sound so promising and I had great hope that this would be a fantastic read, but unfortunately the novel did not live up to expectations. Albeit, maybe my expectations were too high. I won a a signed hardcover copy from Booklounge.ca and I had read S. Krisha's glowing review, so you can imagine I was quite excited to see its startling cover when it showed up in my mailbox.  I thought Angelology would be something like The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, as S. Krishna described, and in a couple ways it was. Evangaline is a young nun of St. Rose's who is suddenly confronted by an almost unbelievable past through a series of letters and she must delve deeper into the clues left for her by her grandmother to determine her history and her destiny. Superficially similar to The Historian no doubt.  Beyond the summary Angelology falls very short of the amazing work of fiction The Historian is.

I do give kudos to Ms. Trussoni for the interesting ideas involving Angelology and its intriguing historical content, as well as Angelologists and their eternal battle with the Nephilim. My mind was often left whirling from trying to absorb the unfamiliar but compelling concepts.

The novel is in three parts and changes focus from present day to historic day and back.  I found the language staccato in places, mostly at the beginning, which made immersing in the story difficult at first. A portion of the book was about an Angelologist by the name of Celestine Clochette, set years before Evangaline's time, and included some historical writings by a Bishop on an Angelology mission.  This section of the novel was truly interesting and engaging, I only wish the whole story was written this way.  There were an abundance of characters in the novel, each with their own act, which detracted from the story because point of view switched between characters too often and left me unable to become engaged with any one character more than the other.  This disconnect left me dissatisfied and feeling kind of left empty.

I am left with a couple of conclusions.  The "heart" of the story seemed missing.  Although the length of the novel at 464p (as compared to The Historian's 642p) seems average for most fiction novels, the switching from scene to scene to scene left me wanting more. There should have been much more description to enhance the erratic plot.  "Scene to scene to scene" is the operative qualifier...Angelology reads more like a movie script rather than the novel it is, depleted of all the promise of what could have been a truly great story.

My Rating: 3.0

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The Doomsday Key by James Rollins

At Princeton University, a famed geneticist dies inside a biohazard lab. In Rome, a Vatican archaeologist is found dead in St. Peter's Basilica. In Africa, a U.S. senator's son is slain outside a Red Cross camp. Three murder victims on three continents, linked by a pagan Druidic cross burned into their flesh.

Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma Force have only days to solve an apocalyptic puzzle dating back centuries. Aided by two women from his past-one his ex-lover, the other his new partner-Gray must uncover a horrifying secret that threatens America and the world, even if it means sacrificing the life of one of the women at his side. The race is on-from the Roman Coliseum to the icy peaks of Norway to the lost tombs of Celtic kings-and the future hangs in the balance. For humankind's ultimate nightmare is locked within a talisman buried by a dead saint-an ancient artifact known as . . . The Doomsday Key.

James Rollins action/adventure thriller novels are always far fetched, though the scientific details always have a basis in fact. This time, in The Doomsday Key, the scientific storyline delves into the areas of genetically modified foods, fungal viruses and super enzymes. The regular cast of characters are there, Gray, Monk, Painter, etc. with the addition of Rachel and Seichan in a new twist.  I'm always very keen on the scientific elements and arcane bits of knowledge, and in this, the novel does not disappoint. But The Doomsday Key does have too much of an overemphasis of the scientific problem at hand and I missed the emotional intensivness of the past two novels in the series, The Last Oracle and The Judas Strain.

I found this storyline less balanced and fluid in the doling out of details and the switching between description and character interaction. Consequently the pace of the story gets bogged down.  But the storyline is redeemed with the emotional wrenching and poignant events at the end that wrap up all the loose ends. James Rollins certainly thrills me and he will you too! Next up is The Devil Colony to be released in hardcover August 3, 2010.

Just want to reiterate that I detest the tall paperback format, as it makes my Rollins collection off kilter in height.  I saw this new "wide paperback" format of The Judas Strain in Indigo Spirit the other day. Wacky!  Hope it doesn't become mainstream.

My Rating: 4.0

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Ice Hunt by James Rollins
Deep Fathom by James Rollins
Subterranean by James Rollins

The Mist by Carla Neggers

Things looked bad when Lizzie Rush finally found hard evidence that her boss, thrill-seeking billionaire Norman Estabrook, heads an international criminal network. But when he escapes police custody after a deadly Boston bombing, the worst is yet to come. 

