Throwback Review: Cleopatra's Moon

Throwback Review from 2012!

Cleopatra's Moon is a YA historical fiction by Vicky Alvear Shecter.

Cleopatra Selene is a princess. She is the only daughter of the revered, intelligent Cleopatra and the Roman General Marcus Antonius. Her people love her and her twin brother Alexandros, as well as their adorable little brother Ptolly. They are the picture of a happy, beautiful family for a people to look up to.

And Cleopatra Selene has every intention of being just as powerful and brilliant a queen as her mother.

But before that day even comes close the Roman ruler, Octavianus, sets out to destroy Cleopatra. At least that is how he is spinning it. Calling her a witch, a whore, and worse. He's determined to turn the people against her as he slowly gains approval for dismantling all that Cleopatra Selene's ever known and loved.

Events turn horrifying, and after experiencing immense loss of life Cleopatra Selene and her brothers are taken to Octavianus's palace in Rome - a place of enemies.

Yet as Cleopatra Selene grows older she has but one goal in sight: regain Egypt's rule and become a queen that would have made her mother proud.

Cleopatra's Moon stunned me. I've always been interested in Cleopatra - as many people have. But I've never heard much about her daughter, or anyone else she left behind after dying. Vicky Alvear Shecter fixes that here. Sure, this is historical fiction - so some characters only exist in our author's mind, and certain events are having to be imagined from a personal perspective we have no real knowledge of - but the basis of the story is truth, and Vicky Alvear Shecter clearly knows her facts!

Thing is though, Cleopatra's Moon is no historical text. This is not a lesson in ancient history. This is a raw, riveting, fascinating, alive telling of Cleopatra Selene and the turbulent time she grew up in. The crackling detail and the characters are riveting and three-dimensional. I was absolutely hooked from start to finish, and every painful moment in the middle.

That's another point to make on Cleopatra's Moon - it's often horrifying. Shecter doesn't shy away from the anguishing, stark representation of the bloody deaths of family members. The brutal overtaking of the kingdom is enough to make you sick to your stomach, but also sit back in awe at Shecter's undeniable skill at effecting our emotions. Because with such realism and honesty in the face of terrors, what can we do but identify with Cleopatra Selene? Especially as she is heartbreakingly young as she witnesses all of this.

Cleopatra's Moon is a disturbing, suspenseful, powerful journey. Reading it puts you right there in the midst of the unimaginable. The mourning, the brutality, the betrayal, the hurt and the fear are all both difficult to read - yet gripping.

I applaud Vicky Alvear Shecter for reminding me of what I love about well-done, respectful historical fiction! This novel is alluring, captivating, romantic, shocking and overwhelming. In the end, I had tears in my eyes! What a beautiful, wonderful book!!!

BONUS REVIEW:
I want to acknowledge that today is Halloween by mentioning another drawing book! Many of us bibliophiles have a creative streak, or know someone who does, and can find good use in do-it-yourself fun. And this one is in keeping with today's holiday. What's it called? Why, it is How to Draw Chiller Monsters, Werewolves, Vampires, and Zombies!

J. David Spurlock is the author and it features the artwork of numerous artists, as well as a foreword by Rob Zombie. This instructional book focuses on many different styles and breaks the steps down into specifics: structure, lighting, perspective, etc. They are pretty creepy, detailed illustrations done by very talented people.

So, if you are interested in nurturing your own talent and learning new tricks, pick up a copy of How to Draw Chiller Monsters, Werewolves, Vampires, and Zombies!

See you guys on Wednesday and have a Happy Halloween!!!

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Throwback Review: The Wild Queen

Throwback Review from 2012!

The Wild Queen: The Days and Nights of Mary, Queen of Scots is a YA historical fiction novel by the great Carolyn Meyer.

When she was only six days old, Mary of Scotland was crowned Queen after the death of her father. Her mother was concerned for her future and set up a match for little Mary – a match that would one day make her the Queen of France as well by marrying the little dauphin. So, at only five years old Mary is sent to France to be raised alongside her future husband and the rest of the royal family.