From nowhere arrives the mysterious Brit, Will Davenport. Lizzie isn't sure which side he's on, but his mercenary talents may help end the violence. Now, emerging from a year of secrets and lies as a double agent straddling two worlds, Lizzie has little choice but to trust a man answering to no one. When the mist clears-and the frightening truth is revealed-who knows which side she herself will end up on.

Ok I think I'm done with Neggers for awhile.  I'm just not a fan of the FBI series she is currently developing. There is divided focus in each installment between past characters and current characters and neither set are provided any growth or dimension, as there are just too many characters floating around. Relationships are short-changed and less developed, if developed at all, so you feel no connection to their resolutions, or HEA as the case may be. There is too much going on in too many different locations and there is too much word count focusing on explaining the back story. I do not get a real sense for who the characters truly are. The relationships between characters intending to be romantic are rushed, as is the timeline...yes this is fiction but two strong-minded, intelligent, talented people realistically do not fall in love and realize they want to spend their lives together in a 24 hour period where they only spend a handful of hours together.

The title 'The Mist' only relates slightly to a couple minor scenes that do not represent the bulk of the story...the lighthouse on the cover is not mentioned at all...but hey, it certainly imparts a moody and mysterious undertone that will get you to buy the book. There are fleeting events that suggest supernatural forces - destiny, fate, full circle - I find these the most interesting elements of The Mist and it would have made the novel more compelling if these aspects had been explored in more depth.  If you are a Neggers fan I suggest getting loaning The Mist from your local library and saving your money for the next Susanna Kearsley or J.D. Robb.

My Rating: 3.0 

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Cold Pursuit by Carla Neggers
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The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz)

Book 6 in the Arcane Society Series by Amanda Quick - Jayne Ann Krentz - Jayne Castle 

Plagued by rumors that she poisoned her fiancé, Lucinda Bromley manages to live on the fringes of polite society, tending her beloved plantsand occasionally consulting on a murder investigation. For the notorious botanist possesses a unique talent: She can detect almost any type of poison, especially ones that have their origins in the botanical kingdom.

But the death of a lord has shaken Lucinda to her core. At the murder scene, she picks up traces of a poison containing a very rare species of fern. So rare, in fact, that only one specimen exists in all of England and it was stolen from her conservatory just last month.

To keep her name out of the inquest and to find the murderer, Lucinda hires fellow Arcane Society member Caleb Jones who runs a psychical investigation agency. A descendant of the founder of the Society, Jones is very skillful at protecting its secretsand frighteningly good getting at the truth. Immediately, Lucinda senses both a raw power and an undeniable intensity in the imposing man.

But as a nearly overwhelming desire blooms between Caleb and Lucinda, they are drawn into the dark heart of a deadly conspiracy that can be traced to the early days of the Arcane Society and to a legacy of madness that could plunge Caleb into the depths of his own tortured soul. . . .

Am I going to give up on Jayne Ann Krentz?  Probably not, but I'm just not as satisfied with her writing as I used to be, although admittedly having collected over 130 books by Krentz I guess my expectations are biased.  Maybe my preferences have evolved or maybe I've just been exposed to too much great fiction and have higher standards now. The Perfect Poison's book jacket looks pretty and promising with purple flowers and ferns and a hot pink spine. The books feel nice and weighty, so I was excited to start reading, hoping The Perfect Poison would be the story that makes me fall in love all over again with Krentz. Well this novel will not be the one to make me do that...but neither will it make me give up her novels for good.  The 437 pages I thought an ideal size of read, but realized soon enough that the page count is deceptive and the read is much shorter and quicker than I was expecting. The type is a bit larger and the lines are quite spaced out and thicker paper is used, albeit the book is still priced at CAD$9.99.

Maybe its just the whole Arcane Society Series books that cross the paranormal (Castle), historical romance (Quick) and contemporary (Krentz) romance genres, which include the common storyline of the "Arcane Society" that is causing the problem for me...a lot of the language sounds repetitive, so the stories are not as fresh as they could be.  If The Perfect Poison is the first book you pick up by the author I think it would be a fun read, with a unique premise that the independent, strong-minded heroine Lucinda Bromley can detect plant energy, including poisons.  But the overly indulgent, flowery and flamboyant language made me cringe instead of chuckle this time. The hero Caleb Jones was not as much alpha as caveman really and his characterization could have done with more depth and polish. Overall: Average.

Recent January 2010 release in hardcover is Fired Up (Krentz); Next up is Burning Lamp (Quick) released in hardcover April 20, 2010; Midnight Crystal (Castle) released in paperback August 31, 2010.

My Rating: 3.0

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Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton

You're born. You live. They die. Moving to remote Shetland has been unsettling enough for consultant surgeon Tora Hamilton; even before the gruesome discovery she makes one rain-drenched afternoon…Deep in the peat soil of her field she is shocked to find the perfectly preserved body of a young woman, a gaping hole where her heart has been brutally removed and three rune marks etched into her skin. The marks bear an eerie resemblance to carvings Tora has seen all over the islands, and she quickly uncovers disturbing links to an ancient legend. But as Tora investigates she is warned by the local police, her boss, and even her husband, to leave well alone. And even though it chills her to the bone to admit it…something tells her their concern isn't genuine.

I was pleasantly surprised by this debut effort by author S.J. Bolton. The setting of the Shetland Islands off the northeast coast of Scotland is interesting and unique. An area of isolation, myth and legend, remote from the rest of the world where secrets have been hidden for decades and immense power has been hoarded. Imagine moving from bustling London to a small acreage on a stark, unforgiving island. Your husband is often away on business, you have made no friends in the six months you have been working in the nearby hospital and your beloved horse has just died. Tora Hamilton is determined to bury her horse nearby her home, even though it is illegal, and in doing so uncovers a female body buried deep in the peat, heart taken out, runes carved into her back. From here leads a strange, twisted tale of murder and mortality, ethics, fertility manipulation, cults and myths.

Bolton's prose is rawly descriptive and blunt. Events are presented in a cold and analytical way, yet to offset this the author has created a sensitive, vulnerable character in Tora, who buries her feelings of confusion, pain and loss deeply. At first I did not like Tora, thinking her weak, misguided and a little dense, but after awhile I realized she is someone juggling a lot of issues and handling them the best she is capable of. Tora has difficulty making friends and with communication. People don't warm to her readily and she knows it. She has fears, inadequacies and issues to overcome. I would describe her as having questionable self-esteem, a frustrated, nervous temperament...yet tenacity of will and a caring heart. Someone that I could relate to rather than being some grand heroine or superwoman.

Bolton does a great job of disguising the true motivations of the characters, which made the story very suspenseful. I did not like most of the characters in the novel...we are not given much background on the characters, rather just the bare bones of their lives...and actually I do not think the author wants you to like any of the characters either. The tension, disapproval and antagonism between particular characters is portrayed well and really comes across in the writing.

One word in the story - a character's career - led me to figuring out some of the plot but by no means led to unravelling everything, as the story has been very cleverly crafted. Of course there are a few plot holes and loose threads (Why exactly did Dr. Kenn Gifford state (lie?) that KT meant Keloid Trauma when he must have known it meant something else entirely...he could not have been kept in the dark about everything...but we are left to ponder!) but the premise and setting are unique which makes for an out of the ordinary read.

I really liked this book and think its a solid debut effort by S.J. Bolton. Although it took me awhile to warm up to it, once I did, I did not want to put the book down and could not get the story out of my head. My Rating: 4.0

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Sepulchre by Kate Mosse

I have to admit I am a bit overwhelmed writing my review of Sepulchre by Kate Mosse. Luckily I am on vacation so I have all the time I need to give it a go. Sepulchre is over 735 pages long not including the Reader's Notes and Sepulchre Tour pages. Very daunting number of pages to any reader I should imagine...and then writing a credible review that encompasses all the themes...well you can see why I'm daunted! The book was very seductive though and breezed by on a tense plot, shortish chapters and intrepid characters. Sepulchre blends mystery and crime with gothic drama and a hint of romance.