It was unorthodox upbringing for a queen, but Mary grew close as siblings to her future husband and became a French girl through and through. Yet everything fell apart when her young husband dies and Mary, now a young woman of eighteen, sees her life fall apart.

All the years in France, away from her mother and her homeland, have come to nothing. She is childless, stripped of her title of Queen of France, and unwanted by her deceased husband’s grieving mother.

Trying to pull her future together once more, Mary is determined to return to Scotland and reign over what is rightfully hers.

But does Mary have what it takes to be queen?

The story of Mary, Queen of Scots might be familiar with many of you. If not, though, I didn’t want to go beyond the information I provided. In fact, I would’ve liked to have left even some of the information out – but I supposed you might want a general idea of what the novel’s about! Understandably so.

Carolyn Meyer has been feeding my captivation of young royals and historical tragedy with the Young Royals series for years. I have read all of them – except for Duchessina, which I need to remedy. One of the best things about the way she writes – she’s completely non-judgmental. For example, there are books focusing on Elizabeth I, Mary Tudor, and here Mary, Queen of Scots individually, all of whom were certainly not friendly with one another – yet each is given their own story and chance to see the difficulty of each life without an obvious preference from the author.

With The Wild Queen, I am once more floored by the pressure and expectation on young children – it’s both fascinating and deeply sad. Carolyn Meyer yet again creates a riveting drama with flesh-and-blood characters out of the pages of history.

An air that is ominous and soaked in heartbreak yet to come permeates the story, yet I was glued from start to finish by its expertly written, never-ceasing intrigue. The desire for power instead of mere title is an ambition of headstrong Mary’s that plagues her life. It makes her a cautionary tale, but also an admirable one of a sort.

Here we have gripping historical detail with excellent pacing. The Wild Queen is a sad story of bad decisions shaping a dismal future – definitely one of the most melancholy downfalls of a strong female ruler that I know of.

Among the disappointments and shattered aspirations, though, there is an amazingly strong bond of friendship among Mary and her three close friends since childhood – possibly some of the only relationships that could truly be trusted in her lifetime.

The Wild Queen may be an utterly despairing tale, and one that leaves behind many questions about its mysterious subject, but it is also an unforgettable one.

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Interview with the Vampire

Interview with the Vampire is the first book in Anne Rice’s adult horror fantasy Vampire Chronicles series.

When a young reporter gets a chance to interview with the enigmatic, pale man that claims to be a vampire, he takes it. Such begins the long, harrowing tale of Louis, his maker Lestat and his “child” Claudia.

Sweeping from pre-civil war Louisiana to the mists of Europe, Louis weaves his life story for the reporter from the tragic, defining moments before his transition and those bloody, unsettling moments immediately following his meeting with the vampire Lestat – and beyond.

Anyone who has seen the film starring Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and a young Kirsten Dunst may know many details of the turns the novel will take – as it is a fairly strong adaptation, likely due to the fact that Anne Rice herself penned it. However, here we have the original book form where Rice lends that miserable, contemplative, gloomy voice of Louis who is a reluctant vampire, to put it lightly.

Desperately trying to hang on to his humanity, Louis is a conflicted character who is torn between caring for, and being dependent on, his relationships with Lestat and Claudia, while also being horrified by their easy killing and lack of conscience. He is, quite simply, not built to be a vampire but doomed to its fate.

Without providing further plot details, I will say that Interview with the Vampire had gorgeous descriptions and an eloquent, poetic language that was both very enveloping and also, at times, probably more than necessary. I won’t deny occasionally skimming some of the more longwinded narration describing the countryside or what have you.

However, the prose was affective in creating an absorbing atmosphere, a distinct first-person voice and some occasionally powerful emotional punches – from strangely, almost involuntarily, erotic to heartbreaking, tormenting sorrow.