I'm a big fan of timeslip novels...although usually I find a character from one period is more interesting or stronger in voice than the character in the other time period. I thought the main characters from the past and present were equally as strong in Sepulchre, though more of the story is given over to the past. Leonie Vernier is our heroine from the late 1900s, a young girl of seventeen who demonstrates a naive willfulness that causes death and harm to those she loves. Eventually she triumphs over evil at great cost to herself...unable to rest peacefully in death as her story remains untold, she begins to haunt her distant relative Meredith Martin, after Meredith indulges in an impulsive tarot reading while researching Debussy on her long awaited trip to Paris. 2007 - Meredith Martin is come to Paris to finalize her research on Claude Debussy, although this is not her only motive for visiting France... she is determined to discover her ancestral legacy using a lone photograph she has been given of a sepia soldier. After a strange tarot card reading she begins to have frightening dreams, echos from the past, which only become more intense while visiting a mysterious hotel in southern France called the Domaine de le Cade.

Sepulchre is the second book in Mosse's Languedoc Trilogy, very loosely connected to the first in the trilogy, Labyrinth, although focusing on different time periods and events, as well as varying in tone and storyline. Sepulchre relies more upon dramatic gothic and supernatural elements to create tension, while Labyrinth trends more to the spiritual and mythical. The books have entirely different cast of characters. If you do not care for heavy gothic overtones (a malignant oppressiveness), nor have an interest in the symbolism of tarot or suggestion of supernatural patterns, repetition in music, then this is probably not the book for you...but I very much enjoy dark, mysterious novels and really was captivated by this one!! I would venture to say I preferred Sepulchre over Labyrinth, much more drawn to the features and tone of this more recent read. Reading Sepulchre was like putting together pieces of a complex puzzle, knowledge revealed little by little.

Mosse does not give more weight to the research than the characters or plot and this is an impressive feat. There was so much description given about the areas in France that the book is set in, Rennes-les-Bains, Paris, as well as Carcassonne, and patterns in music, symbolism of tarot but these do not distract from the plot which flows along seamlessly in parallel with all the details. I can't imagine the amount of research Mosse must have put together...but you can get an idea of her sources by perusing the Sepulchre Tour inclusion at the back of the novel. This is a book to savour...to put down and ponder before greedily snatching up again.

The third book in the Languedoc trilogy is The Winter Ghosts to be released in hardcover this fall.

My Rating: 4.5

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Suggested Recommendations for Related Reading with Gothic Elements:

Lady Julia Grey series by Deanna Raybourn

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

The Eight by Katherine Neville

Mistress of the Art of Death series by Ariana Franklin

The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson

The Tenth Gift is a wonderful and absorbing story about two complex women: Catherine Anne Tregenna (Cat) in 17th Century Cornwall, and Julia Lovat in 21st Century London. Like Cat, Julia has a talent for embroidery and at the dissolution of her long adulterous relationship with her friend’s husband Michael, she is given a book of embroidery patterns. Michael had meant to give her another similar book but mistakenly gives her the more valuable and unique palimpsest, as written overtop of the embroidery patterns and in the margins is Cat’s account of her capture by Turkish pirates. As Julia reads Cat’s story she comes to realize their lives have a strange parallel. Who is Catherine Anne Tregenna and why does Julia feel such a close bond to her? Both Cat and Julia are women of impetuosity, temper and singular naivety, given to taking bold and somewhat blind risks. They are both talented with embroidery, believe in love and are seeking to find meaning in their existence, yet they also have faults of emotional weakness and vanity. I did not like Julia at all at first and was convinced my opinion would not change. She was bitchy, emotional, weak and needy and never thought about what she was saying, insulting others whether deliberate or not. Although I have to admit she became a more likable character when the story took her to Morocco…without giving too much away…she let Morocco cleanse her of mistakes in the past.

The Tenth Gift is an excellent work of fiction and though there are romantic tensions and intimacy there is no “romance”. There is a unique, realistic and fresh feeling to the story. I don’t think I have read another novel similar to this one. Johnson also includes quotes, poems, and letters that enhance the storyline. Each chapter is a cliff hanger and I felt equally invested in the fates of both characters, although there was no pattern to the switching from historical time to modern day. Tension ratchets up more and more every time the story flipped back and forth. So much so that I became frustrated that I could not continue to read one or the other of the storylines, but frustrated in a good way as it really made The Tenth Gift an exciting read. I enjoyed and appreciated both storylines as each was so absorbing.

There were a few other aspects of The Tenth Gift that interested me. The book expands upon the ideas of mosaic, pattern, and tapestry in culture, as well as rebirth and the influence of supernatural forces. Johnson describes the process of Cat and the captured people of Penzance being sold into slavery, how they looked at the time and how they were sized up, poked at, and forced to remove all their clothing. The pictures she created were quite brutal but mostly glossed over. I learned about places and times that I had never before read or known about: the history and culture of Cornwall and Morocco and the religious, political and economic tensions of the time. I thought the book could have benefited from including pictures or stencils of the stylized designs and embroidery described within. Toward the end of the story we learn that “The Tenth Gift” is a song/poem about how God divided beauty into ten, where the tenth item is a book. I love it when authors go to the effort to include maps, chapter prefaces or quotes, and suggestions for further reading material. I highly recommend this story to everyone.

In an expensive London restaurant Julia Lovat receives a gift that will change her life. It appears to be a book of exquisite 17th-century embroidery patterns but on closer examination Julia finds it also contains faint diary entries. In these, Cat Tregenna, an embroideress, tells how she and others were stolen out of a Cornish church in 1625 by Muslim pirates and taken on a brutal voyage to Morocco to be auctioned off as slaves. Captivated by this dramatic discovery, Julia sets off to North Africa to determine the authenticity of the book and to uncover more of Cat's story. There, in the company of a charismatic Moroccan guide, amid the sultry heat, the spice markets, and exotic ruins, Julia discovers buried secrets. And in Morocco - just as Cat did before her - she loses her heart. Almost 400 years apart, the stories of the two women converge in an extraordinary and haunting manner that will make readers wonder - is history fated to repeat itself?
 

My Rating: 4.5

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The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

I read Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen soon after it was released in the trade paperback format and loved how delightful the books was...and then I was lucky enough to win an ARC copy of The Sugar Queen from LibaryThing's EarlyReviewers program. In fact, it was winning this ARC that inspired me to later create my blog. Allen's third effort, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, is due out in hardcover March 16, 2010. In her latest enchanting novel, New York Times bestelling author Sarah Addison Allen invites you to a quirky little Southern town with more magic than a full Carolina moon. Here two very different women discover how to find their place in the world…no matter how out of place they feel. Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother's life. For instance, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? Why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew-a reclusive, real-life gentle giant-she realizes that mysteries aren't solved in Mullaby, they're a way of life. Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes. Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson's cakes. She offers them to satisfy the town's sweet tooth and in the hope of bringing back the love she fears she's lost forever. In Julia, Emily may have found a link to her mother's past. But why is everyone trying to discourage Emily's growing relationship with the handsome and mysterious son of Mullaby's most prominent family? Emily came to Mullaby to get answers, but all she's found so far are more questions. Is there really a ghost dancing in her backyard? Can a cake really bring back a lost love? In this town of lovable misfits, maybe the right answer is the one that just feels…different. Sarah Addison Allen always interweaves more than one plot into the story and you can always expect a strong sense of community and a bit of the romantic and mystical. She creates such wonderful characters and each must overcome obstacles, awaken to their potential, gain courage to face their fears, and have faith. The cover art on the hardcovers is very beautiful...although I am not fond of the tp format of The Sugar Queen...I wish they would keep the covers identical from one format to another! Chapters Amazon

The Last Oracle by James Rollins

James Rollins' latest paperback The Last Oracle was released on May 11 and I even managed to get my gleeful hands on a copy a couple days before.  I waited eagerly for the mass market to come out, as budget is of concern to me and I only buy mm or trade paperback...and I rarely get the time to visit the library nowadays. I'm loving the sparkly fire on the front cover too. This is the fifth book in the Sigma Force series.

So with all the historical fiction I write reviews on why, do you ask, am I such a fan of James Rollins, when he writes action/adventure/thriller fiction?? WELL first of all, I'm a bit if a nerd and excelled in science and computer classes in my high school and university education (I have a B.Sc. degree in psychology). I love karate and action or science fiction films even prefer them over romantic comedies...I'm all for over the top special effects and I prefer to watch movies on IMAX screens. Plus I need to mix up the historical fiction with something else.

I am a dedicated follower of Rollins and own and have read most of his books (excepting Indiana Jones and Jake Ransom).  Did you know Rollins' The Judas Strain won the Harper Collins March Madness competition out of 60 different titles at the start???  As you can see here there was some very stiff competition. What I love about his novels besides the fast-paced action is that he really develops his characters and relationships between characters...he always weaves his plot around scientific theories, which can sometimes be bizarre or obscure, and controversial topics.  He always includes elements of emotional drama, humor, romance and edge of your seat thrills.