Though Louis’s journey through vampirism was hypnotic, and its eventual conclusion titillated me on a pure character development level, I have been assured by a friend that the next books in the Vampire Chronicles series are far more satisfying. It sounds as though Lestat becomes much more in the spotlight and creates a vibe a little less depressive and a little more fun.

Either way, though, Interview with the Vampire was definitely worth the read and was a great experience. I would strongly recommend bibliophiles with an enjoyment of gothic stories to check it out! I look forward to diving into more novels in the series as soon as I am able.

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A Worthy Heart

A Worthy Heart is a Christian historical fiction novel by Susan Anne Mason, also the second book in the Courage to Dream series.

Desperately wanting to remove herself from an uncomfortable ended romance, Maggie is gleeful about leaving Ireland to visit her brother and his wife in America. Even if she does, of course, miss her family at home.

Hopeful to never have to return to Ireland, Maggie intends on digging her feet in and making something of herself in America – and then she meets Adam O’Leary.

Initially she thinks he is just an alluring stable hand, but soon enough she is told that he is the recently released from prison black sheep of the O’Leary family – and her brother Rylan’s brother-in-law. They encourage her to stay far away from him.

Yet there is something about him, and a bond that develops between the two, that is impossible for her to ignore – despite everyone’s best efforts to destroy it…

A Worthy Heart features many characters and is much more a family saga than a two-person romance set in 1914 New York City. Besides Maggie and Adam, we also follow Maggie’s brother Gabe and a society girl with nursing aspirations named Aurora.

Throughout A Worthy Heart there are a lot of switching viewpoints, providing plenty of story to tell. However, unfortunately, it did not catch my attention strongly enough to finish the novel.

I want to strongly express that I do not feel this is the book’s fault, but rather my own. I usually love family saga type novels – however with overtime at my job, schoolwork almost every other second of the day and a general lack of sleep: books can be harder to become enveloped in.

It’s a sad but truthful statement.

So, what I want to make sure and say is to READ IT FOR YOURSELF. Clearly we have a romance here, some family drama and plenty of room for redeeming oneself. Plus, for any of you Christian bibliophiles out there, the story is grounded in faith in God – always a good thing!

Give it a shot – sadly I cannot truly give an opinion, since I didn’t get far!

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The World Within: A Novel of Emily Bronte

The World Within: A Novel of Emily Bronte is the YA historical fiction novel by Jane Eagland.

Change is in the air. This is what worries Emily – as she loves spending all of her time with her sisters Charlotte and Anne, as well as her brother Branwell in their small, quiet village of Haworth. Their shared stories, often written down, spurs her imagination and takes her on grand adventures.

But when her father falls ill and Charlotte is sent away to school, Emily’s world begins to crumble. Branwell seems less and less interested in his little sisters and Anne may not be as dependable as Emily once thought…

The World Within: A Novel of Emily Bronte interested me in that I love historical fiction and I love Charlotte Bronte. I’ve never read Emily’s Wuthering Heights (though I do own it) and every time I start it I am put off by how much I dislike the characters. Yet I still thought this book may be intriguing.

Sadly, Eagland’s presentation of Emily’s unknown childhood with her fellow famous siblings was not very compelling. It was a very quiet, very straightforward story of siblings, with the dramatic, wild(ish) one at the center. Quiet and straightforward can be piercing and raw when done with the right words and arrangement – however, I never felt that with The World Within.

Though these words pain me to say, I found this book… boring. I kept waiting for something to happen.

Now I don’t mean vampires attacking, mind you. Nothing ridiculous. But some kind of emotion, some kind of harsh reality of life in that time period… something.

Eagland never managed to make me feel invested enough in any of the characters to relish the subtle story she writes here, unfortunately. The only part that affected me was a part involving a pet – which can almost always get to me emotionally.

Other than that, I didn’t care for the character of Emily and the lack of anything ever really happening made The World Within a book that I had to start skimming, due to the huge pile of other books calling my name.