In Washington, D.C., a homeless man takes an assassin's bullet and dies in Commander Gray Pierce's arms. A bloody coin clutched in the dead man's hand—an ancient relic that can be traced back to the Greek Oracle of Delphi—is the key to a conspiracy that dates back to the Cold War and threatens the very foundation of humanity. For what if it were possible to bioengineer the next great prophet—a new Buddha, Muhammad, or even Jesus? Would this Second Coming be a boon . . . or would it initiate a chain reaction that would result in the extinction of humankind?

Vital seconds are ticking rapidly away as Pierce races across the globe in search of answers, one step ahead of ruthless killers determined to reclaim the priceless artifact. Suddenly the future of all things is balanced on the brink between heaven and hell—and salvation or destruction rests in the hands of remarkable children.

I thought The Last Oracle ventured into a new emotionalism from Rollins, which was especially chilling at times. Autistic savant children have been augmented to enhance their abilities and exploit them in the service of a Russian scientific research team to bring about a new Russian Renaissance. The children have significant roles in the narrative and you cannot help but feel a strong sympathy for them...and there is one particular climax where I sobbed my heart out. A character who has been in most of the books in the series we find out may not be dead after all, although we were given this clue at the end of The Judas Strain, and with his life being stolen from him and no memory of who he was, he strives to save the children from an inescapable fate. The main team of characters, Painter Crowe, Lisa Cummings, Kat Bryant, Gray Pierce and Joe Kowalski, are more emotionally vulnerable and complex, they are given additional facets to their personalities, so that the individual is emphasized just as much now as the Sigma team.

The novel starts in A.D. 398 at The Temple of Delphi. We are given a quick glimpse into the significance of the temple, which was a particularly effective way of beginning the book. This is not Rollins' usual style - including a historical POV  - and just shows how he has grown as an author, really broadening the scope of his writing.  Rollins balances very well the historical elements, scientific details and ethical discourse. The only few things that stuck out as odd to me was a question posed by Gray Pierce, which I though since he was supposed to be a genius he should already know but these questions are used as a tool by Rollins to explain in more detail scientific theory. There is a spelling mistake on page 451 that is kind of funny...did you catch it??

James Rollins' next book, The Doomsday Key, to be released in hardcover on June 23, 2009.

My Rating: 4.5

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The Ice Hunt

Deep Fathom

Subterranean

Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz

I am a die-hard Jayne Ann Krentz-Amanda Quick-Jayne Castle-Stephanie James fan and own over 130 books by the author. It all started when I picked up one of Quick’s “S” books (Seduction, Scandal, Surrender) while in University and then discovered Quick was a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz and that she wrote books under other pseudonyms too (Jayne Castle, Amanda Glass, Jayne Taylor, Jayne Bentley, Stephanie James). I am very familiar with her writing style and therefore I endeavor to judge each new book somewhat less harshly than I would normally because having read so many of her books, at times dialogue, details, scenes etc. can seem repetitive to me…but a reader picking up one of her books for the first time would have a much different experience. The last book of hers that I read before Sizzle and Burn was White Lies released way back in February of last year. I have been a bit confused by the progression of the Arcane Society novels… skipping back and forth from historical to contemporary and between her different pseudonyms. You can find details of the Arcane Society here. Sizzle and Burn is the third book in the Arcane Society series…a society that to the outside world is nothing more than an investigative agency…but to its members the Arcane Society is a secret organization who’s true purpose is to investigate paranormal talent. Here is a summary of Sizzle and Burn. I enjoyed Sizzle and Burn and thought the shorter chapters enhanced the fast-paced plot. Krentz’s novels are usually characterized by snappy dialogue, strong-willed women and hard-edged men…no exception in Sizzle and Burn. Raine and Zack have a great connection that is enhanced by their paranormal talents. Only a few details are revealed about the ruthless Nightshade organization that is developing the potentially lethal drug to enhance paranormal abilities…and I am curious as to where Krentz will take this storyline. I was intrigued by the Fallon Jones character and was hoping for his story next but her next novel, Running Hot, is the story of Luther Malone and Grace Renquist. I’m strict about organization and consistency and I try to have each author’s books in the same format, whether trade paperback or mass market (e.g. Robb all MMP but Lisa See all TP) and avoid buying hardcopy entirely. I wish publishers would get rid of this tall mass market paperback format...I was told it makes the text easier to read but I don’t think it makes a difference…its just a waste of paper and are we not supposed to be green conscious now?? It also takes up more space in my purse and ruins the lineup of books on my shelves. I hope this trend is not here to stay! My Rating: 4.0 Chapters Amazon

Murder Game by Christine Feehan

I have been a dedicated fan of the GhostWalker series from the very first book Shadow Game, eagerly awaiting each new release. I was disappointed with a couple of the books in the middle of the series and liked the previous book, Predatory Game, but Murder Game has to be one of my favourites. We get to meet some of the previous GhostWalkers again, as well as submerge ourselves in an awesome thriller. I wasn't able to read the book in couple sittings but had to read a couple chapters here and there, frustrating because the plot was so good and it was hard to pick it up and put it down multiple times.  Tansy Meadows is a wildlife photographer who also happens to be an elite tracker of serial killers. But she is burnt out and has retreated to the mountains for peace and to photograph a cougar for National Geographic. This is where we meet Kadan Montague, who has gone to retrieve Tansy to help him track a group of serial killers, pawns playing a murder game. That's a very short summary to summarize the whole book but essentially I liked this story so much because of the twisty plot, Tansy tracking all the serial killers. I have always been a fan of gory, thrilling stories (but I don't like horror movies, go figure) and this was a new twist, not just one killer but multiple! Of course, being the 7th book in the series some of the scenes seem repetitive of those in previous books, and being Feehan there are some graphic sex scenes but she even creates new twists for this aspect. What was new was a more romantic feel than the previous stories, blunt and crude to be sure, but Kadan is actually vulnerable and emotional in a endearing way.  Great read. Highly recommended. I am looking forward to the 8th book. I also am looking forward to Hidden Currents, book 7 of Feehan's Drake Sisters series. I don't read her Dark (Carpathian) series...not a fan of vampire romance. I also read the Leopard series (shape-shifters) but I have have mixed feelings of the next book, Burning Wild, after reading an excerpt in Murder Game. My Rating: 4.5

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Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

I was picked for a copy of Kelly Armstrong’s Bitten in October’s LT ER contest. The novel is about a werewolf named Elena living in Toronto. Elena has made the choice to live in Toronto and try to lead as normal a human life as she can away from the ‘Pack’. She struggles more than other werewolves, having become one by being bitten and being the only female werewolf in her world. Now I have to say that vampires & werewolves are not my thing at all. So why did I try to win a copy do you ask? Bitten was one of Chapters Top 10 Beach Reads in 2007 and was also listed as number 34 in Chapters Canada’s Best 100 Fiction 2006. I was a bit curious so I thought what the heck!

I would say that I was expecting to dislike the content of the book and was biased to be negative about it but Armstrong wrote a very well developed, gripping, supernatural story. Elena’s background interspersed throughout the narrative rather than up front all at once worked well. I was very much engaged in Elena’s frustration and ineptitude in adapting to living mostly in the human world. I particularly liked the descriptions and expressiveness of the characters when they were werewolves, how they felt, what they saw, their sense of freedom and aggression. What I did not enjoy was Elena being in a relationship with Philip but still having strong feelings for Clayton and her being unable to choose…. I dislike some of the choices she made but on the other hand I suppose they made the storyline more realistic and were true to the werewolf world Armstrong created.

For a 550 page novel, the story progressed fairly quickly and was very engaging. I am confused whether this story is supposed to be classified as romance? I don’t think it fits into the romance category but firmly fantasy. I liked Elena and am interested in finding out more about her and Clay so I would probably read Stolen & Broken.

My Rating: 4.0

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Peony in Love by Lisa See

Peony in Love was just as enjoyable and maybe even more so, than Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I thought Lisa See was more focused on telling the story of Peony in the context of that time in Chinese history, rather than intricately detailing historical facts of the time, as in Snow Flower.

Peony, a much loved daughter, is obsessed with an opera called The Peony Pavilion and longs to be in love and in charge of her destiny, although she is to be wed to someone she has never met. Though forbidden she meets a young man and the choices she makes afterwards determines her destiny. 

Read this book if you want a love story with a twist and a sprinkling of the supernatural. Both a heartbreaking and lovely read. You will not be disappointed!!

My Rating: 4.5

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