There are likely plenty of you that would adore this book – so please do read it for yourself. I am one opinion among many, don’t let me dissuade you from giving it a try!

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The Game of Love and Death

The Game of Love and Death is a YA historical novel with a mythological twist by Martha Brockenbrough.

Throughout the centuries Love and Death have selected their players for the great Game. And always, always, Death wins…

This time new players have been carefully chosen as they lay as infants in 1920. One a white baby boy, Henry Bishop, adopted by a wealthy family with a secured future within their expectations. The other a black baby girl, Flora Saudade, orphaned almost as suddenly as she was born and to be raised by her grandmother.

Neither knows of the Game they are now a part of.

In 1937, Henry is looking to get a college scholarship during the Great Depression and Flora dreams of soaring the skies like Amelia Earhart while singing in her family’s jazz club at night.

Their fateful meeting is the catalyst to a Game like no other.

A Game that may take turns that even Love and Death do not foresee…

The Game of Love and Death was an elegant, ambitious story told from a classic yet fresh mythological point of view. It plays with the idea of humans being the playthings of immortal gods – yet is far more than that.

Love and Death are each fully fleshed, captivating characters of their own. They are dimensional, compassionate and enigmatic. Their stakes in the Game are ambiguous and fluid. They are truly entrancing to read about.

Then we have Henry and Flora – two young people placed in a position to fall for each other when such a thing is unheard of. The odds are stacked against them from the beginning. Yet the way in which it’s written, you ache with them and yearn with them.

These are two characters whose connection may have been chosen by immortal gods but whose choices are all their own. Even the secondary, side characters – such as Henry’s cousin Ethan and even Ethan’s parents to a lesser degree, have more depth than expected.

The Game of Love and Death is a lyrical, memorable, sweeping and gripping novel that is also beautifully romantic. Yet more proof that YA can transcend the genre and be utterly readable to any age.

And, in the case of The Game of Love and Death, should be.

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The Unnaturalists

The Unnaturalists is a YA alt-Victorian steampunk novel by Tiffany Trent.

Fascinated with her father’s work in the Museum of Unnatural History, Vespa Nyx enjoys spending her days cataloging the Unnatural creatures of their world.

Yet her unusual hobby is growing less and less socially acceptable as she nears seventeen and is expected to be a respectable young lady with marriage prospects.

Just when Vespa is beginning to sullenly accept her tedious fate, strange accidents begin to happen at the museum and she finds herself running into a young Tinker boy that believes she has a role to play in the future of New London – as a witch.

But witchcraft is the worst possible violation in New London and punishable by death…

As a fan of steampunk, I was very excited to read The Unnaturalists and had been wanting to for quite some time.

Tiffany Trent excellently presents a fleshed out alternative world with magical creatures, various cultures and even a legend of how New London came to be.

Vespa as a characters is likable – not so stubborn as to be bratty, yet also sufficiently smart and caring. I wish I had felt like I got to know her better than I did – through and through – but I did like her.

One of the focal cultures was the Tinkers, which was a very interesting group of people that the nobility in New London both relied on and persecuted. There was some definite suspense involved in their camp and I found the history we learned about them to be intriguing. Yet, again, I still felt like I could have become more invested.

Keep in mind that I am adapting to a newly packed schedule with the addition of college coursework on top of my full-time job, and this has most definitely effected my reading. Instead of reading a book in two to three days it is taking me sometimes up to TWO WEEKS to read it. This changes the flow, which I recognize. So, as always, take any critique I may present with a grain of salt and read it for yourself.

Overall, The Unnaturalists was an interesting, creative steampunk tale but lacked a direct page-turner feel to it. I felt like everything could have been… more. But I did like it.

There’s a second book called The Tinker King – but I am not sure if the series is being continued beyond that.

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Through Waters Deep

Through Waters Deep is a Christian historical WWII era romance by Sarah Sundin. It is the first book in her Waves of Freedom series.

In 1941 Massachusetts, Mary Stirling enjoys her position as Boston Navy Yard secretary – she excels at it but happily can avoid any particular attention in her role. There’s nothing she likes less than attention…

When naval officer Ensign Jim Avery comes to Boston on a new assignment, they recognize each other as childhood friends – in fact, Mary clearly remembers Jim’s infatuation with her best friend.

As their friendship and camaraderie grows, events take a darker turn – someone seems to be sabotaging the USS Atwood. Tensions are growing regarding the divided opinion on potentially entering into the new war…

This is a dangerous time on the Boston shipyards…

I have previously enjoyed Sarah Sundin’s Wings of Glory series, as they have a rich historical background with WWII. Unlike some other historical fiction romances that brush over detail of the period, Sundin makes it come alive.

They also have a strong, patriotic vibe. Moving from the Air Force to the Navy, her novel was just as fascinating and elegant. Plus, the Christian element is always refreshing when done right – meaning without a preachy aspect. There was moment in particular that gave me chills – though I won’t give the details here.

Mary and Jim are both likable characters – they have childhood traumas that shape some of their adult personality and provide depth to them. Their relationship is slow building, grounded on getting to know each other and friendship – much appreciated for a reader like me that detests insta-love scenarios!

Mixed with the budding romance is a great mystery involving the impending war. It was eye-opening to see the resistance of many of the American people – as well as realizing how the American Navy was already under attack prior to Pearl Harbor, though it is not widely known.

I found Through Waters Deep to be a satisfying story and I will happily read book two when it is released!

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The Masque of the Black Tulip

The Masque of the Black Tulip is an adult historical novel with a contemporary mashup and the second in the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig.

Many years ago I read The Secret History of the Pink Carnation and enjoyed it. I am finally getting interested in continuing the series, which last I checked now has twelve novels and is not done yet!!

I would definitely recommend reading The Secret History of the Pink Carnation first, as it introduces the reader to the fictionalized world of flowery espionage in England during the days of the Napoleonic wars. We also first meet our cast of characters in it.

Though The Masque of the Black Tulip puts emphasis and focus on a different set of characters, they are within the same family and social circle. So, I still recommend reading it first.

Okay, now onto deets of The Masque of the Black Tulip!

Having discovered the shockingly delicious identity of the Pink Carnation, modern day graduate student Eloise has even more questions. Especially when she reads of the deadly French nemesis, the Black Tulip. Such a tantalizing morsel of info.

So, Eloise dives into the archives of the attractive but hard to read descendent Colin Selwick. Figuring out the old codebooks and chicken scratch writing in letters will probably be easier to do than interpreting the actions of her sometimes crush Colin.

Her research finds an unlikely pair at the center of the action, related to the Pink Carnation, who had every intention of stopping the Black Tulip. Not actually spies themselves, the two get mixed up in more than they possibly could handle – including finding themselves realizing romantic feelings in an extraordinarily bad time to do so…

The Masque of the Black Tulip was loads of fun!

I’ve seen some people complain about Eloise, that her contemporary role is boring compared to the romance and espionage of the Regency era we are primarily narrated in. I disagree, I find her appealing, hilarious and relatable.

Regarding the primary storyline during the Napoleonic wars, I found Henrietta a more likable character than Amy was in The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. Far less wanton and much more brainy and witty. That’s the way I like my gals!

Henrietta and her brother’s best friend Miles have some excellent dialogue interplay and they have a foundation in friendship – knowing each other very well – that makes the rest of the story play more smoothly and believably than the first novel, for me.

On the actual suspense and spying aspect, as it was so long since I read the first book, I did occasionally get a bit lost. Overall, though, it was an entertaining jaunt of a novel. It was lighthearted to read with an adventurous spark, delightful humor and plenty of romantic tension. It didn’t take itself TOO seriously, making The Masque of the Black Tulip an enjoyable mystery!

I will continue to dive into this series – though I am still not in state to scramble all over myself to get the next book. It’ll happen when it happens.

I *am* curious about what happens with Eloise and Colin though…

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